I grew up in a Christian family. When I was 8 years old I decided to turn my life over to Christ, but I didn’t really understand what that meant. My parents sent me to a Christian school, so I heard about God every day. I kind of ignored Him throughout my elementary school years and I struggled throughout my junior high years without Him. I thought I wasn’t cool or pretty enough, and my prayers consisted of asking God to help me on my math test and to clear my acne.

Somehow, I made it to high school. My freshman year I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which means I am allergic to gluten, and many other food allergies. I loved food and was mad at God for making me deal with changing my diet and making me sick when I would mess up. At my school, we began small groups with a teacher and 8 or 9 other freshman girls. These girls and my teacher helped me get through this and focus on the good that God was doing in my life. I then felt guilty for how I had treated God. I started trying to focus on Him more, but ended up hanging around the wrong crowd. These friends of mine were leading me down a path that was not honoring to God. I continued these friendships until my sophomore year. That year my friends let me down hard and I realized they didn’t care about me like the girls in my small group did. I decided I should spend more time with these girls outside of our small group time. They became my absolute best friends.

Going into my junior year, I was so excited. I had a great group of friends, we all had our driver’s licenses and later curfews, and we were finally upperclassmen. The first few weeks of junior year was great. Football games were super fun, and my friends and I hung out every Friday before the game. Jump ahead to the scariest day of my life.

I got up around 5:30 AM to meet my Bible Study at Chick-fil-a. I was about to head downstairs but I realized I didn’t have my jacket. I turned back to my closet to grab it, and then everything went black. I woke up to a blurry mom telling me to lay down. “You had a seizure but it’s okay. The ambulance is almost here.” The words swirled around my head, but I didn’t really understand them. I looked up and realized I was laying at the foot of my bed next to my dresser, and my head was pounding.

Next thing I knew, two strangers came into my room and walked me downstairs. They put me on a stretcher and pushed me out my front door. I saw the flashing lights and finally started to come to. My mom rode with me in the ambulance, and the rest of my family met us at the hospital. I got diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. I’m in high school, I shouldn’t be getting diagnosed with epilepsy, I thought. The doctor told me I couldn’t drive for six months, and I have no idea what he said after that. I went home and rested for the remainder of the day, feeling like I was drowning after what the doctor told me.

Some of my Bible Study friends came over that night and prayed for me. I saw the difference in how I reacted to this news, compared to how I reacted my freshman year. I realized that this didn’t have to be something I would struggle with, but rather be something I could use as a light for Christ. This could open up so many more discussions with people about God. Not only that but I realized God does everything for a purpose. He didn’t give me epilepsy because He thought it would be funny. It amazes me to this day, but God used my troubles to draw me closer to Him. And now through my hard times, I am able to see Him clearly and trust in Him alone.