Blessings...

Blessings

by: Laura Story

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

And all the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause What if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing through tears

And What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we can not feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

And what if trials of this life, are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win we know

The pain reminds this heart that this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

And what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the LORD.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9

Heard this song today for the first time.  Fortunate to work in a place where my boss plays XM the Message all day long so I'm surrounded by great scriptural truth through song all day long.

The words so spoke what my heart has strangely felt.  This journey has been long and really hard and there have been and continue to be many tears.  Just this morning was talking with a friend about what has been lost from an earthly perspective - but what gain! Malone has taught me so much about so much.  He continues to work really hard and even when it appears to be very frustrating for him...he still pushes through.

I have never felt God closer to me or felt more able to allow Him to take control.  We've really had no choice and Malone and I continue to talk about this gift, that no one would want.  This gift that we have been entrusted with that we are called to share.  And while our thankfulness is so inadequate...we will continue to be thankful in the ways we know how.

Just a quick progress update: In my last post I reported he was doing some subtraction in his head.  Yesterday they told me he is doing prealgebra in therapy - and nailing it!  We went and got all his school books yesterday.  I could tell he was glad to be in the building.  His principal said "this place looks better with you here."  He just grinned.

 

Two great quotes...and some scripture.

"You are stewards of Kingdom treasures.  The faith muscle only gets stronger when it's exercised.  Right where you are - is where you need to be.  Where you are is no accident. "  Mike Glenn: Every Moment Counts

"This is not God's plan B" a friend who is extremely wise

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  John 33:10

We are right where we are supposed to be.  In this process, in this day, in this life.  This was not God's plan B for Malone (I so love this reminder from my new wise friend!)  Sometimes this is so hard to remember.  We all want to live in the "supposed toos".  Malone was supposed too go to prom this past weekend.  He was supposed to be finishing 11th grade.  I was supposed to be in better shape, supposed to have a cleaner house, better paying job, bigger car, nicer clothes, more newsworthy vacation.  Oh really?  Who says?  The world?  How reliable is that?

We are right where we are supposed to be.  I'm so happy to report progress and joy.  Malone is continuing to recover and find new skills along the way.  He's become quite the cook and launderer of his clothes.  He'd rather cook truth be told. 

One great example of his progress is that Katy and I were playing "Words with Friends" and she had played an incredible word and gotten ahead of me.  I asked him to check my phone to see if she had played her next turn.  He said, "don't worry mom, you're only 23 points behind Katy."  I said, "Did you figure that in your head?"  He just grinned and said "yeah"

Eight weeks ago he didn't know any numbers.  Six weeks ago he was relearning to count.  Four weeks ago he was adding on his fingers.  Now he's doing some math in his head.  He is definitely headed in the right direction.

We are 3 months out today from what I have decided is the most challenging thing that has ever happened in our lives.  If I'm really honest, it's also one of the best things as far as my walk with the Lord. 

There are still hills to climb and long trail to go on this journey.  If the experts are right, we are just halfway to recovery.  But THE EXPERT in heaven knows best what we need and how fast it will come.

We are thankful for this Plan A.

While we wait...

Sunday morning I took a notebook to church with me.  One of those empty journal type ones.  I hadn't used it in awhile.  I opened it when I sat down in the worship space and read these notes "Nothing is passive about patiently waiting for desire to turn into delight.  It doesn't mean that you do nothing.  Till faith becomes sight, trust God and do good."  Those notes were from a Beth Moore simulcast in August of 2009.  That long ago, God was teaching me truth that I would need now. Sort of makes you pay more attention doesn't it.  Never know what you will need, but the Lord does.

We went today to Spain Traumatic Brain and Injury Rehabilitation Center at UAB.  Funny though...we didn't have to wait much.  They had originally said it would be late July before we could get an appointment with Dr. Brunner.  They didn't know how many of you are praying.  They called Friday and said we had an appointment today at 1 pm.  We walked in, signed in and never got to sit down in the waiting room.  Dr. Brunner and his staff were very thorough and explained a lot of things.  They explained mostly about cell swelling and how it can take up to 6 months for the cell swelling to go away.  Dr. Brunner was very positive about Malone's progress, his plan for therapy and taking him off of all medications.

And so we wait.  Wait for more cell swelling to reduce.  Wait for more healing to take place.  Wait for more memories to return and more skills and abilities to be regained - and they are everyday.

But we are not passive.  Malone starts his 5 day a week therapy tomorrow.  So thankful for the staff at RehabWorks and their willingness to try new things and want his recovery as much as we do.  He so loves all of them.  So thankful that their office and mine are adjacent to each other so that he can come right down to my office when he is done or even to eat lunch with me sometimes when he has an hour break between therapies.

And we continue to pray and give God the glory for every little memory regained, every process relearned, every day.  It's all a gift and we are blessed.