Monday, November 26, 2012

Mashed Potatoes with a Side of FLU, Please!

Last Sunday, we headed to Dollywood for a day of family fun! My parents and my niece met us there and we had a great time. It was so good to see my parents. 
Living far from family is sad. I love every chance we have to spend time together.
I miss my mom and dad. I miss my sister. I miss my nieces and nephews. I miss my grandparents.
But, we know God has us here for a purpose so that is comforting.


I think these two (below) would make a cute couple...


I am so in love with Tim. He truly is my knight-in-shining armor. He is our protector. 
I pray almost every day for God to give him the eyes of a shepherd.
Jehovah Raah is our Shepherd and Tim is our shepherd.

We had a great day at Dollywood. 
Back home we went to prepare for Tim's parents and Thanksgiving.
By Wednesday, Lake looked a little green and had a fever.
I took him to the doctor and the doctor (WHOM I LOVE and want to move in his house)
said he thought it was just a virus. On Thanksgiving, Lake woke up with a 104.2 fever  and then Evan threw up during breakfast. Not exactly the Thanksgiving  we had planned. Evan's fever went up to 104.6. I put them both in the bathtub and called my doctor at home (I do that a lot... I am so thankful he still answers). He said keep the fevers below 105 and bring them in the next day. 

We have a futon at the bottom of our bed that is lovingly called "The Sick Boy Bed". I don't remember a time when I had 2 VERY sick boys at the same time. We pulled a mattress in for boy #2 to sleep on in the floor. That night, while I was going from room to room checking temps and praying Psalm 91 over all my children, our heat went out. It was FREEZING. I guess that was good for my fever babies but it was SO COLD. I am not believing all this is happening.  I put about 3 blankets on each sleeping child.

On Friday, I took them to the doctor. He said, "I haven't seen a case of the flu yet but lets test them in case".
Lake had a flu shot (which was such a blessing since he is an egg allergy kid). It took 3 hours in the allergist's office to be administered. 
The pediatrician comes in and says, "FLU A!!!! My first cases this year."
Ughhhhhhhhhhhh. They xrayed Lake's lungs and found that he also had pneumonia. 
With his severe asthma, this isn't good. 
And, not to mention Evan is so sick he resembles The Grinch.

So, here we go again. 
"But you, keep your head in all situations, ENDURE HARDSHIP, do the work of an evangelist,"

2 Tim 4:5



"You therefore must ENDURE HARDSHIP as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

2 Tim 2:3


"ENDURE HARDSHIP as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?" 

Heb 12:7


Endure: 

to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ

to endure, bear bravely and calmly



This is easier said than done. :)



My heart is already weary from a trial that wasn't over when this one started. I am starting to wonder if there is something wrong with us... why we have so many health trials. I know ours are small in comparison to others but they seem to come on intensely and more frequently than the average family.

But, as I tell my boys... We aren't "normal". We will never be "normal".

I asked my mentor, "Why all the drama in my life? I am just trying my very best to serve the Lord!".

My mentor laughed and said "You have drama because you are doing your very best to serve the Lord."

As I study the book of John, I realize that Jesus' life was not drama-free. Nor was it trial-free. People were constantly trying to seize Him, capture Him, kill Him. That is how He lived His life yet IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL, He had peace and obedience. Completely submissive to the will of His Father even when it was painful and/or uncomfortable.
Paul's life wasn't fun either. Neither were most of the disciples lives.
They weren't here to be comfortable. They were here to serve Jesus and spread the gospel.

I have gone through A LOT of storms. I have looked at heaven in the scariest part of the storm and said...

"This isn't the abundant life you promised!!!"

I have passed most of my tests with a D-...
or I have failed and had to re-take the same test.
Maybe that is why we have so many health trials!! 

I don't think Jesus promises any of His followers a trial-free life. That isn't the peace He offers. His peace is found in the middle of the storm.
Allowing Him to carry us HIGH above it like eagles. I have been thinking of that verse lately. I want to soar above the storms with Jesus. We have that ability. 

