God is Good!

This morning, I woke up early to take Krischan to yet another doctor's appointment. I have been taking him to doctors regularly since he was born. The doctor commented today that Krischan seemed to know the routine pretty well, and seemed very patient with the whole process. I know this is because Krischan has been subjected to so many prodding hands, needles, tests, and he just accepts it as part of normal life. It made my heart sad to know that he thought that this is just way it is supposed to be. This time, we were visiting because I finally got a doctor to admit that his tonsils were grossly huge and blocking his airway at night. I was told today that he has obstructive sleep apnea due to his enlarged tonsils and adenoids, and that we are scheduled for him to have surgery (for removal) on March 12th. The doctor handed me a brochure discussing the diagnosis and the surgery, and every symptom fit the problems that Krischan has faced since the day he was born. He chokes, gasps, snores, wheezes and struggles for air at night....and this has been a burden in my heart for a long time. I spoke to his neurologist about the diagnosis and he said that his seizures could be caused by sleep deprivation and lack of oxygen to his brain. The sheet I received agreed with the neurologist's opinion that these two things are probably causing the delayed maturation of Krischan's brain that has shown up on the last two MRI's. Both doctors agreed that they are possibly related, and this surgery may help to alleviate ALL of Krischan's medical problems in one shot! So I want to give God praise today for bringing this diagnosis to the forefront and blessing Krischan with great doctors, and a surgery date that precedes our date to leave Guam by 28 days. That is plenty of time for Krischan to fully recover and have a new life in Colorado without the problems he has faced. We were warned that the surgery only has a 90% success rate for alleviating symptoms, so there is a chance that it will not help Krischan, but I believe if God has brought us this far...He won't leave us now in that 10%. God has mercy upon Krischan's life, and He loves Krischan more than I ever could. Krischan now has a testimony about God's mercy and grace in His life, and God has proven that His grace is sufficient for each of us.

As an added bonus, today my husband was able to book our flights straight to Durango, Colorado. They said it was cheaper to go straight to our destination than to go through Alabama....this is something we have prayed about. We will find out later today if our household goods will be shipped straight to Colorado as well, but my husband and I agreed that God is working out the details our move, one by one. He is showing us His goodness and faithfulness once again!!! We are getting more excited every day about our move. We know that if God is working things out in our favor, the job for Jeff is soon to follow. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and we will keep updating you on our move through this blog and email. We love you all, and are joyful in sharing our praises of God with you! Keep seeking Him for all your needs, and He will continue to show how much He loves you!

God bless you all!

In His Grace,

Sarah

One Day at a Time...

As I was riding in the car today, listening to Christian radio, I heard a sermon being preached about making our boast in tomorrow, or likewise, worrying about tomorrow. The preacher stated scriptures that show we should do neither. As I continued to listen, I got a familiar feeling inside of me, that feeling of conviction. I try to always remember to state that "if the Lord wills" we will do something tomorrow. Making bold declarations about tomorrow can be scary and somewhat dangerous, although I am forever abiding in the grace of the Lord. As we prepare to embark upon the most faith-filled journey of our lives, I realized that I should not make my boast in anything that is to come, except in the Lord Himself. I will always be glorying in the Lord! I know that over the past week or so, I have made bold statements about our future, our calling, and our purpose in Colorado. I have based these on revelations that I have received, but the truth of the matter is that God still asks me just to walk with Him, one day at a time. Despite anything that has been said, or that will or will not happen, the fact is that the Lord never lies or changes His mind. He is, and always will be, the Great I Am, even if I fail time and time again. So, if I make my boast in anything, it should be in the goodness and glory of my Lord.

Matthew 6:33-34 (NKJV):

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Psalm 34:1-3 (NIV):

"I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together."

Proverbs 27:1-3 (NKJV):

"Do not boast about tomorrow. For you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips. A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but a fool's wrath is heavier than both of them."

Now, what does the Bible mean when it talks of boasting? What is boasting exactly? Well, "boastings" as found in the verse James 4:16, is the Greek word "alazoneia" which means:

"empty, braggart talk; an insolent and empty assurance, which trusts in its own power and resources and shamefully despises and violates divine laws and human rights; an impious and empty presumption which trusts in the stability of earthly things."

Let's look at what the word "boast (halal)" from Proverbs 27:1-3, which means:

"to glory, be praised, celebrated, to act madly."

So, looking at our most recent decision to follow the Lord....doing is not wrong, but glorying or boasting about what He will/will not do can be cause for foolishness and sin. I am learning a lesson today to just live by the Word of God one day at a time. Walking with Him means focusing on today, not boasting or worrying about tomorrow, but trusting Him for each and every step along the way AND allowing Him to receive the honor and glory for those things which He does DO!

I am thankful to God that I have learned this lesson. It is an important part of growing in my walk with the Lord, and although the conviction was quite heavy upon my heart, I am going to be making an effort to seek God's grace in no longer worrying about tomorrow, but focusing on today...and always giving God glory! I am thankful that God is ever transforming my life and heart, and revealing the error of my ways. I think I boast mostly because of two reasons: I want others to know the greatness of God, and also that I want others' approval in the decisions I make to follow God. The first is wonderful and the second is crippling. I need to learn to fear only God, and make my boast in Him alone. And follow Him because I know Him and His voice and not to gain approval of anyone else, or be worried about their rejection!

