This past week, I have been busier than I can remember. No, I was not out buying presents, decorating the house or running from Christmas event to Christmas event. I was doing insane amounts of laundry, fetching popsicles, searching for blankets, scrubbing bathrooms, making soup, and heating and re-heating the hotpad for your back. Yes, our house was struck by the stomach flu. Carter began the adventure on Monday night, and Ryan followed course at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. God graciously spared me, and I was able to tend to my poor, terribly sick guys.
Through this detour in the Christmas season, we have neglected the advent calendar, not wrapped any gifts and have had to decline our attendance at several Christmas events that happened over the course of the week. Though this was a disappointment at times, it was also refreshing to step back from the flurry of December and focus on God and our family. We were forced to step back from my list of "December must do's" and pray for health and give thanks for foundational blessings such as God's provision, the power of prayer and our ability to approach God, and the amazing, ultimate blessing of salvation. Though we all fought tears and exhaustion this week, God gave us a gift of refocusing us and putting us back on the proper path of gazing on Him and realizing the simple blessings--such as health--that we so often take for granted.
Hopefully it won't take the stomach flu to focus your family on God and each other. Amidst all the decorating, baking and shopping, schedule time to continue Thanksgiving--for God's goodness, provision and the blessing of family.
James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
8 comments:
Chiara- I am so glad to hear that you were spared and your boys are on the mend. I hope the rest of this season is filled with healthy blessed days!
Ugh! I've SO been there Chiara! Did I tell you about the turbulent plane ride home from Nebraska where ALL 4 of my girls started throwing up at the same exact time??? You can only imagine. Hopefully you will all now we healthy and well for Christmas!
Thank you for the reminder Chiara! I am so glad that you didn't get it too. We have had it off and on. Isn't it nice to just take a step back and realize how good God is!
Chiara, I admire that you allowed the stomach flu to turn your eyes back to Christ. So many women would turn them on themselves at a time like that and think, "Why me, Lord? And at Christmas!" I once read somewhere that it's not just our steps that are ordered by the Lord, but our stops too!
We had the same thing strike our house a few years ago and I too was spared. God takes care of us Mothers! We're so glad to hear that everyone is feeling better and are so encouraged by the positive outlook you always have in every trial!
Yes, it is so easy to get so overwhelmed in the craziness of gifts, decorations, parties, etc. that it's so easy to take our eyes off the true reason for christmas. thanks for the reminder. I'm going to be looking for ways in the next 2 weeks to slow down and enjoy christ. glad that your guys are getting better ;)
Poor Chiara. She finally was hit with the bug today. I hope you feel better, babe!
Okay so I need to go to bed but had to respond to one more post. :)
I had a similar experience when we were isolating ourselves before Jordan's surgery in Oct. (yet another blog post of mine). Through God's mercy and grace I was able to have the perspective (most of the time) of thankfulness and of really seeing that time as a blessing for our family where we were able to bond, I was able to sacrifice my time gladly for my child and we ended up having a great time together apart from the world. I ended that week and began a VERY trying week post surgery completely filled with thankfulness and peace and such a heart of gratitude for God's provision. What a giant blessing that was! Great reminder for us to be so thankful in our circumstances and see God's good and perfect give in EVERYTHING!
Jen
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