On My Heart

Daniel has been heavy on my heart and mind lately. I know God is at work. I know He is doing something big. He is doing miracles. He is healing him - it just looks different than what I want or am praying for. I do long for complete healing from LEMS. I pray for increased strength in his muscles and for him to gain weight. I don't understand why it hasn't happened yet, but I trust God. I trust His timing. I trust His plans. God is good. God is sovereign. God is in control. God knows what He is doing. He is faithful, trustworthy, powerful, miraculous. So while I long for the miraculous I wait and I trust. I want to be changed through this.

God is doing big things in my heart and life and is using Daniel and his situation. God is increasing my faith, trust, and dependency upon Him. He is my hope. He is my rock.

I love how God uses music to touch me and minister to me. I've been listening to Brandon Heath's new album, Leaving Eden. It came out on Tuesday, January 18 and I've been listening to it as much as I can. There is a song that has ministered to me the past couple of days. It came on and I was overcome with emotion. I was praying and crying out to God for Daniel last night. In the midst of the tears and the prayers I kept repeating that song on my ipod, allowing the words to bring comfort and hope. While the song makes me cry, it fills me with hope and peace. As I was listening to it, I was asking God to make His presence more known...I desired to feel Him more, more than I ever have before. My head knows He is right there with me, comforting me in my sorrow, but I wanted to feel it more in my heart, and in a fresh and new way. That continues to be my prayer and desire.

It's Alright ~ Brandon Heath

Tiny boat on an angry sea

Sails torn and tattered

How could Jesus be fast asleep

Like it doesn't matter

Soon as He opens His eyes

The storm dies

It's alright

Everything will be okay

You just hold tight

I'll be with you the whole way

When you're weak, I'll be strong

Keep going, we're almost home

It's alright

Everything will be okay

Mother Mary's got a broken heart

From the words they're saying

Her baby boy's being torn apart

By the world He's saving

He says, Mother, don't cry for Me

You know where I'll be

It's alright

Everything will be okay

You just hold tight

I'll be with you the whole way

When you're weak, I'll be strong

Keep going, we're almost home

It's alright

Everything will be okay

No promise of an easy road

Just a destination

Next time you forget your hope

Somebody's waiting

Soon as you open your eyes

You realize

It's alright

Everything will be okay

You just hold tight

I'll be with you the whole way

When you're weak, He'll be strong

Keep going, we're almost home

It's alright

Everything will be okay

Happy Birthday Diane!

My fabulous roomie's birthday is on Thursday, so I proclaim this week "Birthday Week"! I have many surprises up my sleeve for you, Diane! The first surprise is this blog post. I want to let you, and the world, know 26 reasons why I love you and think you are so fabulous!

1. You are a spectacular roommate!

2. You are thoughtful

3. You are generous

4. You are caring

5. You are fun

6. You are encouraging

7. You are beautiful

8. You are kind

9. You are helpful

10. You are loving

11. You are compassionate

12. You make me smile

13. You bring me joy

14. You make me laugh

15. You are a good shoulder to cry on

16. Your hugs bring me comfort

17. You are a great listener

18. You are a good cook

19. You are a godly woman

20. You are supportive

21. You are adventurous

22. You make our roomie times special

23. You are fabulous

24. You are tender-hearted

25. You are a great friend

26. You are deeply loved by God and by me!

Fresh Perspective

I love how God speaks...He can take something I have read or heard many times before and somehow it jumps out at me, shows me something I hadn't realized or thought of before. I have been reading "The Greatest Moments in the Life of Christ" by Max Lucado. Max takes familiar passages, stories of Jesus from the Bible and then puts his own thoughts on it.

The other evening I was reading about Jesus healing a blind man. I have heard the story and read it myself many times. When I read it the other night, the following words leaped of the page..."this man was born blind so that God's power could be shown in him..." Jesus spoke these words to His disciples in response to their question as to why a certain man had been born blind. They wanted to know if it was his sin or his parent's sin that caused his blindness. "so that God's power could be shown in him..."...such powerful words, I'm not sure if I never noticed them or if when I had read them before, the words didn't speak to me in the same way they did the other night.

After I read that, I thought/wondered, "Is that why Daniel has LEMS? So that God's power could be shown in him?" It brought tears of joy to my eyes to think that God would choose to give Daniel LEMS so that His power would be shown in him. What an honor! I believe that I heard God say that is one of the reasons Daniel has LEMS, not the only reason, but a huge one. WOW! This is a better way to look at it ~ not to be heartbroken and sad or angry that he is still suffering with LEMS, but to know that through this, God's power will be shown!

Thank You, God, for that word! I am still sad, but I have increased faith and hope that You are up to something huge! I still long for his healing and cure, but cling to You and know Your power is being shown in and through Daniel.