This week's Theme: Gratitude in Your Heart
Day 1: In All Circumstances
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
To many of us, these instructions from the apostle Paul seem difficult, daunting— and dare I say even impossible. But we cannot respond with the sardonic dismissal, "Easy for you to say!" For in the details of Paul's life, we see the full spectrum of all circumstances (2 Corinthians 11:16-33, Philippians 4:11-13). And we see him granted the enablement and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to live a life of hope, endurance, and unshakeable trust.
Sometimes we assign "larger than life" abilities to the biblical examples we are given. And we forget that it is not their abilities, but the power, grace, and love of our almighty, infinite Savior— larger than life... or death, or anything else in all creation (Romans 8:38-39).
My friend Nancee is a reminder of an ordinary life made extraordinary by the power, grace, and love of God. I have seen her walk in hope, endurance and unshakeable trust through the fires, the embers, and the ashes of pain, grief, and loss.
I have only witnessed a small part of her story, for only God has seen the unending days of grief and disorientation, the long, dark nights of tears and despair. But I have seen Jesus crown her life with beauty, with the oil of joy, and with garments of praise (Isaiah 61:3).
I recently visited the church she pastors, Bethesda UMC, in Middletown, Delaware, and I was again inspired by her testimony of faith, hope, trust, and thanksgiving— in circumstances that might pull even the strongest under... She graciously gave me permission to share the small part of her testimony she included in her sermon the day I visited. Here it is, in her own words:
As many of you know, our daughter, Colette, was born with a genetic disease, Cystic Fibrosis. George and I were unaware it was even in our families. There were times when she needed to be hospitalized as she had lung infections and needed IV antibiotics.
This one time in 2008, they were treating her with a variety of antibiotics, but she was not getting better. They recommended doing a bronchoscopy – a procedure where they go down and suck mucous out of her lungs so that it could be tested, and they could better treat her infection. Although she had had this procedure before with no issues, this time she went into respiratory failure. She had contracted pneumonia and ended up being intubated.
I can remember this scenario as if I had taken still pictures of it in my mind. The doctor had met with us as a family to share their plan. George and I were in the ICU at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), surrounded by our family, as the doctor began to share a lot of not-so-great news - the ventilator was on the highest setting it could go. The next 24-48 hours would be crucial in determining her path forward.
After hearing all of this first, I thanked the doctor for her care of our daughter and told her that George and I trusted her and her team’s expertise in Colette’s treatment. I then told her that I believed in the power of prayer – specific prayer – so I asked her what we should be specifically praying for…she told us, and I sent those specific prayers to my pastor, to our friends and all the prayer chains praying on behalf of Colette.
Understand that when someone with CF is intubated, the likelihood of them breathing on their own after intubation is unlikely. So, for almost two weeks, George and I sat by her bed day and night. I stayed in the hospital overnight and commuted home only for showers, while she lay in a medically induced coma, in an effort for her body to heal. George went home each night to take care of our dog and tend to our home’s needs.
After almost two weeks, and with the ventilator settings down significantly, the doctors felt that she had been healed enough. So, on Christmas Eve, they wanted to attempt to take the tube out. Before they removed the ventilator, we had to have yet another meeting but this time with her CF team of doctors, social workers, etc.
They had to share with us the options of what could happen if they took her off the ventilator and she couldn’t handle breathing on her own…she would be on a ventilator for the rest of her life. They asked us if we wanted to proceed. I remember I spoke up and said Absolutely! George sat softly weeping, trying to take in this heavy conversation and decision, with the heart of a father’s love so deep for his only child.
It worked…they removed the tube, and she began breathing on her own! She was moved to a regular floor within 24 hours, and she began the arduous work of beginning to learn to walk again and gain her strength back. God produced a miracle in her life. There is no doubt in my mind that those specific prayers helped in her miraculous healing.
There was never any doubt in my mind that she would NOT come off the ventilator. And I need to say, through this whole experience, I had a peace about me that I can’t articulate. So, I have experienced God’s peace that surpasses all understanding in times when I should be anything but peaceful…that is totally the gift of God’s grace…to God be the glory! We specifically prayed about everything AND we thanked God for our blessings each day amid our daughter lying in a bed in the ICU at CHOP, on a ventilator, not knowing God’s plan for her future.
I want to remind you of this, too: there are always blessings in the midst of whatever you are going through. You just need eyes to see the blessings and a heart open to receive them. Thanking God helped me to know He was there with us and I could see His hand at work in our situation. We asked for God’s help, and He answered.
God will always answer…it may not be the answer or outcome we desire but God will always be near…God will always listen…
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