Testimony from Ruth Sansom

Ruth Sansom has been a member of Wellspring Family Church since 2002.  Early in 2013 she had the shock of being diagnosed with large malignant throat tumour which was followed by a 6 week stay in hospital and major life-saving surgery which removed part of her food pipe, and her voice box.  At a recent Sunday church meeting she had a prophetic picture in her mind which she wrote down for someone to read out along with a short testimony of her experience of God's presence in hospital.  Ruth says:

"I saw a picture of people being thrown from a boat into a rough sea. Most people tried to swim, but the waves and current were very strong. I knew I hadn’t got enough strength to swim to shore, but then I remembered that I could float. I had learnt to do this as a child  and it involves both practice and discipline. You have to stop swimming, turn on your back, put your head back and keep still. Only then will the water support your weight and carry you.

God said,”You can float spiritually!” Stop struggling, lie back in the arms of Jesus and let him carry you on the ocean of His Love to wherever it is He wants you to be.

The Bible verse came to me, “Be still and know that I am God”      Psalm 46:10 (In fact it is worth reading the whole Psalm)

Recently I have been in hospital for 6 weeks very ill with an unexpected diagnosis of cancer and a huge operation.At times I felt far too weak to struggle and swim and, thanks to your prayers, and the discipline I learnt as a child, I was able to float in the arms of God’s love. And He carried me through. I found it helped to keep absolutely still both physically and spiritually, and miraculously time and pain seemed to wash over me and be gone.

If anyone reading this feels they are in deep water at the moment because of the storms of life, “Float!” Read Psalm 46 and other helpful Bible verses, but choose to do it. Stop struggling and let God carry you.

I don’t know what the future holds; whether this operation and the radiotherapy to follow will be a complete “cure”, but I do know that God will hold me up and carry me over and through the waves to his heavenly shore.

Some of you may be interested in this quote from Jurgal Moltman that I rediscovered while in hospital."

“True health is the strength to live, the strength to suffer, the strength to die. Health is not a condition of the body; it is the power of the soul to cope with the varying conditions of the body”

(Quoted in Sarah Williams book Shaming The Strong)