2014 wasn't all around a great year for our family - but God did GREAT things.
Looking back...
In January I ended up in the emergency room due to a cyst on my ovary.
At the end of March I developed shingles with horrible nerve pain that lasted until May.
On May 26th one of our sons was struck by lightning and he is still working through some of the results of that.
In June my husband had hernia surgery for what we thought was one hernia but turned out to be three. His recovery was so much more than we bargained for.
In July he had surgery again on a leg that has been a vascular issue for years and years.
In August he spent almost a week in the hospital due to a staph infection that wouldn't let go (scared us all to death) and two of our children needed emergency root canals this same month, one of them the day after my husband got home from the hospital, (Our poor little daughter had to have 3 canals!) and I came down with a nasty viral infection that caused me to be more sick than I have ever been on my husband's second day home from the hospital.
Here's what you have at the end of a year like that.
This is no joke. These are all medical bills. There are doctor bills, hospital bills, anesthesiologists, labs, emergency room visits, dental bills, and a whole lot more.
Looking at that stack can sometimes make my chest a little tight but then I remember all the great things God did for us in 2014. All of us are alive and healthy - and for one of my sons, and my husband, it could have turned out differently. God has provided for us all along the way. He always does. There's no reason to panic or fret (even though, weak as I am, I sometimes do).
Here's a picture I took of one of my husband's prescription receipts.
We were going to have to pay for this medicine no matter what it cost because he had to have it. This was the medicine that had been confirmed as the only one that was going to clear up his antibiotic resistant infection. Look at what it cost, and look what we paid ($25). I remember my knees getting weak and my eyes tearing up when I got that news. God is so good to us!
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26
That's not to say every path we walk on will be smooth or that every circumstance we face will turn out just the way we want it to. What it means is we can trust God. When things seem scary to us, or don't make sense, or are unfair - we can trust Him! There is so much more to our time here on earth than we can see, or even realize. When we get home one day, to our everlasting forever home, things will seem so different to us.
2015 will probably have it's challenges, it already has, but there will surely be blessings as well. God taught me so much in 2014. God is good all the time. I want you to know no matter what 2015 may bring God is holding on to you. He loves you so much and He desires to walk through this life with you. Let's commit to growing closer to Him in this new year and trusting Him with the details of our lives - every step of the way.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:1-4
I have to tell you Stephanie, this post really hit home. We have been going through a very hard start to 2015. My mother in law passed away on the 4th and we have a young dog that we love so that nearly needed to be put to sleep, but thankfully it seems she will pull through. But as I read your post I was so thankful to read how God took you through these difficulties and allowed you to share it with others. We sometimes think as Christians that we are going to be free from pain and struggles in life and that just isn't true. He allows us to go through deep waters to grow in our faith and to be there for others when they go through them. If we never experienced pain we would never feel God's healing mercy either. God bless you and your family in 2015. I hope it's a better year for you all.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
DeleteI am so very sorry for your loss of your mother in law. That is a very difficult start to the year. God WILL help you through. You are right - we grow deeper in our relationship with Him in the hard times. He is a faithful and merciful God and I know He will show you His love this year in a meaningful way.
Thank you Stephanie.
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