Wow! I can’t believe it is May already. This year has been so hectic that time has just evaporated in a haze.
I don’t usually blog about my personal life on here. The purpose of this particular blog is to share the gospel. It isn’t for me to whine about my problems or to brag about my triumphs. However, since I haven’t blogged for the last couple of months I am going to share some of my highs and my lows. My life is my witness and testimony of God’s glory.
Let me see if I can do this in some semblance of chronological order.
• My beautiful child has a variety of medical issues and we had to spend a couple of days in the city for testing back in March. Praise God! The test turned out normal. We did a little shopping and overall had a good time.
• The next week I had to go back to the city for a conference for two days. Praise God! I learned some valuable information, visited with some interesting people, and had a safe and uneventful trip.
• The next week was Spring Break. My beautiful child had to have surgery. Praise God! She came through the surgery fine and is doing better.
• The Lord blessed me with another birthday.
• My oldest sister finally got the call for her transplant. Praise God and praying for His will! She was so excited and ready for a new lease on life.
• The transplant went ok, but complications arose. My sister was unconscious and on a ventilator and in critical condition. Praise God! He brought her through the surgery.
• I got sick at the hospital and had to go home. I couldn’t risk making my sister ill or the rest of our family. Praise God! Her daughters and husband were able to stay at the hospital with my sister the whole time. It was hard on them, but Jesus was with them.
• I was terribly ill and it turned into pneumonia. Praise God! He gave me the strength to keep going and finally brought me to a doctor who changed my medicine and I am a better now. Thank you, Jesus!
• My mother caught the same bug that made me ill. Being elderly, she just couldn’t shake it and had to be hospitalized. Praise God! She got some rest and IV medicines that helped her.
• My sister did not improve after nearly a month and finally the doctors said that they had done everything that they could. I checked Mom out of the hospital and we made the drive to the city to say goodbye. Praise God! He gave her the strength to get through this horrible heartbreak of losing another child. He blessed us with the comfort of knowing that my sister had come to know Jesus during her long illness and had prayed and left it in His hands before she went into surgery. He gave my nieces and her husband the strength and will to take care of my sister until the end.
• In all the trips to the city, being ill, and lack of sleep, Jesus kept His mighty hand upon us and was with us wherever we went. We were safe. We never got lost. We helped others find their way. I had enough vacation to cover my time off. Our church families prayed for us throughout this whole ordeal and lifted us in God’s sight. People pitched in and helped. Folks brought food, sent flowers and plants, and came to visit with Mom. An unexpected friend came and sat with me through the whole memorial service. We were just so blessed! I thank God for providing for us in this time of need when we couldn’t even think clearly.
• Our area and areas above us that drain through our area have had unusually heavy rains this spring. The levees have broken in numerous spots. Flooding has been wide spread. Roads are still closed. A multitude of people have lost their homes and most of their possessions. And most tragically many have lost their lives, including one lady that I knew and worked with. Our hearts are burdened and heavy, but God is still with us. For all the damage and tragedy, there are blessing and rays of light. Thank you Jesus! We live in the hills and our home was spared. My office was one of the very few that were not flooded on our campus. And even though they had to be evacuated, my BIL and SIL’s home that was in a badly flooded area only had a very little water damage. Praising God for His mercy and grace and praying for those who have been affected by this flooding.
This is not a comprehensive list of my highs and lows by any means, but this may give you some idea of the turmoil that has kept me from blogging recently. I hope that it highlights why we need Jesus in our lives, but in case it isn’t clear for you, I will try to explain.
First and foremost, I could never survive all that this world has to throw at me without Jesus. Before I found Him, any of these events would have ground me into the dust or driven me mad, much less all of them and more. Jesus is my rock. Jesus is my strong tower. Jesus is my life preserver. Jesus is my lifeguard.
Second, it rains on the just and on the unjust. There is not a single person on this planet that doesn’t need Jesus. It doesn’t matter how big or small, rich or poor, ill or healthy, young or old that you may be. Trials and tribulations and death come upon us all. You need to have that relationship with Jesus before trials and tribulations hit you and you need Him, because He knows those that are His. And you better be prepared to meet God, because you never know when that meeting may occur.
I pray that you will be lifted up and encouraged by the evidence of God’s mercy and grace in my life. I pray that you will want a relationship with the one, true, living God, too. And I pray that you will lift of your hands and praise Him and give thanks for all that He does with me. Have a blessed day!
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