A Day of Rest

I spent my entire day by Ned's bedside from about 10:00am until 11:00pm. While I realize that doesn't sound like a day of rest, it certainly was blissfully peaceful. My little Ned came down on his vent settings some today (we're now at 31 and need to get down to the lower 20's for surgery) and he tolerated more small changes without any effects on his stats!!! In fact, his stats remained so steady today that his monitor didn't alarm one time all day. Since it was so quiet and my eyes didn't stay fixed on his monitors all day, I read an entire book... Max Lucado's "3:16". I recommend it....it's a quick read (obviously) and there is a good bit of Jewish and Greek cultural and lingual details that better define how Jesus would have been interpreted during His time on this earth.

There were several parts of this book that have really stuck with me today. The first is that in John 1:38 when John and Andrew first encounter Jesus, their first request from him is "where are you staying?". Lucado points out that their main interest is in getting to know Jesus, and in joining Him wherever He is. They could have asked for signs and miracles upon their first meeting in order for Jesus to prove His deity, but instead, they were interested in being near Him so they could better know him. I think that is so profound. We often give the Lord a laundry list of all the things we would like from Him and all that we would like for Him to do for us, but we haven't taken one step out of our routine and comfort zone to follow Him where He leads us. Whether you hear the voice of God urging you to "follow Him" or if you are simply seeking Him out to know something greater, it is important to realize that what you can learn from knowing Him is far more powerful than receiving what you demand from Him.

Today I am prising God for allowing me to be Ned's mother. I looked at my little one in his bed tonight and I marveled at how God could use such a tiny person to speak to the lives of so many adults. My life has been blessed to be a part of what God is doing in the hearts of others through Ned's sickness. I wondered how Mary must have felt to have been chosen to raise Jesus and how blessed she must have felt to have been given the honor of providing and caring for God in His feeble infant body....Wow!

God has answered our prayers to allow Ned to continue to slowly be weaned off the vent. We are praying for continuation of such success. I also want to praise God for answering the prayer of a close friend who has been having some fears and concerns about her ability to have children. We are also thanking God for allowing Travis to get home safely today. I thank God for the peace he has delivered in Ned's room the past couple days. While the road ahead still looks a bit rocky, I think it is important to focus on and give thanks for the prayers He has already answered. In seeing from where He has brought us, looking at where we're going doesn't look so insurmountable.

Again thank you all for your prayers, cards, emails, phone calls and other ways you have shown us love and support. I want to apologize for not always responding to emails. If I don't have your email address, I can't respond to the messages left on the blog? I just wanted everyone to know that when I can, I attempt to personally thank everyone for their love, but I can't always get in touch with everyone? Love and blessings to you all!

Betsy, Travis, Jack & Ned