Happy Sabbath! I was spending a few minutes looking through my journal this evening. This is not a diary type of journal, but rather a blank book where I write down special Bible verses that speak to me, or quotes from other spiritual books that really seem to touch my heart. I thought I would share with you the very first thing I wrote in this journal--it was a definition of "Holiness." This really gave me something new to think about, and I hope it does the same for you.
"Holiness is not rapture:
it is an entire surrender of the will to God;
it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God;
it is doing the will of our heavenly Father;
it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light;
it is walking by faith and not by sight;
it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love."
The Acts of the Apostles by E.G.White, p. 51
Isn't that a beautiful definition? I especially love that last line--"relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love." Did you catch that? RESTING in His love--not working harder. Not working faster. Not working more. Not even praying the "perfect" prayer. It is not getting the "right" words in the "right" order that will "make" God answer our prayer. No--He asks us to trust Him--and to rest.
As the Holy Sabbath hours begin anew this evening, may you trust Him and rest. And may I as well.
Just thought I would share some photos from my Mother's Day. I am SO very very blessed. The photo above shows my two beautiful children. Our son was born eight weeks premature, and later it was discovered that he had suffered a massive stroke before he was born. He has to take medication daily to prevent seizures from breaking through--seizures are common in people with brain injuries. We are grateful that the medication is working well for him and controlling the seizures well. Other people are on seizure medication but do not have such good control. There are always undesirable side effects of all medications, however, and for seizure medications they do slow the brain down. They are designed to do this to prevent the seizure break through--but it can also make academic pursuits more difficult. Yet--even with these things working against him (not even mentioning the extra fatigue he battles with on a daily basis due to his physical disability), he still made the Honor Roll at his college this last semester. Oh yes--this is also a kid who wasn't expected to make it out of the hospital alive after he was born. I am so very, very blessed.
And our beautiful daughter. She loves to make me things! This picture is showing eight book marks that she designed for me herself on the computer. She picked out photos, and then wrote Bible verses on each one of them. I love them--and am using them already!
And she made me a coupon book as well, filled with all sorts of wonderful coupons. Things like laundry folding, sweeping and mopping, etc. I have already started cashing in some of these!
In the morning we went to see an IMAX movie on butterflies. It was a really neat film, all about the Monarch butterflies and how their migration route was studied for years and finally discovered. Very interesting to learn about the scientist who made it his life work to try and find out where the Monarch's went in the winter time, and how he finally learned. One unexpected thing in the film was how much the wonderful state of Texas was featured--I almost felt like I had a little visit back there! Especially since the film was a 3-D film--it REALLY felt like I was right there in Texas! :)
After the IMAX, we came home for a picnic lunch on our front porch, where the above gifts were given to me. I cannot help but think how the most wonderful gifts we have are each other. Whether your family is "blood" or "love," people are still the most important gift we have in this world.
People are the only thing worth loving.
I know Jesus would agree. After all, "For God so loved the world. . . "
I have wonderful family and friends. And I have Jesus.
Just thought I would share this adorable little video. When my son was first born, I read somewhere that becoming a mother was like having your heart permanently walking around outside your body somewhere--forever. How true that statement was. I now have two beautiful children, and my heart will forever be with them. Always.
I can't even imagine how much the Father must love us.
Love that gives good gifts.
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:10-12
Love that does not fail.
"The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'" Jeremiah 31:2-4
Love that engraves us on His heart.
"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49:15-17
For anyone who knows me personally, you are probably already aware that our son was born with a disability. What some may not know, is that his disability is a result of him having a stroke before he was born. Yes, you read that correctly. Kids have strokes too. In fact, babies have strokes. Unborn babies have strokes. Teens have strokes. And unlike an adult who may recover a large share of what they "lost" from a stroke, when a child has a stroke, recovery is a lifetime. And they will never ever be as a child who did not experience a stroke.
Even when a family has excellent medical insurance, as we did, it is never enough to meet the ongoing needs of a disabled child. Insurance limits often mean your child goes without a needed brace because you have already used up your durable medical equipment insurance dollars for that insurance year. P.T., O.T., and Speech therapy often have limits of perhaps 15 sessions per year. How does one fit that with a child who requires all these therapies two times each per week? And what about co-pays? Our family was fortunate--most of the time, our co-pays for therapy were "only" $20 per visit. But when your child is needing six therapy visits per week, four weeks per month, twelve months per year, times around twelve or eighteen years or so, well, I guess you get the picture. Even excellent health insurance is not enough.
Then there is the social situation. If your child had a stroke, there is a good possibility that they will be able to learn to walk (Remember all those therapy visits? That is HOW your child is able to walk!). So while you are happy beyond words that your child is not in a wheel chair, at the same time they are certainally NOT able bodied either. In my experience, you live a sort of limbo existence, somewhere between the severely disabled world which your child is better off than, and the non-disabled world where your child does not fit either.
What helped our family in a huge way was when God led us to the Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association, CHASA for short. There is no way anyone can understand who has not experienced it for themselves, but you FINALLY see other families who have a child with the same disability as yours. You share ideas. You share tears. You share joy. You understand what a HUGE deal it is when someone's child starts to walk or talk.
CHASA has been such a blessing in our lives I cannot even put it into words. They provide support and information. They have orthotic scholarships that can help purchase a needed leg or hand brace. They have scholarships for college and other types of training for young adults. But the best thing is that you finally know your family is not alone. There are others who understand.
Research into causes of Pediatric Stroke is badly needed, so that it can hopefully some day be prevented. Awareness is the first step--so please spread the word--kids have strokes too!
One way to help with this awareness is to share this Pediatric Stroke Awareness Montage. One look at all these beautiful children breaks my heart--yet at the same time I am SO proud of every single one of them. I understand just a bit of what they have gone through, and how difficult each new accomplishment can be. And if you watch the video to the very very end, you will see the smiling face of my son--he is second to the last.
He is my favorite Stroke Survivor--and I am SO very proud of him!
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