I have always felt that trusting in God and His ways was one of my strong points. But the faith that 'everything happens for a reason' has put us to the test last month. I have often heard people say that they wish God didn't trust them soo much, and at this moment I have to chuckle as I think the same.
I know that God will never give us more than we can handle and I know that sometimes he puts us through trials to teach us, and those around us lessons. Many times we go through tribulations and never know why they happen. We trust that there was something good that came from it and in this situation, I am very thankful that I believe that God has given me some insight to the reasons for all of the chaos that has gone on in our lives lately.
Brandon had just finished his first week at his new job in Grand Rapids. His new boss told him how much he appreciated his hard work and that he thought this would be a great fit for both Brandon and the company. We were thrilled as a family to have Brandon working for a company that valued his work and respected his time with family.
That Saturday night we went grocery shopping as a family and on our way home Brandon started having terrible stomach pains. We went home hoping it would pass. Pretty soon it was 1:30 am and Brandon was sick to his stomach with no end of pain in sight. I woke the kids and drove Brandon to the hospital, by the time we reached the ER he was soo overcome with pain that he could no longer walk. After getting into a room the nurse gave him the strongest pain killer they had. Since Brandon has no built up tolerance to drugs, his body hard a hard time handling such a large dose as his oxygen and heart rate dipped dangerously low. They put him on oxygen for the rest of the night as they tried to figure out the source of the pain. A CAT scan proved it to be Appendicitis and he would need to have an Appendectomy that morning. In the midst of all this it was hard to keep the kids entertained in the small room, so it was a major blessing when a close friend came and picked up the kids, taking care of them till the next afternoon! I stayed at Brandon's side until the time for surgery, when I went to the waiting room and meditated on a few scriptures.....
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:6-7
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:3-4
Brandon came through surgery flawlessly, Praise Jesus! I can't thank everyone enough for all the prayers sent heavenward for Brandon and our family! We are truly blessed with wonderful friends and family!
Brandon recovered at an amazing speed and I often had to caution him to take it easy. At his doctors appt. that following week we had hoped for good news that Brandon could get back to work, instead they told him he had an entire month to wait it out! This was a hard dose to take but we were overcome with relief when Brandon's new boss understood what was going on and informed him that his job would still be waiting for him when he was fully recovered!!!
I understand now that God gave us more time to spend together as a family, to grow and bond as one before this crazy year of school and work started. Since we had another 3 weeks before Brandon went back to work, we decided to head back Up-North to visit family.....
.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cornerstone.edu/Undergraduate_Studies/Student_Life/Chapel/Evensong/&usg=__uUo0bmVkoS_05o6w6JiVxLjOyHs=&h=268&w=544&sz=64&hl=en&start=10&sig2=xGd4gI_ubKAsArEmq3vKQw&zoom=1&tbnid=5kpru-8ZukLZqM:&tbnh=66&tbnw=133&ei=bn9yTq-BNOyjsQKzw9HrCQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcornerstone%2Buniversity%2Bchapel%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1){kind=link}