Happy 4th of july! As we all awake, we wonder how we will celebrate the 4th. My team heads to town to spend some time on the internet. I am excited to talk to my friends and family. When we finally arrive at the internet, it is overwhelming. 70 e-mails, 6 skype calls and a blog to write and there is only an hour to do it all in. Working away, I knock out all the calls and post a decent size blog, but I’m only halfway through my e-mail. One last one I think. Reading the first lines, I gasp for breath and tears run down my face. Ellie has stage 4 cancer. Ellie is a little girl I nannied in NC. She and her sister Grace were best friends with the Wood girls. I stared at the computer in disbelief. As soon as we arrived back at Skekinah, I grabbed my ipod, bible and headed for my special spot. My special spot happens to be in this awesome tree, where God made a perfect seat. All I can do is cry at first. Then I begin to ask God what he is doing and listen to how I need to pray. From devestation comes redemption. This is something God had placed in my heart as I prepared for the World Race. I knew there would be much devestation in the places I would go and I was struggling to understand how to cope. From devastation comes redemption. When I read the news about Ellie, I fell and my heart broke. With this brokenness came grief, shock, disbelief, fear and anger.
At this moment, I had to choose. Choose to get up and trust God. Or stay down and let the devastation take its toll on my
heart. Through many tears, I felt God reminding me that Ellie is as much God’s child as I am. I know the love he has for me. The comfort he has provided. The strength and healing he has freely given to me. In that moment, I knew he would not withhold anything from Ellie. Whenever I get to a place of devastation, I crawl into God’s lap and rest my head on his chest and listen to him breath. I decided the best thing to do was to scoot over and make room in his lap for Ellie, Grace, Amy and Tim.
Over the last few years, I have found comfort in these verses time and time again.
Psalm 37:39-40
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is there stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Isaiah 55:8-11
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so it yields seed for the sower and the bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.¨
I ask that you would be praying alongside me, my squad, Ellie’s family and friends as we pray believing through faith that God will heal Ellie. From devastation comes redemption.
