Do Not Fear, Just Believe: A Story of Suffering, Surrender, and a Mountain-Moving God

Family, friends, and those just getting to know us—thank you for taking the time to read our story.

2025 has already been a wild ride.

As we approached Easter, our church started a collective “Digital Fast.” I found that intriguing and wondered if I could even participate—given the nature of my business, Knots Creek, being a digital services company. But with encouragement from our pastor, Eric and I decided to take part, committing to use social media only for client work and stepping away from all things personal.

We had no idea what God was preparing us for.

In that quiet space, God gave us new business ideas, unlocked creativity beyond our normal threshold, and showed us exactly where He’s calling us. We grew stronger as a couple, and learned to trust in the Lord in ways that seem illogical.

And then the storm came.

About two weeks into the fast, Eric’s mom was hospitalized with sepsis. The doctors told us to prepare for the worst. Normally, I would’ve rushed to social media, asking for prayers—sometimes before I even stopped to pray myself. But I was committed to this fast, and even more committed to God. So I did the only thing I could in that helpless moment: I prayed.

That same week, Eric’s truck broke down. And while trying to fix it, he started noticing soreness in his left arm. He brushed it off, as usual, and kept pushing forward—taking care of everyone around him, like he always does.

A few days later, we were up late. Eric had just gotten back from visiting his mom at the hospital, and I was working on one of the God-given ideas for Knots Creek. We didn’t go to bed until around 1 a.m.

Then at 4:27 a.m., I woke up in a panic to the sound of Eric screaming in pain.

He was on his knees. I rushed to him. When I said we needed to go to the ER, he brushed it off—said he just moved the wrong way and tweaked something and the pain had subsided. Seeing as I’d only gotten 3 hours of sleep, I guess I left my better judgment under the covers. I said, “Okay… well at least let’s find a doctor.”

He agreed and proceeded to self-diagnose a pinched nerve through 2 hours of YouTube videos and a whole lot of ChatGPT.

We went to the chiropractor, thinking it was our best bet. But before we left, he fell again from the pain. My better judgment must’ve still been lollygaggin’. We proceeded to the chiropractor. After the appointment, standing and walking seemed to help a little—so he suggested a park. It was a sunny day, and the kids were all for it.

But his body had other plans.

About 10 minutes into the car ride, my better judgment had finally jumped back in my body. He screamed again—real, sharp pain through his left arm—and then he grabbed his chest, gasping for air. His body was now in full rebellion. My heart sank…

Was he having a heart attack?

I drove as fast as I could safely—finally understanding what those 4 years of bus driving were training me for. We got to the ER, and I dropped him off at the doors.

God’s first gift of grace that day—though the TINY parking lot was packed, I somehow found the very last spot.

I ran in with the kids. A police officer asked how he could help. I said, “I’m looking for my husband—he came in about two minutes ago.” The officer’s face turned serious. “Was he the guy in a lot of pain?” I nodded, and he waved me through.

They had skipped the waiting room and rushed Eric straight back.

The kids weren’t allowed in the exam area, so after talking with the nurse, I stayed behind with them. I tried to hold it together, but the tears came. All I could whisper was, “Lord, help me be like Jairus.” The Lord had brought that story from Mark Chapter 5 to me weeks earlier, and now it became my lifeline.
“Do not fear, only believe.” (Mark 5:36)

Brantley hugged me and said, “It’s okay mommy, I love you.”

Hudson tried to make silly faces to cheer me up. Then he looked at me and said:
“Mommy, Jesus loves you… and Jesus loves Daddy too.”

I gave my best smile, I hugged them both, and just wept.

Soon, a friend came and picked up the boys so I could be with Eric—another gift of God’s grace. Eric was in a wheelchair, waiting. We spent hours there, waiting in between all the tests. None of the medications touched his pain—not even morphine or nerve blockers.

Around midnight, a neurosurgeon came in and explained: Eric had two bulging discs in his spine where it meets the neck, pressing on his spinal cord and nerves. The only real relief would come through surgery.

