Joy, Part 2

I had a patient today who told me a story that made me cry (I didn't cry in front of her, I waited until I discharged her then I cried). When I asked her if she might be pregnant (which I ask everyone before I radiate them) she told me that she and her husband were trying to get pregnant. We chit chatted and she ends up telling me that she has one living child, and had one miscarriage and one stillbirth. Her still birth had been carried to full term and passed away due to a knot in the umbilical cord.

I ended up saying something to the effect of "let's not talk about anymore sad things" before I moved on with her exam. She stopped me and said "no, I don't feel sad. It's not a sad thing for me anymore. God has a plan for all babies and he had a plan for my son as well". Wow. We discussed our relationships with God a minute or two, and I was overcome with the joy she had and the peace she felt about her loss.

I have never had to go through the pain of losing a child, (thank God) but I'm close to a couple of people who have lost children. I don't know how anyone could get through that kind of pain without the support and love that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. This woman amazed me, not because she was telling me something that I didn't already know, but that she was actually living what she said. It's so rare today for Christians to do both the talk and the walk, it's why many people turn their backs on God. If you believe and have a relationship with Jesus Christ, pray daily for his will and then listen!

Rejoice!

In the midst of all our trials and tribulations, it's easy to forget all of God's blessings on our family. I'm watching one of these "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" where two of the family's four children are amputees...one little girl with both legs and one arm gone. Yet she has so much joy and generosity to give to others, even her old prosthetics she donated to Haitian children with amputations. It's a wonder how we, as Christians, get caught up in worldly desires and issues that we forget God's real blessings.

After our discussion in Sunday school this morning, it got me thinking about how easily we forget about our source of eternal joy. How easily I forget that my child is healthy with all four of his limbs, he's developmentally on track and has no serious health issues (unless a big personality counts). How easily I forget that I have a roof over my head and I'm protected from the wind and rain when I find myself longing for a bigger house with more space. How easily I forget that I've never truly known what it's like to be hungry when I complain about missing a meal. How easily I forget that my bills get paid (nearly) on time every month and we have a steady paycheck when so many families are out of work and suffering around the country. Our happiness wavers day to day, but our joy is a constant; that is, the joy that comes from our faith and hope in Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1-3 says "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance".

Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God! And rejoice in sufferings? It's because through the suffering we "persevere" and grow closer to God. Sometimes it takes being in the pit to realize we can't do everything on our own and that we NEED God. We can't do it on our own!

That's my rant for the week...have a blessed one!