A Near-Death Experience, the Presence of Jesus, and the Love That Remains

Wednesday morning on March 18th began like any other ordinary day. My husband, my mother-in-law, and I were finishing breakfast together. Nothing felt unusual at first. I took the last sip of my coffee, set my cup down, and looked at my husband.

“I feel lightheaded,” I told him.

He said he felt that way too, but I knew something was wrong. This was different. I told him, “No, I feel off. Call 911.”

Then everything changed.

I felt four electrical compressions in my chest, and I laid back in the chair. In that moment, the only thing that came to my mind was to praise Jesus. As everything around me shifted, I felt myself disconnecting from my body. I could still see. I could still hear. I was aware of what was happening around me, but I could not respond or physically feel anything.

I heard my husband calling 911 and telling the dispatcher that I was unresponsive. I saw him wave his fingers in front of my eyes. I could hear the urgency in his voice. I could see the fear and love on his face, and yet I could not speak.

And then, in the middle of all of it, I felt something I will never forget. I felt a blanket of love all around me. It was not panic. It was not darkness. It was love.

I wanted so badly to tell my husband that I loved him and that I was okay, but no words would come. Then I saw him take my hand and press it to his chest. He was visibly upset, but he stayed calm. He looked at me and said, “Stacy, come back to me.”

Those words are etched into my heart.

When the paramedics arrived, I could hear and see them working, but I still could not do or say anything. They got me into the ambulance, and then suddenly it felt like something snapped in my brain. I began to speak, but only one word at a time, slowly and slurred. As we traveled to the hospital, my speech gradually improved. By the time I arrived, I could communicate clearly, but I still could not move anything from the neck down.

The emergency department staff began assessing me. They asked me to squeeze their hands. They asked me more than once. I told them I was trying, but nothing moved. They asked me to move my hands and legs. Again, I said I was trying, but my body would not respond.

They rushed me for a CT scan, and shortly after that, I had an MRI.

The results showed a severely compressed bulging disc at C4-C5, pressing against my spinal cord all the way on the left side and partially on the right. The emergency department consulted the spinal surgical team, and as we waited, little by little, some movement began to return. A few hours later, I could move four fingers. As the night went on, I was able to move my limbs more, though still weakly and with numbness.

I was then prepped for surgery. They removed and replaced the disc, and the surgery went well.

I was discharged from the hospital six days later. There are still neurological and brain-related questions about what happened that morning. There are still things we do not fully understand. But in the middle of all the unknowns, there is one thing I know with absolute certainty:

When I felt like I was leaving my body, I was praising Jesus. And love surrounded me. That is the part I cannot keep to myself.

I have carried many moments with the Lord in my life, but this one marked me deeply. In that space between fear and eternity, I was not alone. I was not abandoned. I was not swallowed by chaos. I was wrapped in love. The presence of God was more real than words can fully explain.

That love goes with me now. It will go with me for the rest of my days.

This experience has made me even more aware of how precious every moment is. It has impressed something fresh upon my heart: we need to take the opportunity to share the love of God while we can. We need to pray when the Spirit nudges us. We need to listen more closely, observe more carefully, and discern more intentionally. There are people all around us who are hurting, weary, afraid, and searching. Sometimes all it takes is one conversation, one prayer, one act of obedience, one reminder that Jesus sees them and loves them.

I do not have every answer from Wednesday morning. But I do have this testimony:

Love surrounds you.
Love goes with you.
And in Christ, that love never leaves.

I also want to say thank you to all my family, friends, and church family, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for every prayer lifted on my behalf. I have felt those prayers. I am deeply grateful for every text, every message, every moment of intercession, and every act of love shown to me and my family during this time

Your prayers have mattered more than I can say.

💬 A Thought for You

We do not always get explanations right away. Sometimes we walk away from a moment with more questions than answers. Sometimes our bodies need healing, our minds need rest, and our hearts need time to process what we have been through. But even when understanding comes slowly, the presence of God remains steady.

Maybe you are in a season where you feel fragile. Maybe you are carrying fear, uncertainty, or physical pain. Maybe you are wondering how close heaven really is when life feels so vulnerable.

Hear me when I say this: the love of God is not distant from you. It is near.

It meets you in hospital rooms, in emergency calls, in moments of weakness, in unanswered questions, and in places where words fail. His love is not reserved for the strong. It wraps around us when we are helpless too.

🙏🏽 A Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your presence in every moment, even the ones that shake us to our core. Thank You for being near when fear rises and when our understanding falls short. Thank You for surrounding us with Your love and reminding us that we are never alone.

Thank You for sustaining me through this experience and for carrying me even when I could not move, speak, or help myself. Thank You for my husband, my family, the medical teams, and every person who has prayed for me.

As I continue to recover, give me strength for each day. Bring healing to my body, clarity to my mind, and peace to my heart. Let this testimony point others to You. Open my eyes to the people around me who need encouragement, prayer, and the hope found only in You.

Teach me to live more aware, more compassionate, and more willing to speak Your name. Let my life continue to testify that Your love is real, Your presence is near, and Your grace is enough. I give you all the glory, honor, and praise. In Jesus’ name,
I pray, amen.

🙇🏽‍♀️ A Closing Thought

Some experiences change the way you see everything. This one changed me.

I am still healing. I am still processing. I am still walking through recovery. But I am also walking away with a deeper awareness that the love of God is not just something we talk about. It is something that holds us.

So today, I leave you with this:

If you belong to Jesus, you never face any moment alone. Not fear. Not suffering. Not uncertainty. Not even the threshold between life and death.

His love surrounds you. His presence goes with you. And that is something no circumstance can take away.