Emergency spinal surgery was scheduled for Saturday. The neurosurgeon that would be performing the surgery prayed with both of us before the surgery—yet another gift from God.

Eric would have to stay overnight again. I stayed by his side.

At that point, the kids were now staying with my parents – another gift from God – and we were preparing to spend Easter apart from them.
This was so incredibly difficult for us—especially since we’ve never been away from the kids for more than a night… and even that has only happened a few times.
It felt unnatural and painful. But we knew they were safe—and we held tightly to the belief that God had all of us in His hands.

During the surgery, I had to stay in the waiting room – it was a 2.5 hour surgery. As soon as they took him into the operating room, the anxiety flooded my body like a poison. Luckily God doesn’t have a kryptonite – and He sent my friend Audra to help me fight mine. She came to visit with me, brought me food and snacks, and we ended up talking the entire 2.5 hours. I’m so grateful to have had that companionship and distraction at the perfect, God-timed moment. It brought peace to a heart that was otherwise filled with anxiety.

After the surgery, it took a while for Eric to come back to his normal headspace. I stood there staring at him as he slept, waiting for the anesthesia to wear off. I prayed. I cried. But mostly, I was grateful. Grateful that even though my husband looked like a trainwreck, he was going to be okay.

Once he woke up, we had about 24 hours together in the hospital before he was released. There were a lot of tears, laughter, praying, and love in room 1123.

That night, we were reunited with our boys, and of course my mom sent us home with Easter leftovers. We’re still eating egg salad.

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After we got home, Eric slept for three and a half days straight. Not exactly what I was expecting. I handled talking to his boss, keeping extended family updated, and getting up to date on all my work with Knots Creek. The kids definitely had more fun over the Easter weekend than they did in those 3 days.

We spent $100 on prescriptions and another $100 on food that he could actually eat. And while his pain is now dramatically lower, it’s still present in his left arm and fingers. The doctor said that might happen, so we’re watching it closely.

Then came another blow: since he was out more than 3 days, his employer required FMLA paperwork. The doctor signed it – and with that, Eric is not allowed to return to work for 6 weeks. One week of paid leave is all he had, and his employer doesn’t offer short-term disability.

So… no income for May and part of June. And bills are still due—including child support, food, fuel, truck payments, utilities, and new tires for the truck.

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We had actually looked at the calendar a few weeks earlier and realized Eric would receive three paychecks in May—a rare thing, and one we felt was God’s provision ahead of time. We thought, “Maybe this is how we’ll finally get the truck the tires, brakes, and oil it desperately needs.” That plan felt like a blessing in motion. But now with no income for May, that cushion is gone—and those needs are still waiting. And we are still waiting to see how God will provide.

Normally, we’re the kind of people who hide our hardships, thinking we don’t want to be a burden to others. But Jesus has shown us that we are surrounded by people who love us. And He is teaching us that even our suffering can be filled with joy.

This is part of our testimony.
We believe that God is writing a beautiful story—even if there’s brokenness, and even if we don’t see the full picture.

We believe in the goodness of God. We’ve seen it again and again. And we believe that God is our provider—not a paycheck, not a job, not the next client. But we also believe that God uses people to meet needs. Just like He did for us in the hospital, with every meal, every prayer, every helping hand.

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How You Can Help

If you feel led to support our family, here are three ways:

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And Most Importantly—Please Pray

Pray for healing, for provision, for strength, and for the courage to keep climbing this mountain with faith—even when we don’t know how far we are from the top.

We do not fear.
We believe.

We believe in the risen King.
In the God who writes the best stories.
In the One who moves mountains—even when we only have mustard seed faith.

And please know that we are praying for you—every single person who reads this, every friend, every family member, every giving heart who has helped or will help our family.

From the depths of our hearts, thank you.

With love and open hands,
Jamie & Eric
Hudson, Brantley, Ella, and Bryson
Knots Creek