The Little Things

I have been praying this year that the Lord would allow my children to see that our faith in the Lord is real, and that the Lord Himself is real. I have been praying that they would know that what we are teaching them from the Bible is not only true, but also very relevant to their young lives.

I did not expect the Lord to answer those prayers by bringing trial across their path.  Our 8 year old son was recently hospitalized with a mystery illness and all the other children fell ill at the same time.  Each one felt this trial sorely.  It’s no fun to be sick in the hospital, and it is also hard to be sick at home when mommy can’t be there.  And in the midst of it all, everyone was very worried about our very sick little boy.

As I prayed for our children’s faith to powerfully impact their daily life, I never imagined the Lord would use a time of suffering. We rejoice that He strengthened our children’s Christian walk, even by these means. The Lord answered my prayers as He worked in the heart of each boy, comforting and encouraging them and ministering to them through the love of His body, the church.

The Lord touched all our hearts in big ways and small during this trial. I wanted to share a few of the “little things” which God used to providentially encourage us in a big way.

*I wrote last week about the one time K was out of our presence, and how he spent that half an hour with a fellow bird-watcher (his Xray technician). That night, while we were sleeping, she left K a beautiful birding book as a gift. It was so encouraging to wake up the next morning and find it waiting for him!

*I was grateful that David was able to take time off from his job as a financial advisor to be with us on the day K’s abscess was drained. It was stressful day for us, with many tears and fears. After the procedure was finished, my husband ran to get take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant. As we sat in the hospital room, opening our fortune cookies, we had to laugh. His fortune said, “Forget about the stock market. Invest in family today.”

*We got so many messages from people we have never met who were praying for us. It was encouraging to K that he received (and continues to receive!) messages from children who were praying for him.

*It was a blessing that the Lord arranged all the details when our other children got sick. It just worked out that I had several hours at home, when my husband and mother both decided to take shifts at the hospital back to back. Being home for several hours gave me enough time with my other children to realize that something was wrong!

Two of them had unusual rashes which no one else had noticed (not even daddy!). They needed mommy to be there for awhile, as mommy is quick to notice things like that!

The next day, we realized they should go to the doctor, but I had forgotten to leave Little C’s car seat at home. He is really too little to ride in the car without it. We were blessed by a friend who, upon learning of our need, immediately jumped in her car and drove to the hospital to pick up the car seat so she could take it to David. The Lord used all of these events, working together, so that the other boys could be diagnosed and get the treatment they needed.

*K’s staph infection was treated by a series of different antibiotics before the doctors knew for sure what he had. We praise God that there was one antibiotic which was kept constant throughout the entire process: Clindamycin. He took it orally before being admitted to the hospital, then intravenously. The problem with MRSA is that it is resistant to many different antibiotics.

But in God’s providence, K’s form of staph was treatable by Clindamycin, which meant that he had already been on the appropriate medication for almost a week by the time he was diagnosed.

We are so thankful that the Lord cares for us, in big ways and in small. Sometimes it’s the little things that allow us to see how very personally He is involved in our lives.

My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty. I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Psalm 131: 1-2