Hurry Up and Wait

Life is a series of "hurry up and wait" moments strung together with pieces of fine twine, blown about by circumstances and held in place by faith.

Our days begin a rush. Commuters, travelers, students all in a hurry.

Even vacations begin in chaos. Up early, get to the airport early -- wait in line for luggage, security and of course coffee.

A mother's life is especially defined by these Waiting Moments -- 

Waiting for Conception. For Delivery. For Crawling. For Potty training. For School. For Graduation. For moving out. For the call home.

The promises of God can seem like that too.




Hurry --- Pray. Fast. Seek. Listen. Hear from God 

Wait --- Him to answer and His Word to be fulfilled.

The Children of Israel knew this very well. 

They received the promise of a deliverer and waited generations to see a Savior.

Rulers came and went. Nations rose and fell. Dictators came into power and disappeared. Captivity, deliverance, freedom,  captivity. . .

They did not let the Promise die. Through pain and suffering and waiting, they believed God would not lie.

Wait.

We live in a fast-paced world. The drive-through generation. Pizza in 30 minutes or less. Banking on our phone. Groceries delivered to our house. Information delivered to our pocket.   

Our entertainment comes in bite-sized pieces. Media presents life's tragedies and solves them in 30 minutes, 2 hours or 15 weeks depending upon the attention span of the audience.

We want God to do the same. To hear, promise, and deliver in 30 minutes or we get our money back. 

Like David, we cry, 

"Remember your word to your servant, 

for you have given me hope," 

Psalm 119:49.

When an accident broke my back, my mother prayed and God healed instantly. When I pleaded with God for a child, He took 5 years to fulfill His promise of a son.   

Our daughter came as beautiful surprise blessing. Yet after her stroke, God never said He would heal her but He did promise to walk with us every single day. Sometimes God has delivered her out of situations and healed a complication. The cerebral palsy remains. The movement disorder remains. Our faith remains.

Not every prayer has a promise - yet. Not every promise has been fulfilled - yet.

Some days I wonder if He has forgotten me - then I remember all the other answered prayers and my faith grows in His sovereignty and Goodness.  

Numerous are the cries God has yet to answer, even after years and even decades of faithfully bringing them before His throne.  

His answer remains --

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. 

Trust in God - Trust also in me,"

John 14:1 (NLT).

Hurry up and wait - God's way
           How do we wait for the fulfillment of His promises?

1.  Hurry

    - To God in Prayer 

     "Never stop praying, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (GWT).


2.  Wait

    - Humbly
     "Be humbled by God's power so that when the right time comes he will honor you." 
          1 Peter 5:6 (GWT).

   - With Expectancy
     "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly," Psalm 5:3 (NLT).

   - Always Remember
     "Take these words of mine to heart and keep them in mind," Deuteronomy 11:18 (GWT).
   God told the Children of Israel to remember His promises to them, to write them down and teach them to their children."
       
What has God promised you that you are doubting? Write down the promise. Put it where you can see it and read often. Remember He is Faithful.

I Send...I Call

By Tawna Wilkinson

                                                          

Who I send, I enable.

Who I call, I am with.

My Word does not return to Me void.

When I send, I accomplish.

When I call, it is for now.

My Word does not return to Me void.

Where I send, I supply.

Where I call, I am there.

My Word does not return to Me void.

How I send, cannot be figured.

How I call, does not make sense.

My Word does not return to Me void.

Why I send, I love the lost sheep.

Why I call, love must be satisfied.

My Word does not, cannot, 

and will not return to Me void.

Is One Small Letter Enough?

By Tawna Wilkinson

The other day as I was reading in Ephesians, the thought struck me that this small letter was the only written information the burgeoning church in Ephesus had. One little scroll of truth was to be passed among the believers directing their journey in their new life with Christ. It wasn’t that I had never been told this, but the “ah-hah” caused me to stop and ponder.

One small letter, containing small prayers, tiny phrases and praises of truth, written by an imprisoned individual, guided by a still small Voice. And with that scant information individuals and families, as well as the church itself, flourished and grew. In fact, one source credits the Ephesians church with playing “a significant role in the spread of early Christianity.”

But to complicate, during that time, the city of Ephesus was one of the largest cities in the world; a huge metropolitan civilization in western Asia Minor teeming with multiple religions, politics and commerce. And to better appreciate the power in all “the small”, Ephesus was also the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the World: the Artemision – the worship temple of the Greek goddess Artemis.

Interesting. One small Holy Spirit inspired scroll, written from a prison cell, sent to a remnant of new believers enveloped in an imposing pagan metropolis. And by allowing a snippet of truth to permeate them, this tiny band of believers greatly assisted in the increase of the gospel Jesus Christ.

I wonder what would happen if a remnant of believers in a not-so-big-mountain-town in southwestern Colorado allowed the same small letter, with the same small prayers, tiny phrases and praises of truth to infiltrate their lives. Would that be enough for the eternal Holy Spirit to affect great change in and through them?

