Lung Update #20 - Faith & Michael Buble

This morning I arose and came over a tad later because I was working on a small project back in the room. More on that another day. My devotion this morning was just what I had prayed for. ISN'T THAT THE BEST - WHEN YOUR HEART HAS AN INQUIRY OR DESIRE AND YOU GET TO SEE IT COME TO FRUITION. I LOVE GOD! And the bestest part of all is that HE LOVES ME. I was thinking about how to explain to you all what it is that drives us and how we go on. It is simple, and yet so complex. It is faith - believing in things that are unseen. Emilie Barnes is one of my favorite devotional writers. I have almost all of her books. Her devotional this morning spoke of the passage in Proverbs 2:2 - Turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding. She expounded on the importance of wisdom and application of the wisdom by seeking understanding. Like in school, we can have great wisdom, but if we do not know how to properly apply the wisdom by answering a question on inputting it into the equation, than we do not have understanding. She then slightly turns the topic and discusses relationships, imparticularly our relationship with the Father. The Bible is not just an instruction manual on life, it is a love story (I am reading this from a book by Shannon Etheridge) about God who is seeking His bride - YOU. We can know facts about a person and recite information, but if we do not apply the facts that we know, than the relationship with that person will remain just on the surface. For instance, you can date someone and find out their favorite color is purple. For their birthday, you buy them a green shirt. It is a nice shirt, but gee golly wouldn't it be more thoughtful if it were purple? Ya know? We can know that God is desires to hear us and wants us to deepen our relationship with Him, but if we do not actually apply that wisdom by diving into His word more in depth and understanding the context of each passage (the why? it was written - cause there is a why?), then we are not getting it. We are just surface, and just like in an earthly relationship, surface relationships leave you with a void and are just not that grand.

Emilie goes on to talk about faith and the application of knowledge in faith. You have faith every day that your car will start. You do. Most of you do not sit down in your car and hold your breath as you turn the ignition. You have faith that your remote will work, that your coffee pot will perc, that the hot water heater will heat, etc. Why do we not have that same type of faith in the One who we know even more about? He promises us that He will supply all our needs and protect us. He promises us that He has a plan - He does not promise it is the same as ours, though. So be careful. You ask how I get through this and stand. This is how. Looking back, I cannot imagine enduring this without the promises of my God. So, as I look forward, I smile with peace knowning that the God who has held me through the death of both of my paternal grandparents, the battle with cancer and eventual loss of my mother, the battle with cancer with my father, the vandalizing of one home, the heartaches in our family with marriages, Jeremy's fluctuating health, financial dispair, Emma's health issues, job complications, flooding of our home, and on and on, is the same God today and I have faith that He is still holding me. If I give up, than I say to Him, I do not believe you are there. He is there. He knows my name. He sees each tear that falls and hears me when I call. He hears you too.

Now I had that awesome emotionally uplifiting devotional this morning only to walk into the coffee shop to get my White mocha and hear Michael Buble singing "Home". I got teary eyed and then chuckled at Satan trying to break my spirit. I love that song and do want to go home, but we must finish the work we have started here. There might be one more nurse to talk to or one more piece of infection to flush out. God knows and so we push.

Be encouraged by your prayers. Jeremy has eaten a small breakfast and has walked BY HIMSELF (WITHOUT ME) this morning already. He remained fever free and looks great. He is in some pain and the doctor said that it is because his insides are healing. ISN'T THAT A GREAT REASON TO BE IN PAIN? They said the hiccups have probably stopped because his diaphragm has healed. Wow! What tremendous news. His left chest is hurting, probably because everything is setting back into place and all of that fluid is finally exiting the body. BTW, pump #1 is not moving any fluid at all this morning. I asked you to pray for that last night. He hears you. They most likely will not pull any tubes until in the morning, so today we just gotta eat and exercise. Today is Jeremy's mother's birthday. If you know her, send her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINDY! We look forward to getting home and celebrating with you soon!