On Friday night, as I was in the middle of telling my husband, Joey, about all my plans for the next day I heard a startled cry coming from the girls’ bedroom. “Mommy!” It was Jenna’s voice and I knew something was wrong.
I raced into the room to find a mess of a scene on the top bunk where she sat. I was stunned for a moment as I watched blood and vomit come from her. I could see the fear on her face. I also felt fear as I looked at her but then I sprung into action. I called out for my husband to come quickly and then we maneuvered her down from her bed.
We realized that she wasn’t actually throwing up blood but had gotten a gushing bloody nose so both things were happening at once and it looked like something out of a horror movie. We proceeded to take her into the bathroom and take care of her. She was crying and kept calling my name, “Mommy…Mommy…Mommy”, hoping that I would make it all go away. She was sick, upset and scared.
I knew I needed to try and calm her down and so as I worked to stop the bleeding and clean her up, I spoke reassuring words to her. “It’s going to be ok, Jenna. I am here. I will take care of you. Everything is going to be ok.”
She calmed down a bit and we eventually got the bleeding to stop. I gave her a bath, wiped away all the yuck, and continued to reassure her.
She heard my words, saw me caring for her and eventually trusted what I said.
By the time she left that bathroom, she had stopped crying and was able to head out into living room and cuddle for a while before going back to sleep. Then, thankfully, she made it through the rest of the night without any more episodes.
That night, as I did my best but sort of stumbled my way through taking care of my daughter, I was reminded of the way that my Father takes care of me when I am in a place of uncertainty, fear or sickness. Of course He doesn’t stumble around as I do, but He is right there with me, perfectly taking care of me even if I don’t always realize it. He is there to reassure me that everything is going to be ok.
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand ~ (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV)
God spoke these words to the Israelites during their captivity but His promises are just as applicable to us today.
It’s a reminder to me that God is right there with me when something is happening beyond my control and I feel scared. He will take care of me and in the end everything will be ok. Not only can I share my fears with him at any time but I have the gift of His Word at my fingertips. All I need to do is stop long enough to read, listen and trust.
As for my grand plans for Saturday and the weekend, yeah, those didn’t happen as I did the most important work of caring for sick children. I thought I’d be doing other things but I know I need to hold my plans loosely. Things can change in the blink of an eye.
And Saturday turned out to be a lovely day as the kids and I were able to take it easy and build with Legos, play games and not have an agenda or be rushed. We were all disappointed to miss a special birthday party but enjoyed the down time despite the change of plans.
At the end of the day Alaina said, “today was such a good day.” And it was.
Today, after a weekend of sickness, I have heartfelt gratitude that things turned out as well as they did. It certainly could have been much, much worse than it was. And I’m thankful for the Lord’s continual reminders to me that I need to hold my plans loosely and that He is always here for me. What an amazing God to bring good out of seemingly difficult circumstances and unfulfilled plans.
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