The Making of a Hospital Mom

"When the Unthinkable becomes your Reality, 

you have two choices: Regret or Redemption"  ~ The Hospital Mom

On January 27, 1999 the unthinkable became our reality. Our pink and precious daughter of 6 months suffered a massive mid-cerebral arterial stroke. The main artery between her spine and her brain had become blocked from a blood clot at the juncture where it splits into the left and right hemispheres. Worldwide, 1 in 25,000 live births will suffer a stroke each year.  

The years that have followed have been tumultuous. Doctors, therapies, drug studies, seizures, and surgeries. There are times where I felt I have earned doctoral degrees in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacology, Neurology, Developmental Pediatrics and Child Psychology from the Mother's Medical Institute.

At any moment I can walk into an emergency room and speak in medical terms with any nurse, doctor or specialist. Pity the poor nurse who argued with me that my child could not possibly have suffered a stroke. "Children do not have strokes," she said with condescending authority.

Ashley was having seizures and I walked into the emergency room in Tulsa, Oklahoma telling the medical team what she needed. I had been on the phone with her neurologist and we agreed I could transport her to the hospital quicker than an ambulance could find me - plus I was already in the car and on my way - and he would meet me there.  

My dad met us at the hospital and while he entertained my 25 month old daughter, I politely asked the nurse to step outside the room. "Never tell a parent in front of a child that they are making up a diagnosis, especially one this horrid," I said with the indignation of a mom who was living the unimaginable. The nurse continued to argue with me as the doctor approached and I told her to go pull up the MRI and CT scans from the past 2 years. "I will," she assured me and stomped off, hands on her hips. And she did. The neurologist arrived, treatment began and later, he brought a very apologetic nurse into the room and assured her that infants do indeed have strokes.  

That night I realized that parents must be advocates for their children. As the years passed, I learned most parents are so intimated by the medical process, hospital personnel and are simply overwhelmed by their situation that they are afraid to speak up. They will accept whatever is told them and not ask questions, advocate for help or seek solutions for their children.  

I have worked with families in numerous settings - adult education centers, as a parent advocate in schools, at church and as a chaplain. The redemption of Ashley's story is in sharing the wisdom, education and experiences we have gained in this struggle.  

Parents of chronically medically challenged children are more likely to divorce, have extra-marital affairs and battle addictions. As their world centers around their children, hospitals and the medical world, they withdraw into themselves and face depression while living in a constant state of regret - the "would of, could of, should of" state of mind.  

Our purpose is simple:

         To provide Hope and Humor to Families of Chronically Medically Challenged Children. 

The ways we do that are numerous:

         Website - Hospitalmom.net

         Facebook - Hospital Mom

         Writing for Blogs like this one and at HospitalMom.net

         Answering Emails of Hurting Families at      
                    Kim@hospitalmom.net

         H.O.P.E. Delivery Bags for Caregivers at Hospitals

Currently, I am writing a book to bring Hope to Families. The following is an excerpt from "Beautifully Complicated," the story of redeeming the hurt in our lives in order "to Know HIM and Make HIM Known."

from BEAUTIFULLY COMPLICATED

“This is my Father’s World

and to my listening ears

    All nature sings and ‘round me rings

The beauty of the sphere.”

Eighteen years ago I first sang this song to my infant baby girl. Born early - eager to change our world. Born tiny - proving size does not matter. Born the baby sister - her brother in love with her before she was before. Born a surprise - her daddy named her the moment he saw the positive pregnancy test. 

“This is my Father’s World

I rest me in the thought

   Of rocks and trees; of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought.”

Fifteen times I have laid her on an operating table and sang those words in her ear as she drifted to sleep. Sometimes easily.  Sometimes fearfully, gripping my hand.  Sometimes I have had tears in own voice and many times, I have sang to a room full of surgeons and technicians who came to the operating theater because they had heard of this family who sang before surgery and wanted to experience the peace that is in the room.

Three times I have sang this hymn in the surgery waiting room because that facility did not allow me to accompany her into the operating room.

Eighteen surgeries.  

        Thousands of miles driven in rain, snow, sunshine and shadow. 

        Months our family has lived apart - separated by 8 hours and the Rocky Mountains.

        Dozens of professionals. Hundreds of medications. Thousands of phone calls to doctors.  
Ten Thousands of hours in research by specialists and parents.   

        Millions of prayers raised by family, friends and even strangers.

This indeed is My Father's World. The Unthinkable will happen because this world is in a fallen state where the sin of mankind has brought heartache. Yet God redeems the pain of our fallen state to help each other. When we help each other that pain becomes bearable, even manageable as we allow Him to reveal His glory as we live other lives for others.  

           “This is my Father's world. 

                    O let me ne'er forget 

              that though the wrong seems oft so strong, 

                   God is the ruler yet. 

            This is my Father's world: 

                   why should my heart be sad? 

            The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! 

                  God reigns; let the earth be glad!”

Are you living the Unthinkable?  

Where you never dreamed you would be?

Are you living in Regret - depressed, lonely, self-pity -  or in Redemption?

As you listen to the song below, go to God in Prayer and 

ask the Father -

"How will you redeem the pain in my life?  

Who can I serve?"

"This is Our Father's World"

Our Favorite Version! Enjoy!

  Amy Grant "This Is My Father's World"