Hola mis amigos y amigas de Blogger y Facebook. Hoy es de tiempo para yo escribo ustedes. Estoy muy feliz hoy porque yo puedo ver el sol y el cielo azul. :)
Ok, that was just proof that I am learning to speak some Spanish. I have made not of several verses I wanted to share with you this week, and I will share some with you, but this weekend I am particularly aware of the fragility of life.
One year ago yesterday, I was headed to a Women's Retreat with the ladies for my church and I was very distracted because my brother's wife, my dear Stephani, was in labor. The baby was coming several weeks early to his detriment. And she was ill with a rare liver condition. An emergency C-Section was performed that evening, and the baby was immediately placed in the NICU. I was a few hours drive away and feeling like I might as well be on the other side of the world. I felt helpless. I felt torn. I didn't understand why that weekend had to be the weekend that my family would go through such a time of uncertainty and I would have to miss the birth of my nephew, Skyler.
There is more to the story of how God used that weekend to get me here. But the most important thing, the reason I am sharing this with you, is that God taught me that I must depend only on Him. I must learn that I am never in more control of a situation just because I am closer to it physically. I need to learn to leave my struggles with Him, the Only Capable One. After teaching me this lesson, God blessed me with allowing me to see my nephew that Sunday and be the first person other than his parents and the hospital staff to hold him. I held his little hand as he was in the NICU tent and wondered at the beautiful, fragile life God had allowed me to be part of. At that time, I couldn't see a moment into his future. I couldn't imagine him breathing on his own, or sitting up, or laughing, or talking, crawling, learning to walk. He was so tiny. So helpless. He needed help even to breath. And then, he needed help learning to breath. And then, he needed his parents to feed him, and to watch his breathing.
And now, a year later, Skyler is huge! He is learning to walk and talk. He is silly, with a stubborn streak and a smile that will steal your heart. His laugh is loud and strong, and he needs no help downing a cup of whip cream from Starbucks or a chocolate cupcake (which are two of his favorite treats). He recognizes people by their face and their voice. He loves to play with his kitten, and he hates to see people leave. He is a person now, and he is growing so fast. And sometimes I feel like I am missing so much of it. But I know that just like the day he first left the safety of his mother's womb, God is there. God is helping him breath. God is watching over him, teaching him, and protecting him. Nothing will ever reach any of us that God is not aware of.
So why did God make our lives so fragile? I believe it was purely to drive us to the conclusion that we need God. And we all have this same need for God. Just as my little Sky-Bear needed help to breath his first couple weeks, we all need help breathing every breath. And every life is just as fragile. And so many fragile lives are being lived in the absence of the protection of God. He is perfectly aware of their need, and He is offering His help, but they must accept it. Some people can't hear Him calling, and we need to amplify His voice in their lives. That's the great commission. Us allowing people to come face to face with their own fragility.
When I was preparing to leave, I spent a lot of time with my niece, who happens to be my best friend. She asked me why I had to go to school far away, why I couldn't just go to school with my sister in state. (She's a very smart 3-year-old.) I told her I had to go because God told me to. Then she thought on this for a moment before responding, "But I want you to stay here and play with me." I told her that God wants me to do a lot of things, and one of them is to love her and play with her and tell her about Jesus, but there are a lot of kids who don't know about Jesus, and they don't have anyone to tell them, and that is why I am here. Anytime I get homesick, I remind myself of that conversation. I am here because so many kids don't know about Jesus, and I have a responsibility to fulfill the calling God has placed in my life and reach the kids He has given to me. Because they, also, need His help to breath.
And so I want to share this verse with you: "Oh that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest-- I would flee far away and stay in the desert!" Psalm 55:6-7
And this passage: "I became a servant of the gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power. ... I ask you, therefore, not to discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory." Ephesians 3:7, 13
I also want to aske you to pray for my grandma whose health is failing, any for my dad and my family because we would like to visit her if possible.
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