Keeping us on our toes!

Quick change...surgery is now on for Wednesday?! Praise God, there have been no setbacks that have caused the doctors to delay the surgery date. They have just decided to give him another day on the conventional vent and some more time to come off some more of the medications. Thankfully, that gives us more time to get "prayed up", as I have often heard the term used. It basically means to pray to a point of spiritual rest and comfort. To me, it is less of a saying and more of a state of being. It's where we should all live....prayed up!

I want to go ahead and share something God has laid on my heart this morning. I have received several emails within the past several days from people who are struggling with other issues in their lives. Most of the emails begin in a very apologetic tone as if I am being bothered by their request for prayer. Others have even avoided ever sharing with me what it is that is weighing so heavily on them for fear of over-burdening me. While I so appreciate everyone being so sensative and compassionate towards me, I don't want this to become a period in my life that is about me and what I need. While everyone feels a sense that all my attention should be focused on Ned, I want God to continue to be able to use me. After I say this, you may feel the urge to contact DSS, but I hope you'll hang with me a few moments while I explain. I don't need to focus on Ned right now. In fact, there is no time in my life when I need to focus on my children. I have looked back on it this morning and as best as I can find, there is no where in God's word where He directs us to focus on anything other than Him. I am looking to Him knowing that He holds my children. It isn't that I wouldn't love to fix Ned, all on my own, right now; but, that isn't a possibility for me. On a smaller scale, I am unable to cure Jack's cold, force kindness into his heart, make him desire to share his toys or to treat everyone with the same love he shows me? No matter how much I focused my attention on these efforts, I could never be assured that my best attempts would prove successful. How liberating that all I have to do is focus on Jesus and trust my children into his care. Before we came to Chapel Hill, Travis and I prayed that if the Lord wanted to use us in any way while we were here, that we would be sensative to the calling of the Holy Spirit and that we would find our way through our fears to be obedient. We want those oppotunities so that the blessing of the Lord can really continue to flow as our faith is being both tested and multiplied.

I am thankful for the prayer requests that I receive. I believe that as people of God we should rejoice in praying for others. I love knowing where people are in their lives and their spiritual growth and what their struggles are at the moment. I enjoy praying for others because I enjoy seeing God answer those prayers and work in the lives of others. That's how our lives become blessed. I think this is a difficult place to reach in our lives because we do think we can control everything and that our families are our burdens and our responsibility to protect, but there is actually little truth in that. We are all children of God and He holds us all in His righteous right hand!

I'll keep everyone posted on the surgery. In the meantime, the words of this old hymn have been a favorite for Ned and me lately. It so speaks to where we are:

Turn Your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of the world will grow strangely dim,
In the Light of His glory and grace!

Amen!!!