On days like today, (see post about my Mom & Dad if you missed it) it’s sweet to look back, and see what gifts God had for us.
I’m realizing as I think through things this evening, that it really does depend on which lens and filter we use, when we look at our days, and our lives.
If I use one filter, I could label this day as a horrible bunch of events that landed both of my parents in the hospital, following a summer full of my dad battling cancer, and my mom serving daily to a point of exhaustion. A day that didn’t go as planned, messed up my schedule, and left me worn down and puffy-eyed.
But I thank the Lord that that’s not the lens that I use! This day was a beautiful reminder of Romans 8:28 - how God works things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
I was prayed for in person or on the phone by no less than four dear friends, and was circled up & prayed for by six women as I had to leave suddenly from work at the clinic to meet my parents at the ER.
This provided space to have a much-needed conversation with a friend, in a perfectly-orchestrated God-scheduled meet-up in the ER waiting room. If we hadn’t had this discussion, the enemy would have been able to drive a wedge between us deeper than it already was. God put an end to that!!
I got to speak to my Aunt Camille on the phone, who again reminded me of Romans 8:28, and we agreed that God truly has got this.
A wise friend Dayna encouraged me, when Dad was first diagnosed with cancer this Spring, reminding me that my only role in this is to be a daughter, (not a nurse, not a problem-solver, not a caretaker ...) and I used that encouragement again today.
The way that I got to love my parents today was by being patient and kind to them, unhurried, calm, and by taking time to sit with them and visit in each of their hospital rooms, listening to them as they shared their thoughts.
I cried a lot today. I laughed a lot today. I yelled out my emotions a little bit today. Friends encouraged, listened, and cared for our kids.
My parents sleep, alive, tonight in separate rooms in the hospital. There is quite a road that they still have to journey through Dad’s treatment, through gaining his nerve function back to walking, and now through healing from these new injuries. Mom has her own medical issues that she can’t yet take time to address, as she’s caring for my dad.
But God’s got this today as much as He had it when He brought the world into existence.
There is no fear here. No need to worry. No need to try to hurry past the tough stuff.
The tough stuff is where we grow!
Strength :
https://lettersoflovedesigns.com/products/strength-sign-i-can-do-all-things-through-christ-who-gives-me-strength-philippians-4-13-christian-gift?_pos=1&_sid=9e8eaa578&_ss=r
