Open my eyes that I may see…

Written by: Elisabeth Lind

Josiah was born over 2 months ago and he is an enormous blessing and bright spot in our lives! Yet, it has not been easy. From day one he has struggled to eat and has battled to gain weight and stay hydrated. We have tried lip and tongue tie revisions, chiropractics for some issues in birth, medication for acid reflux, etc… In the midst of this daily battle that has me exhausted, my Dad is currently undergoing radiation and my Mom continues to battle through the daily struggle of a post-stroke life. Ben, Josiah and I were able to be in Kentucky to help and encourage my parents over some of these difficult weeks. As soon as we arrived it felt as though all hell had broken loose. Spiritual warfare is a real thing. Josiah continued to go downhill upon our arrival. He was teetering on dehydration and I was a mess! My Mom got a virus and felt awful! My Dad was facing radiation and then computers were down and his treatments continually got delayed or canceled each day! And, to top it all off, we had a massive sewage leak in the basement that was such a big issue we had to limit bathroom and water use for multiple days! I found myself giving in to the temptation to only see the difficulties and hassles…to allow Satan to blind my eyes to any goodness. I began to wonder if Jesus was there for us at all! And then He gently removed my blinders, convicted me, and reminded me of his MANY blessings and expressions of himself even in these difficult days. I want to chronicle them here to remind myself! And to thank those who have been expressions of Jesus to us in these days!

1. Mom and Dad have been blessed with beautiful friends and incredible caregivers. I wanted to take a picture of each one but missed my opportunities. Some of these caregivers are hired and some just volunteer and stop by…but ALL of them love Mom so gently and sweetly and care for them regularly! Whether its helping pick up medications, running errands, taking her to therapy, helping around the house, or even cooking with Mom or providing meals…each one is an ENORMOUS blessing and breath of fresh air! Last week, friends even came to our rescue to clean and mend a sewage leak!
   

   

   
2. I was blessed by two college friends who dropped much of their life for a couple days to offer their hands to hold a baby while I helped my Mom and took care of the house here. Praise God for extra hands!
3. In the midst of all the chaos, we were able to carve out a short moment for a dedication service for Josiah. Nine months ago, I honestly didn’t think my Mom or Papa would still be here on earth to even meet Josiah! And here we are, dedicating him to the Lord together! Though it was a short moment, as Papa is very weak, Mom was under the weather, and Josiah is a handful…it happened…and I praise God for that gift to my Mommy heart.
   

   
4. On a little but significant scale, we were able to arrange and organize Mom’s “little corner” in the Living Room to be much more functional for her with a new basket dresser and swivel tray! This encouraged us!
5. While Ben and I were there, we were able to cross paths with extended family that we rarely get to see!
   

   
6. God opened the door for Ben to work from Lexington for a few days to make this trip possible at all!
   

   

    

“Every good and perfect gift comes from above.” Thank you Lord for expressing your love to us in these tangible ways!

 

*Thank you all for your prayers for Dad. Because of delays and cancellations, his treatments have continued through this week. Thanks for your continued prayers.