Seriously…. My last post was on September 27th. Holy
Cow! I am so sorry. What the heck happened to the last 2
months?
Oh yes, we had just returned home from our “vacation”, lol, to put it very
loosely.
Being back home was almost like a vacation itself. Honestly, it took a bit to get back into the familiarity of home life. But, alas, that was to be short-lived. After only 3 weeks of being home, we received news that my mother’s heart condition had worsened significantly. Her heart was only functioning at 25% and she was going to need additional testing to see exactly what was causing the problem.
After going through a range of emotions from anger, to fear, and anxiety, I
settled into exactly where I knew I needed to be. In the presence of
God. I prayed. I prayed for guidance and reassurance, and for clear
direction on what my next steps should be and I thanked God for loving me through my emotions that, frankly, were no help at all. It seemed like we had just got off this crazy ride and now we were going for round two.
What came next scared me. Was I truly thinking of leaving home again after just getting back from a month-long absence? We had just gotten home. How could I possibly ask Michael to travel again to a climate that I know is so painful for his body?
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, we were enjoying time on our
patio. Michael peacefully reading a John Grisham novel, and I was spending time in God’s word and journalling. The Lord guided me to share my thoughts. I looked at Michael and waited for him to finish the chapter he was reading, and then asked if I could talk to him about something that was on my heart.
Without saying anything more, he responded, I was thinking the same thing but was waiting for confirmation from God. I was stunned. Was he
thinking what I was thinking? How could he have known? The look on
my face must have been an obvious question mark, so he elaborated. He had been working on a writing desk for me the previous afternoon. While sanding and painting the simple piece of furniture, he was spending time in prayer. Talking to God about everything that was going on. He had asked God the same thing I had, for a clear direction. As soon as I said, I needed to talk, he knew God had given him the confirmation he was waiting for. We had both been thinking the same thing, I needed to be with my mom.
For the first time in my life, I was going to be traveling alone with a
one-way ticket unsure of when I would be coming home. Michael would stay behind where his symptoms are better managed, and he could continue to receive the medical care he needed. Another first was us being apart. We had never been apart more than 10 days in almost 35 years. We both knew we had to rely on God’s timing to show us how long I would need to be away.
As Christians, it is easy to say you trust in the Lord and what he has for
your life. The challenge is when you are faced with doing something so
far from what you “feel” comfortable doing or “want” to do, will you do
it? Will you trust that what God has for you is the right thing to
further His kingdom regardless of what it will do for you? Regardless of
the impact it will have on your life, your plan. Christians can be very
good at talking about “doing what Jesus would do” but what about acting on “doing what Jesus would do”? Would you willingly walk in His sandals?
Would you willingly give up your comfort to provide comfort for someone else?
My time away turned out to be 5 weeks. Yep! That is a long time to be away from your person and home. Fortunately, Michael came to visit for 2 weeks smack dab in the middle, which was so good for me but, so physically painful for him.
My mom’s health crisis is still unfolding but my 5 weeks of waiting, serving, and sacrifice yielded some amazing blessings. God was present in so many ways.
I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to share them with you.
God Bless.
Your friend.
Rho
