Family, Trials

There’s Always Hope

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The first morning glory of the season greeted me bright and early today in the garden. It’s fun to grow a new variety like these gorgeous pinkish purple ones. Tom gave me these seeds among others at Christmas. I love watching seeds sprout, grow, and eventually flower. It’s very rewarding.

A new flower gives me hope. My garden is no longer a brown desolate wasteland. Now it’s full of new life. Vegetables, herbs, flowers, and fruit are thriving. I didn’t have much hope of planting anything just a few months ago. I didn’t think I would have a garden this year with Tom’s hospitalization and health issues.

God brings hope and blessings in the midst of trials.

Since you all have graciously followed along on our journey of my car accident, and Tom’s hospitalization, and a lot of unknowns, I wanted to give you a little update. Tom had his hernia surgeries yesterday. I sat in the surgery prep area with Tom as nurses came and went asking questions, taking his vitals, and getting him ready.

The anesthesiologist came in, looked over Tom’s blood draw results, and was very concerned with his kidney function. He let us know that Tom is high risk, and rattled off a bunch of potential really horrific things that can happen going under anesthetic and having surgery. My heart sank. Fear whispered in my ear, “something bad is going to happen to Tom“.

Tom was not worried and reassured me that he will be alright. I told fear to take a hike, like forever. The Holy Spirit said to me, “I’ve got Tom. Do not fear“. It was another faith test. I could not see the end result and I was told awful scary things. But God said, “Keep trusting Me“.

The surgeon stepped in the room and went over the anesthesiologist’s serious concerns and asked Tom what he wanted to do. Tom told him that he felt good, and healthy, and that he was ready. The surgery was a success and went better than the surgeon expected. That’s a big praise.

Tom came home last night. There are all sorts of tubes and pumps in his three large incisions. He’s in a lot of pain, no surprise there. He’s been very nauseous and thrown up several times. Sorry if that’s too much info. Gotta keep it real. You have to go through the hard ugly stuff to get to the good.

Today is a new day with new hope just waiting. New opportunities for God’s grace and mercy are here. I’m praying Tom will have less pain today on his path to healing. I’m still praying for his kidneys to completely recover.

The Lord can breathe new life into anything. What appears to be a lost cause can be fertile ground for new life, for hope.

We stand on The Rock. We trust God to completely heal Tom. Through the ups and downs God is faithful. Thank you so much for your prayers!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13, NIV

Love you all,

Meghan

Faith, Jesus, Trials, Uncategorized

The Opposite of Fear

mountain beside body of water with aurora borealis

I remember the nightlight in the bedroom that my little sister and I shared. With five kids, it was helpful that the two youngest could share a room. I loved that blue bedroom. The carpet was dark blue, so my mom made the best of it and sewed matching blue bedspreads and curtains. Underneath my little vanity table was a nightlight. We could not sleep without it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the nightlight, but my sister was afraid of the dark, so I tolerated the light.

It’s funny how during the day our room was so cheery, with our stuffed animals and toys. It was a happy spot where we played and created make believe worlds. At night, the room could appear scary. The exact same room that we were in just hours before, happily playing, became a fearful place in the dark. As soon as we switched our nightlight on, everything was OK.

That tiny little light illuminated all the shadows and possible monsters. Suddenly, we saw our stuffed animals smiling back at us. We could sleep in peace. The exact same space in the dark and the light, appeared completely different at night in our little kid brains. That’s where imagination takes off. Those creative ideas we had during the day for play, became the stuff of potential nightmares at night.

We live in a time of great fear. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, maybe too much, fear can take hold. Some of those fears are legimate and some are not. I like to call it the “What if?” scenario.

What if I lose my job?

What if I lose my spouse?

What if I get hurt?

What if I get into an accident?

What if I get cancer?

What if … (fill in the blank)

What if. What if. What if.

All of those unknowns are in the dark. We can’t see the possible danger, but we can create potential negative outcomes in our head. Jesus is the light. We must follow Him and go where He leads as He lights our path. We don’t have to know everything, but we can fully trust the One who does.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, ESV)

How much do we actually have control over? Not much. I can control me and my repsonse to situations, circumstances, and people. As Christians we can fully rely on our savior, Jesus. He is my constant in the fear. He is the solid Rock. My foundation is sure in Christ. No matter the fear. No matter the “What if”. No matter the pain. No matter the trouble. No matter the trial.

Jesus is my protector.

Jesus is my provider.

Jesus is my comforter.

Jesus is my savior.

Jesus is my peace.

The opposite of fear is peace. I can have peace in storms, trials, and heartaches.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27, NIV)

Jesus gives us peace. He does not give us worry. He does not give us fear. He does not give us fret. The peace Jesus gives is not based on circumstances. Jesus’ peace is based on Him. 

Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, KJV) 

You may be struggling with fear. It’s gripped you and there seems no way out. There is good news for you! There is a way out. Jesus is reaching out to you. He will carry you until you are strong enough to walk on your own. He can set you free from the fear. Give it all to Him, The Prince of Peace.

Love you all,

Meghan

 

 

Heavenly Father,

We come boldly to your throne of grace. We need your peace in this crazy, broken world. Keep our eyes and hearts fixed on you. For all of those gripped with fear, may your perfect peace bring comfort and hope. Help us to follow your light, Jesus, where there is no darkness. We thank you and praise you!

Amen

 

Please send me an email if you need prayer!

 

 

 

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