Today is a pretty simple day. There's nothing monumental about this Friday. Anyone who looks at this day on the calendar would just glance over it. But to me, today is so much more. Today I go to my mom's rehab facility, like I have been for the past month. But then when I leave, she is going home with me. This summer has been, by far, the most trying time of my life. In addition to being in my first year of marriage, I had to balance time with my dad in a nursing home, my job, an internship, and the roller coaster of my mom's health. Since the last week of May, … [Read more...]
Risk and Reputation
“I do not count my life of any value nor as precious to myself if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" – Acts 20:24 Most Christians like to “play it safe.” They don’t like to do anything that will compromise their testimony or touch anything “sinful” with a 10-foot pole. Christians have become so fixated on technicalities that many of us have put ourselves in a protective bubble. Instead of going into the world to shine a light for Christ, we have built a cave in a … [Read more...]
Prayers From The Waiting Room
I've cried a lot in the past four weeks. I've also been praying a lot too. Usually I do both at the same time. Nothing really brings me to my knees as much as being out of control in a critical situation. I don't know if I have ever prayed so earnestly in my life. This is one of the first times that I have prayed for something and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Many times when we are praying for an outcome, we can kind of "help" it along a little bit too. We can study a little bit harder, we can make a few more phone calls, or we can ask for a favor … [Read more...]
I Am Not Okay, And That’s Okay.
Sometimes I believe as Christians, we put too much pressure on ourselves to "be okay" with something. Because we know that the Lord has a bigger plan than we can see, we almost push ourselves to be at ease with it. It's like if we make a statement about being unhappy or feeling like the situation is unfair, we are suddenly bombarded with questions about losing faith in God. While I would never abandon my faith for any reason, I do believe that we should be able to fully experience our feelings without being asked about our salvation. I guess you could say that I … [Read more...]
The Day I Almost Lost My Mom and Why God is Still Good
I had the scariest day of my life today. I felt a rush of fear and helplessness stronger than I ever experienced. All of this before noon. At the end of May, I took my mom to the ER because her heart was pounding so hard that I could see her whole body move with it (All 4'11'' 104 pounds of her). After almost a week in the hospital, we found that she had an atrial septal defect. In her case, she had two holes between the chambers of her heart that needed to be closed. We had an appointment with a specialist and were given the good news that the repair could … [Read more...]