I have such a heavy heart these days. So many people needing prayer and all of them our family members. Including myself.
Besides our own family battling illnesses like pneumonia, bronchitis, severe colds, and ear infections, there's little Abraham. Bruce's cousin's baby. He got an infection in his eye, which turned to cellulitis and swelled up something terrible. He's been in the hospital, has had surgery to have it drained, and will most likely be in the hospital for ten to fourteen more days. He really needs to be lifted in prayer. His parents and sisters also. He's such a sweet little thing. He's been in my constant thoughts and prayers since he went in the hospital a few days ago.
My mother in law, Marie, went in to see the orthopedic surgeon about having her knees replaced. While she was there he found a heart murmur and sent her to a heart specialist. The heart specialist said she needed a valve replacement. While running tests to get ready for that surgery, they found a mass on her kidney and sent her to an oncologist. The oncologist, thankfully, told us it was not cancer and we could proceed with the heart surgery. Which was good news, but scary too. Everything was scheduled and she had her surgery last Wednesday. Some unexpected things happened during surgery that we were not aware of until last night. She was in ICU longer than anticipated, but eventually moved to a regular room. However, her heart has been out of rhythm ever since so they're going to do surgery some time tomorrow and give her a pacemaker. I'm sad I can't be there for her. But I know the Lord is taking care of her.
On top of everything, Bruce is on mandatory over time all week. This has been difficult for him. He doesn't have any more time to take off here at the end of the year. But he's making it through long work days and getting up there to Charlotte to see his mom at night.
As we were talking about how frustrated we feel, him having to work and me being sick, and not being able to really be there, he asked me how we were going to get through this with his mom? My reply was, "We sail through it. That's what we do."
Sometimes the seas of life get rough. You can't control the waves or the storm that directs them. You just have to hold on and sail through it. When your ship is Jesus Christ, who also happens to be the One who directs the storms and waves, there is no safer or surer place to be. Sometimes God has to slow us down and say, "Hey, I'm in charge here. I don't need your help today." He'll send the waves during the storm that holds us back from staying on course. We are tossed side to side, to and fro, until we aren't really sure which direction we were going to begin with. But when we just sail through it, trusting He has us in His hands, eventually the storm ceases, the waves become still, and we find ourselves suddenly back on course, heading in the direction God had planned for us all along. And more often than not, we find ourselves closer to him too. We suddenly look up and realize the storm is over, the seas are calm, and we're sailing peacefully into the SONset.
We can worry about what people think, we can worry about our circumstances, we can worry about our health, our finances, our jobs, etc... but in the end, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that God knows everything about it and He has it all under control. So when the storms come and the waves begin to toss, just hang on, take one day at a time, and sail through because every storm ends.
Eventually.
Isaiah 45:7 "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things."
