Lessons Learned :: Providence

So I'm on a roll this week with all of my posts and am trying to crank out these Lessons one by one. Since our little 'ol blog has been picture heavy for a few days, we're gonna be more wordy this time. I've been thinking a lot lately about the will of God, sovereignty of God, providence of God...you get the picture. And while I touched on it here a while ago, I am still taking it in on pretty much a daily basis.

I shared here briefly that my brother, Kevin, was really sick recently. Really, really sick. He presented to the ER in the wee hours of the morning with abdominal pain. His blood tests and CT showed no real signs of appendicitis but since nothing else was blatantly obvious, the surgeon performed a lap appy. It was non-eventful so they tell us and Kev went home later that night.

But things turn bad the next afternoon and he was back in the ER very sick and in tremendous pain. The doctors at this hospital were very flippant with his care...no antibiotics and no real concern that anything could be wrong. He was admitted though with a 103 temperature that just wouldn't come down. Again, no antibiotics pre-op, during surgery, or post-op. And even now, none. They did a CT the next day, didn't see much but he was still in horrible pain and had a high fever and uncontrolled vomiting. Fast forward a few days, still in the hospital and feeling a tad better. So what do they do? Another CT? Nope. They send him home.

At home, things go from bad to worse again. So, new hospital. New doctor. New experience as they soon figure out that poor Kev has two large abscesses in his abdomen. Sweet man. IV antibiotics are given now, big ones. With the aid of x-ray, they are able to drain one and were fulling expecting it to be infection. But it was blood. Lots of it. So he had that drain for a couple days. Still high fever. White blood cell count through the roof and climbing. Still sick to his stomach and at this point, had not eaten in a week. Another CT. The other abscess that they weren't able to reach before has doubled in size in two days. So they have to go in through his backside, think below his hip through his glutes and put a drain in there that's the size of a crayola marker down through there to his abdomen. This one? Infection. Within 12 hours, his white cell count is half of what it was the day before. Fever diminishing. Just very, very weak and 20lbs lighter than he was a week ago. My very tall, broad shouldered little brother was so pale and weak and exhausted...but praise God, after nearly 2 weeks, he was on the mend.

We had many scary moments during this ordeal. We begged God for answers...wisdom for those caring for Kevin. For understanding and patience for his wife. For healing. And our God did what only He can do. We are so grateful and humbled. And yet, we wonder why this happened? Of course there was a reason. Other people go through much, much worse. Wives lose their husbands, mamas bury their babies, sisters die of cancer every single day. So I'm not trying to say that Kev's illness compares to these. I have perspective about this. It wasn't these things...but there were several times that we wondered if this was going to take him. It's a very eery thing to watch someone you love diminish before your eyes.

We may never know why. Maybe Kev's gentle spirit was a testimony of Christ in the hospital. His new surgeon just really took to him. They sat for long periods of time just talking life and baseball. The nurses all commented on how he was just the nicest man...such a good patient. Maybe it was so he and Deanna would trust Him more, so their faith would be strengthened.

Whatever the reason, we know that God intends good for His people. We know that He not only intends it, but he causes it in all things.

"For we know God causes all things to work together for good to those

who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:28

We are the called out ones. Kev has been called by God unto salvation. So in his life, all things work together for his good. We are called to Him according to His purpose and so we can trust that His purposes for us are always good. They may hurt. But they are good. Only our God could do that. Only He could take something like Kevin went through and make it good. And not just good for Kevin...but good for others too. How great He is.

I'm still praying and pondering things in our life that I know God intends good for. Our choices about family and finances. Our decision to adopt again and when. How to best serve Him with the resources and time He has given us. And while I don't know the answers for so much of that yet, He has proven Himself faithful and trustworthy to bring good. That's something I could stand to repeat to myself over and over. For today though, lesson learned :: providence.