"But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

Is 40:31

I am watching one of my best friends, Jennie, as she grieves the loss of both parents. Her faith and peace are stunning. 


She spends a lot of time alone with Jesus. I am learning that truth right now too. As girls, we can seek fulfillment through relationships and friendship and that is fine as long as Jesus truly is our BFF. If Jesus is our BFF, than our other relationships will be much healthier. I am learning to go to HIM first. That hasn't been natural for me. I am having to re-train my mind.  I want to call my mom or talk to a friend BEFORE I talk to Jesus. He wants me to pour my heart out to Him first!
I think this helps battle depression and loneliness in hardship.
"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
Ps 62:8


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I want my faith to be proven genuine when it is tested by fire.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
1 Peter 1:6,7

I want our home to stand as the winds blow and the rain comes down.
Storms are coming. They just look different in our lives.
Your storm may be singleness... or depression... or infertility.
It may be a rocky marriage that seems hopeless.
Our trials are all painful. 
There are different seasons of life. 
He gives us seasons of rest but if you truly want to serve the Lord, it isn't going to be easy.
There is opposition. That is why the Bible says we are in a spiritual BATTLE.
Psalm 1 says we can produce fruit in EACH SEASON. The good and the bad...
"They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit EACH SEASON."

Tim and I are getting ready to step out into a new ministry. A ministry to FAMILIES.
We believe God is calling us to strengthen families by bringing them together with the Word of God.
I know there will be opposition to this. The enemy doesn't want families to be WHOLE and he doesn't want children taught the Word of God. If you are interested in doing a Bible Study as a family, send me a message and I will give you details. It is so fun to worship God and study the Bible together as families. 
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Every morning in our home we sing and dance. That is not dependent on circumstances. I want my children to develop that habit. We sing when we are sick. We sing when we are sad. We sing when we are slandered. We sing when we are afraid.
Praise changes things.
As my Bible College teacher taught me YEARS ago..
"Feelings follow Action".

So, if you are in the furnace, praise God. Keep praising Him. Keep believing Him. Keep ENDURING and PERSEVERING. 

God has given me some of my most valuable gifts in the furnace. 

"I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."
Is 45;3
It is hard. Believe me, I know. When our heat went out in the middle of the FLU, it felt so crazy and out of control.
I am still afraid. Lake is doing a breathing treatment now. He does them every 4 hours. I was up with him all night last night rocking him and giving him medicine. It is terrifying. Yet, we sing. I printed out Psalm 91 and put it under His pillow to watch over him while I sleep for 45 minute increments. 
I am so grateful God doesn't sleep. He is always caring for us and our children. 
My body aches. I don't know if I have the flu but if I do, life goes on like I don't.
Tim lost his voice. I got so cracked up at him while he was home for lunch and all of his charades. We are a TOTAL mess. 
I should have gone to nursing school and gotten my Navy Seal training before having so many children.
This is HARD. I am unqualified. 
Yet, God is our very-present help. 
Trials do not= lack of faith.
God pulls His favorites close through trials. 
I am prone to wander. 
Yet, He gently pulls me close to Him through adversity.
I want to bring Him glory. 

I want my faith to be proved genuine. Yet, I don't have the faith I need for this. Please, Lord give us FAITH.


“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
Matt 7


The inside of our house...
Hope likes to fix her hair with her food. 
I think this is yogurt.
 teaching Crew how to have a tea party...
 All 5 of my children have LOVED this cabinet. 
I will be sad when I don't have an eyeball peaking out of it.






 The sick boy bed. 
He is a DELIGHT to me. Taking care of him is a joy.


 I put the ornaments on. 
She takes them off. 
She especially loves the Peter Pan ornaments.


 My two "sickos".
Please pray for God to help us through this trial.
"Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit."
3 John 1:2

Be Blessed~
Steph

1 comment:

Astrid said...

I am praying. I can relate to feeling out of control. I think your mentor is right. You are an inspiration to me. Love you! Astrid