Preparing for The Big Day

Hi friends!
Well, I think it's safe to say that we have all been just waiting for tomorrow to come. Surgery day.

The surgery has been set for 12:00 and should last three hours. She will be in the hospital for at least three days afterward. We will try our best to post an update tomorrow night.

We do want to continue to thank you for your prayers. There certainly have been up days and down days, but I know that my up days are because of YOUR prayers for peace and comfort for the family. Prayers mean so much to us. Really.

I also want to share with you a couple verses God has used in my life this week to teach me about Himself in this situation. Right after we heard the news, I was of course devastated and could not stop crying. Yet, I felt if I was really trusting God, I wouldn't need to cry or be scared or sad. As I was reading a devotional book I have, the subject for that day was "God in our Suffering" (convenient, I thought). The author focused on Job, and when I noticed this, I rolled my eyes because I know how Job dealt with his suffering, and this particular day I did not feel that I could have the faith of Job. The author went on to remind me that in just one day, Job lost his cattle (his livelihood), his camels (his transportation) and ALL of his children...all in one day! And in the midst of my guilt and self-pity, God reached down to poor, little me and showed me this verse: "At this (news), Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship" (Job 1:20).

Even Job felt emotions. He shaved his head and tore his clothes out of sadness, anger, despair. My emotions are not wrong, and I know God can handle how I feel so I can pray honestly and boldly to Him. But after I have let myself feel the emotions, what I pray I can do through all of this is to turn around and fall to the ground in worship. I pray that I don't sin by charging God with wrongdoing (as it goes on to say in verse 22), but that I can fully and wholeheartedly trust him with my sweet mama and the future plans He has in store for her and for us. I pray that through this circumstance, God will receive glory; that my family and I will be drawn into even deeper communion with Him than we could ever imagine; and that you are growing closer to Him in the process as you walk beside us during this time. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

The other verse that God showed me this week has been such a stronghold in the past few days. I will leave you with these words written by David.

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving." Psalm 62:11

That, right there, is all I need to know.

Molly