One of the things I took away from our experience in the ER (you can read about it in the previous post) was that we won't know the purposes for which God allows certain happenings in our lives until we see Him face to face. Until then we see glimpses and shadows.
We've seen several glimpses of God's mysterious providence since the incident which cause me to wonder what He's up to.
The first was when we were grocery shopping a day later and ran into the doctor that told him he was going to die. We got a chance to thank him for his thorough and cautious care. He was glad to hear Manny was doing better and that it wasn't what he'd originally thought.
The second happened 2 days after running into the doctor. We were boarding a plane for CA when a woman approached Manny saying he looked familiar. He immediately recognized her as the EMT who drove him to the hospital. They talked for a short time in the chaos of people gathering as their zones were called for boarding.
The most recent glimpse was finding out that our medical bills were covered. This was a HUGE relief since we don't have health insurance and and are on a tight budget. But once again, God reassures us he's watching and He keeps His promises.
This all gets me thinking. God, what are you up to? Was this a test of our faith or was there some greater purpose in meeting those specific people? I've gotten glimpses that lead to hunches which make me excitedly curious but time will reveal. Or maybe it won't. Maybe I'll have to wait until after time. So, for now I just scratch my head and say hmmm.....
Monday, January 24, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
An Almost Near-Death Experience
My husband arrived from a cross country trip on Sunday with what we thought was the flu so I stocked the medicine cabinet with over-the-counter remedies, cough drops, Vick's vapor rub, and Airborne figuring I had a few days of nursing him back to health. Until this morning when Manny woke up and said he really needed to go to the doctor. If you know our family, you know we avoid doctors and hospitals as much as possible so this had to be serious.
We drove to the local doc-in-the-box where they took him into an exam room while I feasted at the magazine buffet. After watching several other patients come and go, the doctor called me into the exam room. With a sobering and authoritative tone he explained that after considering his symptoms and viewing the x-ray of his throat, he believed that my husband had epiglottitis which basically means he can drop dead at any moment because of airway obstruction due to inflammation of the flap thingy that opens at the top of the trachea. I felt the blood drain from my head. I mean, I know that any of us could die at any moment but suddenly MY HUSBAND COULD DIE AT ANY MOMENT!?! The gravity of the doctor's statement found its way into my gut and planted itself there as I fought off visions of widowhood.
The doctor said that we needed to call the ambulance to take him to the emergency room immediately so that they could monitor his breathing and for a moment we hesitated seeing the dollar signs rapidly accumulate and swirl around our heads but clarity came for me in 5 words; potential debt or potential death? Easy choice.
I was reminded of a verse I read this morning "Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them." Psalm 10:17. Acutely aware of our helplessness, we cried out and enlisted the prayers of our incredible home group.
After several hours at the hospital, the ENT Specialist stuck a camera up Manny's nose and down his throat to see the live action. The doctor discovered that Manny's epiglottis was omega shaped as opposed to the typical crescent shape which is why the x-ray looked so ominous. Turns out he just had a bad case of strep throat which caused tonsillitis. Prescriptions were written; we headed home and let out a huge collective sigh.
I don't think I've ever experienced the roller-coaster of emotion in such a short time before and there were a few insightful lessons learned:
-Times of crisis reveal what we believe; they are our opportunity to put God on display.
-Life is short but we can infuse every moment with the hope of eternity.
-We have very little control over circumstances in life but a lot of control when it comes to our reaction to those circumstances.
-We won't know the purposes for which God allows certain happenings in our lives until we see Him face to face. Until then we see glimpses and shadows.
-I have so much to be thankful for!
Thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who were praying! God is gracious and merciful.
We drove to the local doc-in-the-box where they took him into an exam room while I feasted at the magazine buffet. After watching several other patients come and go, the doctor called me into the exam room. With a sobering and authoritative tone he explained that after considering his symptoms and viewing the x-ray of his throat, he believed that my husband had epiglottitis which basically means he can drop dead at any moment because of airway obstruction due to inflammation of the flap thingy that opens at the top of the trachea. I felt the blood drain from my head. I mean, I know that any of us could die at any moment but suddenly MY HUSBAND COULD DIE AT ANY MOMENT!?! The gravity of the doctor's statement found its way into my gut and planted itself there as I fought off visions of widowhood.
The doctor said that we needed to call the ambulance to take him to the emergency room immediately so that they could monitor his breathing and for a moment we hesitated seeing the dollar signs rapidly accumulate and swirl around our heads but clarity came for me in 5 words; potential debt or potential death? Easy choice.
I was reminded of a verse I read this morning "Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them." Psalm 10:17. Acutely aware of our helplessness, we cried out and enlisted the prayers of our incredible home group.
