...WOW

I Can’t But He Can!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome back to our WOW for January. Oh, friend, there is power in His promises, but we can’t know that until we apply them, draw from them, grow in them. Grab your coffee and come with me. We’ve just finished the MRI!

“You’re all done.”

Tears of relief leaked out and trickled down my face as the bed I was strapped to crawled out toward the open air at a pace that felt slower than a turtle. The light knocked on the lids of my eyes, letting me know it was safe to open them. I did.

The ever-so-patient tech began to un-strap the heavy contraption that was used to protect me and breathing became easier. He took my hand and held me up. By this time I was beyond weak and shaken, and yet, I felt somewhat exhilarated by the experience of the victory of having survived this treacherous test, knowing it was Him that got me through it. I sat down in the wheelchair after rearranging my beautiful hospital gown that had to have been designed by a guy! Oh, those things are just not very functional or fashionable! 

What’s that pounding I’m hearing? Oh, that’s my head reminding me I’m starving and in need of caffeine. I brought my hands to my head to ward off the pounding only to be reminded of the IV needle in my left hand. But I didn’t let any of that steal my joy on the ride back to my room. We stopped to pick up George who had been dropped off in the waiting room. I couldn’t wait to share the experience with him. Praise and wonder gushed from my mouth as I re-lived the experience for him, sharing how God had brought others to my mind to pray for, how He had taken me back to many snapshots of our wedding day, like being out at sea and saying our vows, or the moments immediately after we said “I do.” I shared with him how several of the breaths were extraordinarily long, like at least forty-five seconds worth, and how just when I thought I was going to pop with anxiety, He filled my lungs.

And when I made it back to our room, Wynona and Craig greeted me. “How did it go?”

The crazy thing is I was super excited at the victory of it all because I knew that I knew that I knew that He had been with me in that tomb-like tube, had given me the strength to hold my breath for what seemed like an endless amount of time over and over again. And I loved the first tactic He used on me, to pray for others. In other words, get my focus off of me! Oh, how Philippians 4:13 came alive for me that day . . . and unbeknownst to me, would continue to be my mantra as my medical melodrama continued!

Once I was back in my bed, my IV companion attached again, someone from the cafeteria walked into our room. He said my name and I looked up, famished beyond words. He set the tray down on my little hospital table and I couldn’t wait to open the main dish. What had they brought me? I took the lid off and there in the middle of this big plate stood a child-sized bowl with a plastic lid. I peered down into the bowl without taking the lid off and saw dark broth. Broth, really? I peeled the lid away, and the aroma filled my nostrils. I was so hungry I pushed the spoon aside and pulled a Bryden: I picked the bowl up to my face and placed it at my watering mouth and began to drink, ever so slowly, savoring the taste of something different than ice chips. It tasted so, so, so good.

Suddenly I realized there was a cup of something staring at me and it too had a lid on it. I set the bowl down and began to tear at the lid on the cup with anticipated excited. Could this be what I thought it might? Yes! Coffee! Oh, God is good, and what kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t thank Him for the little things and only thanked Him for the big?

Join me tomorrow for the conclusion as I share more of this truth that continues to transform my heart, mind and life with the hope of speaking right to your heart!

Evinda