Category Archives: Life’s disappointments

Oh dear…

Posted on by

IMG_5121This afternoon, as Emerald and I were playing in our basement, she asked to sit atop the dryer so she could reach 6 hooks, each with a toy hanging from it. She’s played with those since she was 8 months old, and at two years still loves the idea of hooking and unhooking them from their assigned spots.

When Hello-Kitty went tumbling behind the dryer by accident, she asked if I could get her. So as grandmas often do for their grands, I determined to succeed no matter what. Tugging at the dryer, I found it moved out of its parking spot easily, and in just a minute I was standing behind it in foot-deep lint that had quite a few mysterious objects embedded in it.

Thankfully Hello-Kitty was on top, which quickly satisfied Emerald. But as she sat watching me dig for other treasures, she heard me repeatedly say, “Please, no animals…. Please, no animals.”

IMG_5119Up came socks, rags, dish cloths, baby toys, a small towel, a 220 electrical cord, and a pillow case I’d been missing for 3 years. Then I confidently scooped up a big wad of lint but suddenly found myself staring into the face of a stiff, plump chipmunk! My immediate jumping and squealing caused poor Emerald to say, “Are we ok? Are we ok? Are we ok?”

But we weren’t. When I finally regained composure and bent down for another handful of lint, it had a second deceased chipmunk in it! At that point we aborted the project, grabbed Hello-Kitty, and headed upstairs.

Life is full of surprises. When the good ones come (a raise at work, a beautiful day, a gift from a friend), we get happy. When the bad ones come (a critical comment, a big bill, an unexpected diagnosis), we squeal with objections.

God wants us to live on an even keel rather than to be controlled by our emotions, but we often find ourselves succumbing to tears or glee based on what’s going on around us. Scripture says our flesh and God’s Spirit are often at odds within us, so it’s up to us to choose which voice we’re going to listen to. His advice is to walk by the directives of the Spirit, which will always help us win over our unpredictable flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

Lint!Many hours later, after Emerald had departed with her Mommy, I returned to the scene of my screams and dealt with clean-up. May the incident be a regular reminder that “in quietness and in trust shall be my strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise [person] quietly holds it back.” (Proverbs 29:11)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Little Anders goes home tomorrow after 3 weeks in the NICU. Pray for a safe, peaceful transition.
  2. I’m so grateful to God that our time in Florida is being blessed and that I’m feeling so good!

 

What good will it do?

Posted on by

One of life’s great privileges is being able to talk to the Almighty. After reading the Old Testament and seeing how he kept a distance between himself and people to the point of causing whole mountains to shake, it’s astounding that he allows us to approach him at all. He not only allows it, he encourages it, warmly inviting us to come into his throne room. He even suggests we “come boldly,” and that we do it “with confidence.”

One of my great joys during the last 24 years has been to sit with others for extended times in God’s throne room. This week while meeting with 4 women to pray over a list of requests given to us through the church, a spirit of discouragement flooded me.

As we got ready to pray, we divided up the requests so each of us could cover some of them out loud while the others prayed silently. We do it this way each week, but for some reason this time I felt swamped by so many needs. There were nearly 100 in all, some of which had mini-requests within the bigger ones.

Prayers neededHow could we pray for them all in the 90 minutes available?

As the first woman began praying, my mind stayed stuck in the enormity of our task. My head was bowed, but my eyes weren’t closed. They were reading the requests: physical maladies, emotional crises, relationship divisions, financial struggles. How could our little band of 4 accomplish anything significant for this mob of needy people?

My desire to converse with God began plummeting, snowed under by the overwhelming odds against us. God’s simultaneous point of view, however, was the exact opposite. His desire to talk to me remained strong. And talk he did.

“Do you think your invitation into my throne room is so you can show me what you can do for these folks? Or is it for Me to show you what I can do?”

And that’s all it took. He had pulled me into the conversation.

I’m thankful for his timely reminder that prayer is all about God, not me. My part is just to approach him, believing he hears and answers. And sometimes he does it well before reaching #100 on the list: “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24)

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Not What We Envsioned

Posted on by

What do we do when life doesn’t turn out the way we envision it? Based on the facts we know on any given day, most of us project next-step logic. When it doesn’t follow accordingly, we become unsettled and usually unhappy.

This is especially true when a first baby is on the way. A young couple nurtures the mental picture of mama and baby snuggled together in the minutes after labor and delivery, the sweet desire of the heart accomplished just as they’d hoped. But what if the doctor delivers a piece of news that rearranges that picture?

Andrew and Kim with AndersThat’s what happened to my nephew Andrew and his wife Kim during the last weeks of her pregnancy. It was a blow to learn their baby wasn’t growing as he should in the womb and that their wisest choice would be to induce delivery 3 weeks ahead of schedule. The diagnosis was Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR), and the medical consensus was that the placenta wasn’t delivering adequate nutrition to the baby.

Little Anders James was born on December 22 weighing 4 pounds 2 ounces but other than his low weight seemed healthy and whole. So what does a young couple do when their parenthood picture looks nothing like what they visualized?

IMG_8754They do the same thing all young couples do. They love, protect, and pamper their new baby. These particular parents have also rooted for their newborn in ways most parents never do, applauding each half-ounce of milk he takes in, comforting him when the effort to suck wears him out.

They’ve also become immediately aware of the fragility of life, something most new mothers and fathers don’t learn till much later. And they work to bond with their new baby through tubes, wires, and the NICU schedule. Caring for their little one is done in the presence of hospital personnel, and when it’s time to go home each night, they don’t get to take their baby with them.

imageKim and Andrew’s introduction to parenthood has been anything but smooth, yet they’ve responded to each complication with courage and endurance. When Anders’ weight slipped to 3 pounds 15 ounces, they didn’t panic but trusted God to bring the gains he needed and continued diligently to tend to his feedings. When he pulled out his feeding tube again and again, they patiently endured his objections as it was reestablished.

The Lord is hovering close to this young family as it goes through these difficult days of wondering what the future will hold while managing the complex present. But God made Anders to be exactly who he is, a little fellow working hard to meet the big challenges of each new day.

And as all three of them continue to learn from each other, one thing they already know for sure: Anders James has been “fearfully and wonderfully made” by a God who loves him with an everlasting love.

Kim and Anders“From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.” (Psalm 103:17)

Praising and Praying with Mary

I’m thankful Anders’ feeding tube was taken out today and that he is continuing to gain weight, up to 4 pounds 11 ounces at last count.

Please pray he’ll continue to make steady gains and that the Lord will direct as to which day he leaves the hospital.