After several hours at the hospital, the ENT Specialist stuck a camera up Manny's nose and down his throat to see the live action. The doctor discovered that Manny's epiglottis was omega shaped as opposed to the typical crescent shape which is why the x-ray looked so ominous. Turns out he just had a bad case of strep throat which caused tonsillitis. Prescriptions were written; we headed home and let out a huge collective sigh.
I don't think I've ever experienced the roller-coaster of emotion in such a short time before and there were a few insightful lessons learned:
-Times of crisis reveal what we believe; they are our opportunity to put God on display.
-Life is short but we can infuse every moment with the hope of eternity.
-We have very little control over circumstances in life but a lot of control when it comes to our reaction to those circumstances.
-We won't know the purposes for which God allows certain happenings in our lives until we see Him face to face. Until then we see glimpses and shadows.
-I have so much to be thankful for!
Thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who were praying! God is gracious and merciful.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I've got a feelin'...
...that this year is going to be momentous.
I was going over last year's resolution list and found that I had accomplished most of what I'd committed to. It fascinates me how just writing a desire down is a huge part of actually realizing it. So here's the list in review:
1. Read the Bible in a year with Max Lucado- Done! Except without Max because he got left on the airplane.
2. Complete a 40 day fast- Done!
3. Read 12 new books- I am still finishing 2 but you can see the list on the page to the right.
4. Exercise consistently- I can say that aside from 3 weeks during holidays, I did but I will never be done.
5. Write thank you notes for little things- Still doing!
6. Get 8 hours of sleep a day (or at least try to go to bed at a decent hour)- Fail! (I'm lucky to get 6)
7. Wake up early- For the most part, yes
8. Take an adventure trip with my boys- rafting in West Virginia & weekend in DC
9. Commit RAKs throughout the day- This one was more about seeing opportunities to be uncommonly gracious and capitalizing on what I normally consider "interruptions". What a change of perspective that makes everyday feel like an adventure!
In addition to those things I'd written down, this past year has been full of other surprises and fresh opportunities:
-I released another album (EP) of which the title track, "Crossing Over" has gotten local radio play.
-I completed my first 5k.
-We have hosted 2 foreign exchange students in our home.
-I went to jail.
-Went on a mission trip to Honduras.
-I memorized a whole chapter of the Bible!
*okay I went with a group of ladies to minister to women in jail*
Looking back is inspiring me to dream bigger and reach farther for 2011. This year's theme is "Loving God with my Body, Mind, and Soul". Here are some of my resolutions...
Body
- RUN! a 5k
- Change my eating habits to reflect long-term health rather than short-term gratification
Mind
- Take some music classes
- Read a book per month
Soul
- Set aside consistent time to join with others in prayer
- Memorize scripture
- Capitalize on daily gospel sharing moments (verbal, and otherwise)
I hope you've made some inspiring goals for yourself, too!
Happy New Year!
I was going over last year's resolution list and found that I had accomplished most of what I'd committed to. It fascinates me how just writing a desire down is a huge part of actually realizing it. So here's the list in review:
1. Read the Bible in a year with Max Lucado- Done! Except without Max because he got left on the airplane.
2. Complete a 40 day fast- Done!
3. Read 12 new books- I am still finishing 2 but you can see the list on the page to the right.
4. Exercise consistently- I can say that aside from 3 weeks during holidays, I did but I will never be done.
5. Write thank you notes for little things- Still doing!
6. Get 8 hours of sleep a day (or at least try to go to bed at a decent hour)- Fail! (I'm lucky to get 6)
7. Wake up early- For the most part, yes
8. Take an adventure trip with my boys- rafting in West Virginia & weekend in DC
9. Commit RAKs throughout the day- This one was more about seeing opportunities to be uncommonly gracious and capitalizing on what I normally consider "interruptions". What a change of perspective that makes everyday feel like an adventure!
In addition to those things I'd written down, this past year has been full of other surprises and fresh opportunities:
-I released another album (EP) of which the title track, "Crossing Over" has gotten local radio play.
-I completed my first 5k.
-We have hosted 2 foreign exchange students in our home.
-I went to jail.
-Went on a mission trip to Honduras.
-I memorized a whole chapter of the Bible!
*okay I went with a group of ladies to minister to women in jail*
Looking back is inspiring me to dream bigger and reach farther for 2011. This year's theme is "Loving God with my Body, Mind, and Soul". Here are some of my resolutions...
Body
- RUN! a 5k
- Change my eating habits to reflect long-term health rather than short-term gratification
Mind
- Take some music classes
- Read a book per month
Soul
- Set aside consistent time to join with others in prayer
- Memorize scripture
- Capitalize on daily gospel sharing moments (verbal, and otherwise)
I hope you've made some inspiring goals for yourself, too!
Happy New Year!
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