In light of my recent vent on living with chronic illness, I feel I need to balance myself out by thinking of the many things I am grateful for. I've been posting daily on FB about things I'm grateful for so I'll try not to be too redundant here.
One of the prevailing themes I've been seeing in my bible and devotional time in the last month is that God has given me this illness for a purpose. He will use it for His glory and for that I am so grateful. I can honestly say that I am thankful for this illness because it has opened my eyes in so many ways. After my first bout in ICU when I lost consciousness for a few days, I woke up and almost immediately thought of baptism. It had been nudging at my heart for quite some time but I kept putting it off. I realized that God had spared my life and that I needed to be obedient to Him. Tomorrow is not promised so we must live His plans for us TODAY. The other realization I had was how blessed we were in our friends and church family. Meals were provided for us for almost a full month during the beginning of my illness. Friends came over to clean my house and do my laundry. They drove my children to Illinois to spend Christmas with my parents. They prayed, they visited, they listened and they loved. My husband's bible study group did a phone prayer conference and prayed for healing & peace. Our church lifted us up in prayer and offered their support as well. It was mind blowing.
I am also thankful that God brought Jimmy into my life. Meeting Jimmy brought me back to my faith and strengthened my walk with God. He is the most amazing husband I could have ever wished for. He is kind, caring, loving, generous, loyal and he takes care of me in every way possible. His entry into my life also brought me two wonderful daughters that I feel so blessed to be able to love and care for. I had never imagined having four kids but our family feels perfect and complete whenever we're all together.
And finally for today, I am thankful for my best friend Lea. We've had a few separations over the years but she keeps finding her way back to me and for that, I am eternally grateful. She is the sister of my heart and soul. She would do anything for me and I would do anything for her. She even shares her fantastic parents with me and I love them dearly! She has been my strength during this illness, my voice of reason and my rock to lean on. She is a second mother to my kids and has cared for them time and again while I go to the hospital. Lea has a huge heart and I am so glad she shares it with me. Love you girl!
No comments:
Post a Comment