22 Oct, 2010
Celebrate Kristi Day!
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On Monday, we were challenged in the DailyBide to set aside some time to celebrate what God has done in our lives. So did you? Our family did. We declared yesterday, "Celebrate Kristi Day" in our house. Kristi is my wife and we have a lot to celebrate, because a year ago last night our life changed.
It was a year ago that I took Kristi to the emergency room when she began loosing feeling in her legs. Both legs went totally numb. I wrote a DailyBide of our experience as we waited for the diagnosis. That diagnosis finally came. It was, as we had feared, a rare condition known as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS has attacked the nerves in her right leg and Kristi still has almost no feeling below the knee on her right leg. She has, however, learned to walk and drive again (although not on interstate highways). Her condition could have been much, much worse than it actually was. We have spoken with serveral individuals who know someone who was in the hospital on life support for months due to GBS affecting the lungs. Considering Kristi struggles with asthma, this was our biggest concern. When we left the house that night, Kristi said good-bye to our three kids, not knowing when, or even if, she would see them again this side of heaven. But God stepped in, and in a big way. Kristi was home in just four days and the recovery process had begun.
6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
We have been faced with many questions over the last twelve months, but perhaps the most common question has been, "Will you keep getting better?" The answer, however, is always a "She should, but there are no guarantees." And there aren't. While many fully recover from GBS, some do not. While it would be great to have Kristi back to 100%, we are thankful, every day, that the GBS did not move higher than her waist, and it did, miraculously reverse very quickly. God's promise is that Kristi will be healed and restored to 100%, but not necessarily in this life. Where her leg is today in the recovery process might be as good as it gets. And her words, "We're okay with that."
On Monday, when you were challenged to set aside some time to celebrate and remember what God is doing in your life, did you? Maybe some of us reading this devotional wonder what there is to celebrate. Take it from us ... every day we have to be together and to live another day is a day to celebrate. So take some time this weekend and make a list of the ways that God has been working in your life this year. Then spend some time really thanking Him for all He has done.
- Do you have a friend who stuggles with the slow process of growing to be like Jesus? Encourage them today that the Father has promised to keep working in their heart and life.
- Grab some friends and let them in on your own celebration of what God has done. When they know how much you need Jesus in your life, doors can open for you to share more of your story and more of God's Story.
- One of the ways we celebrated Kristi was to have family and friends surprise her with note or a card in the mail this week. Try doing that for one of your friends who needs some encouragement sometime soon.
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