count it all joy…

Greetings friends.

Let me just tell you how blessed I am at this very moment...  All my kids are occupied by their daddy and Papa, my mother-in-law has dinner in the oven and dishes being washed, my itty-bitty is healthy and home, and I have a few brief moments to capture some thoughts and share them with you.  Amazing!

In case you didn’t know, Daniel had hernia repair surgery yesterday afternoon.  We noticed on Wednesday that he was a very unhappy camper, which was unusual for him.  He was very inconsolable and wouldn’t nurse.  The next morning, I called for an appointment as soon as the office opened, and they were able to squeeze me in an hour later.  The doctor we saw told me to get him to the ER right away because she thought the problem was an incarcerated (stuck) hernia and if that was the case, they would need to perform surgery quickly to correct it.  Well, you can just about imagine my response. I managed to hold it together until I left the office, and as I was calling my sister to ask if I could drop the kids off, I’m absolutely sure I was very incoherent, attempting as I was to speak through the sobs and tears. 

Thank the Lord for a mom who will pray for you over the phone, because after I spoke with her, right as I was pulling up at my home, I began to feel much more calm and collected and think clearly about the situation. 

After a relatively brief ER visit to Children’s Hospital in Seattle (such a great hospital, we highly recommend it), we were informed that Mr. Daniel would need repair surgery in the next couple of days, as the surgeon was able to un-incarcerate (de-carcerate? unstick? clearly I’m not part of the medical world) the hernia.  We were reassured by many surgeons and doctors that this was a pretty simple and common surgery.  Ok, cool, but still, my 21 day old baby was going under the knife!

What was great about having a day in between the crisis and surgery, was that the Lord spoke to me through His word about our trial. 

count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (james 1:2)

be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (philippians 4:6-7) (this was the verse i kept going back to over and over again)

cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1 peter 5:7)

and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (romans 8:28)

i know, o Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps (jeremiah 10:23)

It’s really something to sit back and reflect on God’s promises to us from His word.  It’s a great relief actually to realize and remember that trials are to be expected.  They are given to us to strengthen our faith, increase patience, and rely ever more on the Lord.  As I was thinking about how God is sovereign over every single detail of our lives, it caused me to be thankful all the more for little Daniel and the short time we’ve had with him, no matter the outcome of the surgery. 

As Ryan and I were sitting and waiting during the surgery, a family was paged over the intercom to report to neurosurgery.  That’s when it hit us that, yes, our little tiny baby was in surgery at that precise moment, but look at what others are enduring too!  Somewhere in the hospital was a family with a child undergoing brain surgery.  A little perspective goes a long way.

So here we are.  Back home again.  The Lord saw fit to spare Daniel and allow us to continue to raise him and give him all the love and snuggles we can for however long we have him.  That is truly something to be thankful about.

For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds (Psalm 57:10).