My second devotional reading this morning was even more on target than my first. God truly know where we are and what we need. Mom’s next new mantra is “patient endurance.” Being a go-getter it is hard for her to slow down. She will and can do it.
Psalm 105.4 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
Isaiah 40.31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Lamentations 3.24-26 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
These days we seldom have to wait patiently for an answer or request. Today, we expect everything at lightning speed and assume tomorrow’s response will probably arrive even faster!
So it’s easy to start expecting God to work this way; that we’ll pray in the morning and have an answer by lunch. We think God isn’t listening because it’s taking so long.
God wants us to wait with patient endurance for answers and then, watch “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2 NIV). Waiting on God is how we were designed so that we would be always aware of Him at every moment.
What are you waiting for? God’s timing coupled with our patience renews our strength, increases trust (faith), ensures obedience, and leads us to peace. Can you be patient with God?
Lord I seek you today! I pray for strength on this journey. You have been so very good to our family. You have taken mom to heights we didn’t expect to see so soon. You have had your hand of protection on her this whole time. You knew in advance all of this would be happening. You knew you would be the one we lean on. You knew we would be angry, frustrated, stressed, confused, sad, excited, happy and the list goes on. You also knew we knew you were our protector and our comforter. You want us to reach out to you and ask for help. So here I am seeking your face!! And of course you are answering daily with many Godincidences…
Your face has shown up so much from the beginning! For dad it was the EMT workers who first responded to the 911 call. Your face showed up when you had her airlifted to the best of the best – even though her PA is a Mizzou fan. 🙂 Your face showed up when the doctors joked about mom’s skull being in the cafeteria freezer. Your face showed up on all of the faces of the ICU nurses. They cared for her like she was their own mom. Your face showed up on a cleaning lady at the hospital who went out of her way to help us and then came back to get a piece of mail I needed mailed. You face showed up when the physical therapist worked with mom and discussed how awesome it would be for God to trust us enough to go through trials like Job. Your face showed up on the Debbie, the patient care advocate that assured us mom was in the right place after a scary start to a regular room. (She was off-balance going to the bathroom and very unsteady! Her CNA said her paperwork stated she didn’t need assistance. NOT!) Your face showed up on Sara, the other patient in mom’s room. We wanted a private room but the Lord knew we would need Sara. I decided to go to the hotel to get rest. It was a very conflicted decision! During the night, Mom couldn’t find the call button and tried to get out of bed on her own. Sara called the nurses. Mom was okay but Miss Independent wanted to do it herself. She gained herself a new roommate after that-me. Your face showed up in the caring nurses and CNAs on the floor. They would check on her even if they weren’t assigned to her again. Your face showed up in the beautiful flowers she has received. And who gets flowers from a car dealership, a pharmacy and an auto part company? My mom! She is so loved! Your face has shown up through the numerous emails, phone calls and Facebook posts. Your face has shown up with the visitors she has received. She is receiving all of the love she has so generously given out all these years!!!
She is amazing. She is still caring about others around her – cleaning the sink when she is finished brushing her teeth. Sharing the TV with Sara and worried that she is the one controlling it. Little things like this show me how blessed we have been because she is doing what Eddie Lou Taylor does naturally! It is still there. Praise the Lord!
Thanks for joining us on this journey! My blog will be my letter to the world about my mom…about my dad…about the AMAZING FAMILY the Lord has blessed me with. We are running this marathon together…good thing we are all active. 🙂 Until next time!
ALSO – We are now officially on the rehabilitation floor. Woo hoo! Let the work begin!! Thanks for your prayers…we feel them.
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