Comfort Others Also

1 Corinthians 1:3-4  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

I have experienced the amazing compassion and comfort of God over and over in my life through experiences big and small.  However, there are 2  in my life that I have experienced God goodness and faithfulness like no other time.

At 32 weeks in my pregnancy with Megan I had a routine ultrasound, when the tech was finished she asked me to wait in the waiting room until she was able to talk to a doctor about the results.  I knew then that something wasn't right, after a long fretful wait the tech came out and told us that I was being admitted into the labor and delivery unit.  On the L&D floor there was a whirlwind of activity.  I was hooked up to monitors which showed I was having regular contractions, so I was then given IV medications to stop the contractions.  I was kept awake all night with being poked, prodded and tested, and all this time the doctors had yet to explain what was going on.  Finally in the early morning a doctor came into my room with a very grim expression.  He proceeded to tell me that the ultrasound had shown some abnormalities in my baby and they were concerned about her heart, her brain, and a herniated diaphragm.  If the results were accurate they said that she would only have a 50/50 chance of survival once she was born.  In those few statements my hopes and dreams and love which was so wrapped up in my little bundle growing inside me came crashing down.  Yet, despite my breaking heart, I had incredible peace knowing that God was in control of this situation.

Psalm 139:13-17

  For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.

  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

  My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
       How vast is the sum of them! 

I was transferred to a more specialized hospital where I spent 10 days in limbo, receiving test after test on my baby, finally to be told some amazing news.  They were wrong about the heart and herniated diaphragm, and her brain abnormality was not as severe as they had thought.  No surgery would be needed, and she would most-likely grow up perfectly 'normal'.   My little Megan was born with Dysgenesis of the Corpus Callosum.  We deal with delays in learning and some extreme distractability and hyper-activity, but for the most part she IS a normal little girl who is my miracle baby and the answer to many prayers!  God was so gracious to allow me to be her mommy!

The second time in my life that I have been the recipient of God's amazing comfort occurred less than 6 months ago.  I suffered from acute liver failure due to Wilson's disease and subsequently, received a liver transplant.   (Read my liver transplant story here.)  I was faced with the possibility of never again celebrating my babies birthdays, and not seeing my little Caleb's first steps, or sending my little ones to their first day of school.  I'm their mommy, they NEED me!  But again, God gave me peace.

Isaiah 43:1-3

  But now, this is what the LORD says—
       he who created you, O Jacob,
       he who formed you, O Israel:
       "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
       I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

 When you pass through the waters,
       I will be with you;
       and when you pass through the rivers,
       they will not sweep over you.
       When you walk through the fire,
       you will not be burned;
       the flames will not set you ablaze.

 For I am the LORD, your God,
       the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; 

Jeremiah 29:11
 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, 
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Common verses, yes, but through this experience they took on new meaning and were a balm to my soul.  It was a huge comfort to be reminded that God was in control of my situation, and that he was there, walking me through it.  And once again, I saw the prayers of many answered with the incredible timing in receiving my transplant, and my amazing recovery.  To look at me, or my blood test results, no one-not even a doctor would know without being told that less than 6 months ago I received a live-saving liver transplant. 

These experiences are not something I would have chosen, but I have been amazingly blessed through them. I have seen and felt God's love and protection first hand. I definitely feel that God allowed these experiences in my life for a reason and I desire to use what I have learned and experienced to somehow help others and tell them about God and how much he loves us and how good he is ALL the time no matter what our circumstances!  Yes, I still deal with after-affects of the transplant, and there are unique challenges of raising an amazing little girl with a brain defect, however God gives me strength and grace to deal with things as they come each day.  And I still believe that God is GOOD!

Revisiting Yesterday's Bible Study.

It has been a very busy Monday! After I got Megan on the bus, and dropped Kyle off at preschool, Caleb and I headed to the hospital to get my weekly blood draw. I stayed up late last night making my grocery list and getting my coupons in order so after my lab work we headed right to the grocery store. I'm trying out a new local store to see if I can save a little more money since they double coupons and offer a gas savings program. My shopping took a little longer than normal because I am unfamiliar with the store. However, I saved just over $67.00 on my grocery bill; received $6.00 in oyno (On Your Next Order) coupons, several other good product-specific coupons and now have .20 cents credit on my gas savings program. Which means next time I fill up at select stations, I scan my grocery card and will receive .20 off per gallon on a full tank of gas!!!!

I've also checked off several other chores off my list, including washing dishes, sweeping and mopping floors, and I've started the laundry. Now that I've got the boys in bed and Megan is entertained I am going to take a few minutes to review our Bible Study lesson from yesterday.

Tom and I are a part of the young couples Bible Study class at our church. It includes anyone who has been married for 10 years or less. Yesterday's study was focused on parenting, and specifically discipline. I'm sure I'm not the only mother who struggles with disciplining her children. After all, the world's idea of discipline and God's idea of discipline aren't exactly similar. I do believe that spanking is Biblical. In fact, the Bible has some pretty strong things to say about those who 'spare the rod'. Modern day parenting experts say spanking isn't loving, or spanking just teaches violence, but what does the Bible say? I know many Christians who say they believe that the Bible is the Word of God and His authority for our lives, yet don't 'believe' in spanking their children. Well, in that instance they are contradicting themselves. Here are a collection of verses that deal specifically with parenting and discipline.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! you shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. and these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Proverbs 13:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.

Proverbs 22:8 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, and the rod of his anger will fail.

Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you spank him with a rod, he will not die. You shall spank him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.

Proverbs 29:15 The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Proverbs 19:18 Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his crying.

Proverbs 29:17 Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Being a mother is the hardest job that I've ever committed to. There are black and white and gray areas to wade through, and not just for the sake of raising children that act right, but for the sake of raising children who know and love God. There is heartache and joy; challenges and triumphs. And I can think of no other job that has shown me my own shortcomings so clearly and pushed me in my own relationship with Christ. I know without Him I am nothing, but through Christ all things are possible, including this amazingly difficult job of raising my children!

Psalm 127:1-5 (The Message Bible)
^1-2 If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn't guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

^3-5 Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents,
with your quivers full of children!
Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;
you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.

Article Worth Reading.

Thanks to my sweet mom, I have a subscription to Good Housekeeping. I enjoy flipping through the magazines each month, getting new recipe ideas, sometimes neat craft and creative snack ideas, and quite often some very interesting articles. The latest issue has an article that I think every mom should read. It is about why being a mean mom is good for your kids. (Here is the online link.)

The writer quotes Richard Weissbourd, a child and family psychologist on the faculty of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and School of Education and the author of "The Parents We Mean To Be."

"Many parents are so focused on their children's happiness and self-esteem and believe that if a child feels good about herself, she'll have more to give others. That's the modern idea, but it's often not true. Our kids' happiness is clearly important, but if we place that above their respecting us, caring about others, and appreciating what they have, children are less likely to internalize our moral standards, learn empathy, or be grateful. They may grow up thinking their happiness is the priority."

"...teaching self-reliance is, in my book, the ultimate goal of parenting."


I couldn't agree more with both of those statements. I believe that the goal of parenting is to teach my children to love God, and others, and in doing so teach them to be self-sufficient, responsible, moral members of society. I haven't read Richard Weissbourd's book, but these two along with other statements the writer has quoted in her article make me think it just might be worth reading.

Definitely check out that article if you get a chance and I'd love to have you leave a comment with what you think.