In the Last Week

In the last week:

• Last Friday, Levi was diagnosed with reflux and I limited my diet even more now, avoiding all forms of dairy, soy, egg (other than in baked goods), peanuts, tree nuts, tomatoes, and caffeine. Yes, it hurts my brain to figure out what I can eat.
• We spent two nights at my parents' lake house and hosted a party of 50 adults and children (happy 30th birthday, Brian!). One of the families got into a bad accident on the way home, totally wrecking both cars. Praise God everyone was OK! Brian spent the rest of Saturday night helping the family while a friend and I cleaned up the lake house.
• On our way home from the lake on Sunday, in a half hour time I went from feeling a little funny to INTENSE pain and heading into the emergency room. One hour later I was being taken by ambulance to another hospital and being scheduled for surgery.
• Tuesday, dazed and confused but feeling a bit better, I headed home from the hospital.
• Thursday, today, as Brian is driving into work, the transmission goes out on our car. Why not, right?

However, in the last week...

• We praised God for the little life of Levi and his blessing already in our family. I'm thankful for the opportunity to nurse him, regardless of the sacrifice.
• We were able to witness Levi smiling in response to our interaction with him for the first time.
• We had a wonderful time of fellowship with many dear friends from our church.
• We were able to witness firsthand God's protection as our friends and their three children were able to walk away from a deadly accident with just bumps and bruises.
• We were able once again to see God's protection and sovereignty that the kidney stone, which has been there for years apparently, did not become a problem during my pregnancy, the majority of my postpartum recovery, or while we were out of town.
• I was safely operated on and am recovering with minor difficulties.
• Brian was approached by a man in the hospital whose wife and the mother of his four children is dying of cancer about where he finds his source of hope- faith in Christ alone!
• We were able to see God's provision for us in a very tangible way in regards to our home and a wonderful refinancing solution for us.
• We were served immensly by friends and family with kid-sitting, meal providing, and prayers.
• We were reminded that our car is just a thing, money is just money, and God is the provider of it all. We will never have no more or no less than what God has for us and what can be more financially comforting than that?

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."
(Romans 5:1-11 ESV)