When Dave and I were children;s evangelists at Chambers camp many years ago we were talking about past evangelists they have had in the past. They were telling us about this one family that was no longer doing the ministry, and was not doing anything for God...I Remembered thinking...."How could that ever happen." God was soooo very real in our life I could not fatham anyone who was serving God so faithfully able to walk away from Him and His work. I thought..."That would NEVER happen to us. I could never imagine being a family that does not go to church....the week would not even be complete...
I am not saying it has...but I now can see how it could happen. It starts with little things....This has been a tough year for my family...we have lost alot, and our faith has been strianed.
There were many times I would look at my family and feel like we were so "Worldly". The summer was so crazy we got out of the habbit of going to chuch...we only prayed at meal times...and Dave and the kids really seemed to be struggling with God being real in their lives. Brandon was angry at God for Grandmas suffering, Dave was disappointed in the whole church situation, and the girls just seemed to care more about sports and friends then God. He did not seem real to them. It seemed like every time we were doing things with "Christian" organizations or people we got burned... We had alot of that this summer...Plus Dave was in pain....his soulders were hurting like crazy, we spent all this time getting in shape and loosing weight, and now he cant even lift a glass of water without hurting. The job of delivering papers were throwing us so off schedule. We really have not had time to go to the gym in a month...and no matter how many jobs we took on, we never seemed to be able to catch up on bills...ONe thing after another, and we seemed so far away from God, that I started to panic! Each of my girls came up to me this week and told me that no matter how hard they pray, they can't feel God. ...I told them that it is normal process, and they have to "work out their salvation...meaning, Although they are saved, God has to become, not something mom and dad told us to do, but something they want to do... they did not see that happening.Brandon was just plain angry at God, and Dave just was apathetic. Not that I was Ms. Spiritual during all this, but, I just kept praying....God, make yourself real to my family....and each day somthing else seemed to fall apart! Both of our cars are in need of over $500 in repairs,plus inspection is up in 4 days on car and it wont pass inspection, Brandon's car is undrivable and needs about $1000 in repairs...Rebecca tore her miniscus and could not swim, Dave was saying he was in pain all the time, and I got an infection in my eye and cold sores in my mouth...the microwave stopped working, the dishwasher broke, and every time we opened the mail it was another bill....and the house was filled with flies...no matter how much I cleaned. I felt like we were living in plagues, or a demented country music song... everything happended but the dog dying (which at this point may have been a blessing, since he still is not house broken....)
I just kept praying....God, somehow make yourself real to my kids....my husband, myself...
Rebecca was really upset that she could not swim. This was her senior year...she was going for the school record and scholarships. She had worked all summer long at gym so she would be in shape for swimming. It killed me to tell her she could not swim. The specialist could not see her until October 10th. The season was over the 18th...we knew she was done for the seeason. It was heartbreaking to see her hurt. I was talking to a friend and they suggested I try another specialist. I called and got an appointment for both Becca and Dave for Oct 1 (which was still 2 weeks awaay at the time) it was better, but it still did not help her with her swimming. Rachael, Brandon and I have been going to University of Buffalo for swimming and her for Diving. I have enjoyed swimming, and have been doing 100 laps in the pool about 2-5 times per week, depending on the week. I was swimming and all of a sudden I knew I had to go talk to the swim coach about Becca. It was as if God told me to do it. At first I ignored it, and after the 3rd time...I decided I better listen. Didn't I just pray that day for God to make himself real to Becca....I walked up to the coach, told them what had happened to Becca and asked him if he knew of anyone that could help...he said he really did not and walked away. I stood there for a minute in shock...was I not just told to go talk to this man???? Then the still quiet voice told me to go ask him again...I wanted to go back into the water and forget the whole thing...but I knew I had to listen....I walked back up to the coach looked him right in the eye and said..."Isn't there anything you can do? It is her senior year, she needs to swim....she needs this schoolarship" and I just stared at him...with, as my brother and sister would say, my puppy dog eyes. He looked at me and then said, " Let me make a phone call..." and walked away. He was gone for like 10 min. I thought he had forgotten me, but when he came back he had a piece of paper in his hand....he explained that 5 years ago, when he was still in college,he had lived with a family of whose children swam in high school. They were orthopedic doctors (both husband and wife) He called them and told them the situation. He handed me the paper and said to call them in the morning and they will see if they can fit her in this week. That was Wednesday night. Thursday morning I called at 7 before I left for work. I thought they would be closed and I would just leave a message...but no they answered right away...once I explained it all to her, she looked at her book and said, "Well, we just had a cancelation, can you have her in here by 9!" I told her we sure would! Dave took her in, They were wonderful. They said she she definatly hasd a torn miniscus that only surgery would fix and needs to see a specilaist. They made a call and she had an appoinment for the next morning! She went there, they said she needs surgery, and they would do it monday morning!!!THey also told her it would not hurt her too swim...she could swim that night...She ran home just in time to leave on the bus for the swim meet! She made ECIC (that was her goal, so she could get a chance to go on to state competition) in both of the races she swam in! Now mind you this is all happening so fast we barely have time to get all of the approvals for insurance,,,but for once they came through without a hitch. They did the surgery Monday morning. It was actually torn in two spots, and it definatly needed surgery. They had her on the bike 15 min after surgery! They wanted her to do physical theropy the next morning. As we brought her home I was just amazed at how God worked out every little detail....I hugged her in the kitchen and started to cry...I told her..." You said two days ago no matter how much you pary you cant feel God...I have been praying that God would make Himself real in your life...and He did...I just want you to see how much God loves you!" I walked into the office and a book caught my eye..."The Power of a Praying Wife" Right then I was convicted...I had been praying for my kids, but my husband is in so much pain,,,, I need to pray for his healing...I stopped righ there and had a talk with God..." Pleas heal my husband...so he can see how much you love him." I then got the idea.....if they could help Becca this quickly, maybe, they could help Dave too...when I called for Becca's appointment I also asked for one for Dave....They were able to get him in at 8:45 and Becca in at 9:00 Now those of you that have made appoinments with specialists know that this just does not happen. These were not just any specialist, these were the doctors that work with the Buffalo Sabers....sports doctors..."They also just happened to have a cancelation!" God also told me to tell Dave to ask for an injection. Now I have had injections many times in my neck...but never on a first visit evaluation...but I was not running this show...God was...I was just doing what he told me to do...Dave did not look to thrilled with my suggestion (I did not even tell him where I got the idea from) When I came home from school later that day, I looked at Dave and immediatly knew something was different. I could see it in the way he was standing, and the pain was gone on his face...when I asked him what happened, he told me the doctor gave him an injection (he did not suggest it) He would not admit that he felt better...The doctor also said Becca was doing wonderful,and that the stitches would come out Friday, and she would be good to go...she could start swimming on Monday! ONe WEek after surgery!!! I kept watching Dave all eveining...and finally he looked up at me and said.."The pain is completly gone!" I looked at him with tears in my eyes and told him...."I prayed yesturday moring for your healing! God did it!"
I know this was a long post...but you have to see that God does care about the little things...The hurt knees, the sholders that ache...the cars that are broken (tonight at my meeting someone gave me a name of a mechanic around the corner from my house that is wonderful and half the price of my mechanic) Now I am not saying that everything is magically fixed...Only time will tell, but I know that my family now knows that God loves them and cares about them. God answered so many prayers...when I opened up facebook this evening the first thing I read was my Beccas posting...it was this....
Keep praying for my family...he is doing something wonderful, I can feel it!
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