Thank you God! I pray that you would release my fellow readers from any anxiety or pride over the events of tomorrow, and to allow them to have freedom and peace in Christ alone. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Thankful for His conviction,

Sarah

Getting Lost....Down A Familiar Road

I have decided to share a funny, but somewhat scary, story with you today. The night before last, my family decided to order pizza as we often do on Friday nights. We have determined that Friday nights are "pizza and movie night" and I almost never cook on this day of the week, unless I am making homemade pizza. Well, this past Friday, we ordered from a local pizza place. I looked them up the phone book, ordered the pizza and went out the door to pick it up in the next village. I took my son with me and left my daughter at home with Daddy. We arrived at the pizza place and it turns out I had called the OTHER store of that pizza establishment. They kindly called the other store who had my pizzas, and so I decided to make my way quickly to yet another village. Guam is a strange place because there are no direct routes between the major roads, so you have to know the side roads well or you can get lost very easily. There had been one other time that I had decided to cut across from one main road to the other, during the daytime, and I had gotten a bit lost. That time, I prayed to the Lord to help me find my way back to the main road (and I was running on EMPTY)...it was a little scary but the Lord delivered me out of the place I found myself, and with enough gas to hit the nearest gas station. I made a mental note NEVER to try to cut across on a road I didn't know again. I would take the long way around next time. Well, on Friday, I needed to cut across again....it was getting late, and my husband told me before I left to hurry home...he was hungry! I decided, I will go across on the correct street that meets the other road this time. Confidently, I took a turn at a major intersection and followed it in the right direction toward the other road. Before long, the road began to twist and turn through some really run-down areas, and it was dark by now. I looked down and my EMPTY gas light had come on again. I knew I could probably make it about 15 miles without running out of gas, but I was twisting and turning, and at one point...didn't know what direction I was headed in. Until I met that familiar place where I had realized I was lost before. I had taken the same road, was running low on gas again, but this time...it was dark and much more scary. I had carelessly left my cell phone at home thinking I was just going down the street for pizza. I was in a bad position. I had my son in the back sleep who had fallen asleep, he obviously didn't know that if we ran out of gas, we were in major trouble. You don't just knock on a door in Guam to use the phone. People disappear all the time here, and they never find the bodies. I began to cry out to the Lord and asked Him to please deliver me from this place again, even though I had been the one to take the wrong turn and forgot my cell phone, and GAS before I left.



Those of you that know me, know this is actually far too common in my life. I have learned to realize that it gives God great opportunities to show His grace in my life. Well, to finish the story....I began to pray hard and loud to the Lord. The hair on my neck was standing up, as we drove by men walking down the road...just looking strange. I suddenly realized that I had to make just one correct turn again and the main road would be right on the other side. I remembered, but I couldn't remember if I turned left or right. Last time, I had gone the wrong way first, and had to backtrack. This time, I took the same wrong turn. I had to backtrack again. The blessing was that when I first prayed, my gas light turned off and the guage had risen a little. I believe God gave me extra power because I believe I drove further than 15 miles. The whole time, my light was off and my guage wasn't moving. I finally got to that turn, and went the right way....and as I remembered, the main road was less than a mile beyond that turn. I praised the Lord loudly for delivering me once again from my own mistakes.



I still wasn't safe though. There is only one gas station on that back road, and it was a least a couple miles down the road. Just as I pulled onto the main road, my light came back on, and I saw my guage fall to empty. I went to the pizza place, and then the gas station....but there was no credit card machine outside. I was going to have to wake up my son and leave my car, and I was scared. I stopped and prayed again. Lord, help me make it back to base on the gas I have. So I prayed, and He spoke to me and said to go ahead home without getting gas. I trusted Him and did what He said. I drove home with the light on, but I knew I would make it because the Lord had told me to keep going, even on empty. I made it back to the base, put gas in my car, and went home to tell my husband the whole story since I knew he was probably very worried by this time. I got home and he told me that he figured I had seen someone I knew and stopped to talk. He wasn't really that worried about me. God had me all the time. Would I ever test the Lord? No, but I always know He is there for me when I really am desperate. Even if I am on empty and down a wrong road I have been down before, He is faithful to hear my prayer and deliver me from any place where I find myself. I just love the Lord for being so good. He showed His strength in my great weakness, and He delivered me and my son safely home.



I shared this story not to embarrass myself, but to show the grace of the Lord to rescue YOU out of any situation in which you find yourself. Was what I did seemingly stupid? Yes. I could have planned better, and I probably should have taken the long way around, and gotten gas before trying a shortcut, and not attempted this at night, and so on....Did I make a bad decision? Yes, a couple. But God proved yet again that His love for me, and His protection in my life overpowers any bad decisions that I will make. We are also challenged to live as wisely as possible according to the Word of God, and being wise is something I pray for consistently, because I am so prone to making bad decisions. But God can make up for the places I lack in my life, and sometimes, in these places...God can show His character clearly. Am I recommending that anyone take a shortcut through a dark unknown area with a young child and no gas...NO...but if you happen to fall into a bad situation, and you see no way out....do not hesitate to ask the Lord to save you. He will always be right there.

Thankful for my mighty God,

Sarah