January's WOW

I Can’t But He Can!

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

Philippians 4:13

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks for joining me for what is turning out to be a real journey that I’m inclined to now cut short because I thought the worst was behind me. Grab your coffee and come on in.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I slept on and off. The crazy thing is it was easier to sleep during the day in some respects. At least I’d grab bigger chunks of it than I was able to during the night. And then again, maybe it was the whole experience of the MRCP procedure that brought with it the ability and confidence to rest. I just knew that they would find the problem and fix it and I’d be out and up in no time.

When my dinner came and was a repeat of my lunch, the alarm in my mind was turned to attention. Why wasn’t anyone coming in and telling me they found the problem? Or that they had the solution? Now I know why: it’s because they didn’t!

Oh, how I wish I would have journaled the journey while in the hospital. Journaling is a way for me to get stuff out, talk with God, gain understanding. My mind was stuck, not necessarily in a bad place, but it certainly wasn’t in a great place; it was just stuck! How quick we can forget or push aside the God-given victories, the moments where we know that we know that He showed up. When the answers didn’t come as soon as I thought they would, I guess you could say that I was still viewing this circumstance as an interruption in my life! I thought it would all be over a lot sooner.

Here’s what I do know and what He’s been kind enough to remind me of and re-instill: even though I didn’t turn to the things of God, He never left me. His Word was/is very much alive in me; at times it's as though it is sleeping, but nevertheless it is within me. His Spirit in me, I now know, is what kept me going and though I wasn’t “running” the race, I was persevering. It’s just perseverance looks different at different times in our lives.

Looking back, I can see how He expressed His love and compassion for me in ways that we can tend to take for granted if we are not paying attention. He showed He was in complete control through CPM’s amazing assistant, Christina, who came almost every day to take care of what concerned me, to encourage and assure me.

He showed me He was on the throne through competent doctors who were doing their best to be thorough.

He showed His amazing and constant love through a constant flow of visitors, voicemails and texts from personal friends, and friends of CPM. He and I know who each of you are . . . and exactly what I needed. Thank you for being His love for me, especially during this time of uncertainty.

He showed me His artwork through the flowers that came my way from three very special friends. God is the author of some beautiful things, but flowers/roses capture so many of my/our senses, don't they? There were mini yellow roses, some beautiful blood-red roses and then there were the ones from Christina’s mom’s garden: jinormous! I had never seen or smelled anything like them. They were the most fragrant flowers I have ever smelled, even more so than the star-gazer lily!
He reminded me that nothing is an interruption in my life, for that would indicate He is not in complete control, and interruptions contradict the truth of Romans 8:28.

Believe it or not, this series isn’t all about me! God showed me the gift of compassion, how to receive it and give it, through my roommate who was headed for surgery to have her gallbladder removed and though I didn’t get a chance to pray with her, I let her know we’d be praying for her, that God’s healing would flow through His hand onto the surgeon’s. By this time, all four of us had shared similar life circumstances as it relates to our children, circumstances that we realize have helped form who we each have become. They are both incredible people with an incredible love for life and they both live life at a very fast pace and the seeds of kindness I know God allowed me to show I pray will not come back void. Would you join me in praying that whatever she reads in A Cup of Hope for the Day would nudge her closer to God’s will for her life? And while you're at it, pray for a complete healing! She wound up back in the hospital the day before I did, and we wound up nextdoor to each other. Yeah, nothing is an accident. :)

So the ending to this medical melodrama is I left the hospital after a four-day stay with very few answers and against the advice of the GI doctor who wanted to do a specific procedure only to be re-admitted a day and a half later. My bilirubin had shot up to over 7; normal is 1. They had determined that something had caused a blockage in the bile duct causing the bile to pool up in the liver so they did a sphinctorectomy of the bile duct. With that done, time would tell, and the numbers obtained via blood tests would verify the answers. In the world’s eyes, I am not out of the woods, but I continue to cling to Him to claim a healthy victory, consistently reminded of what not to take for granted, to slow down and enjoy the ride and not to push the speed back up to “blur.”

When I came home the second time, I was awash with gratitude and humility and these words gushed out of me: “What kind of friend would I be if I clung to you only in the good times, thanking you only for the good things?” This circumstance didn’t knock Him off His throne and just as important, it didn’t change all His promises for me. He still has plans to build me up, to prosper me, not to harm me. He still continues to work all things together for my good and His glory! I am claiming all His promises. Friend, whatever you have gone through, whatever you are going through, I pray that you would know in your inner being that any and all circumstances are like fire, a glorious light that shines on what is good, and what needs to be burned away. Nothing is an accident or interruption!

So this year has begun with an incredible challenge for me that has exercised my spiritual muscles in more ways than one, reminding me that I can and will continue to do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Friend, take this verse and make it yours.

Abiding in Him,
Evinda
P.S. Tomorrow we will return with Power Fridays, and then on Monday . . . stay tuned.