Anna woke up on her own the other day! This was HUGE and such a relief for the whole family. At first she was still pretty groggy, as she still had a TON of drugs in her system. With her kidneys not working at their optimal level, they were a little slow at flushing out all of the sedatives and anesthesia she had been on for the past TEN DAYS!! There was also a little concern as to whether any permanent damage had been done to her brain. The past couple days have been filled with CT scans and MRI's. Great news though! The MRI showed no sign of stroke and nothing acute. Anna was able to get up out of bed yesterday and even fed herself yogurt. Today, she went for a little walk. She has even been told that there is a possibility of her going HOME in as little as 3 days!!! Praise God with us today!
What an extraordinary week this has been! For those just joining us, you can read Anna's story from the beginning here. Some of my favorite stories in the Bible also deal with the extraordinary. David and Goliath. Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Jesus feeding the five thousand. They're big and exciting and loaded with larger than life characters who are full of faith. Kind of like this last week has been.
Take Mary, for example. I'm certain the day Gabriel appeared to her was pretty awesome, but what about the other 364 days that year?? Or the thousands of days that followed the birth of her firstborn son? I'm gonna venture to guess that it was filled with some pretty ordinary tasks also, much like mine. Wiping snotty noses (and bottoms!!), dressing and undressing babies, chasing after toddlers, making dinner, cleaning endless piles of clothes and dishes, sweeping the floor (again!!). The mundane makes us oh so weary.
*Sigh*
This is where we find Anna also, as well as those taking care of her and her family. The worst is behind. The dust has settled. She is on the road to recovery, and this is AWESOME news!! Now what do we do with this? How do we process a miracle of this magnitude and where do we go from here? As the adreneline rush subsides, the earth continues to spin on its axis and life goes back to normal for so many. But for those directly involved, the monotony of a new normal begins to set in. And so begins the search to discover God in the mundane. In the everyday tasks that are necessary for her full recovery. But that is where He lives. Where He resides. In the ordinary tasks of everyday lives. In the weariness of life.
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not grow faint."
~Isaiah 40:28-31
As my father-in-law takes the night shift, caring for three sick kiddos who have the stomach bug, He is there. As a brother lovingly sits in a hospital room reading scripture over his sister or combing out the knots in her hair from days of bedrest, He is there. As a husband gets ready to take his wife home, to care for her himself, He is there. When we choose to honor Him even in the mundane, He is there. Even when it's not very glamorous or even easy. He is there.
How will we take then what God has done and allow it to permeate OUR mundane? After all, if we haven't said it before, we've certainly thought it, "If only I had seen Jesus heal the blind man, or the sea calmed, or a man named Peter walk on water, then I would believe." But is that true? Certainly it wasn't true for the Israelites. I mean, COME ON! After literally SEEING the Red Sea part in half, the Israelites still wondered if God would provide for them in the desert. AND, when He did, they complained it wasn't good enough! Many saw, but then allowed the monotony of life to take them right back to where they had started. My prayer is that I would allow God to use the extraordinary to transform the ordinary. To find God in the mundane. That I would not forget what He has done. That I would allow it to permeate the other 364 days of the year. Even when times get tough. What a shame to have witnessed a miracle and then to return to life as we knew it before!
So, I'm off to clean up my kitchen.....again. Only to get messed up.....again......tomorrow. :) But you know what? That's OK. Because I'm choosing to look for God in the mundane today. Hoping you will join me!
PRAISE HIM: Join us in praising Him for healing Anna! Loved this post from a friend the other day:
I have been so ministered to by the countless number of people praying for Anna and her family during this very difficult time. The Lord is working in my heart, showing me the extreme privilege it is to be called upon to pray on behalf of a brother or sister in Christ, that somehow, in some mysterious way, our prayers can affect the outcome of God's will. It's crazy to me, that God has a perfect plan from before the foundation of the world reaching into all eternity, and as it is being played out, he wakes me up in the night and says, "Ask for this..." just so that I can be a part of seeing Him answer! What is this but a gift? I love Him for this. He wants me to partner with Him in His beautiful plan for His people. Wow... thank you for loving me Jesus! 1 John 3:1, "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."
Thank Him for allowing us to play this role! Thank Him also for mobilizing the church to pray on behalf of our dear sister.
SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS: Continue to pray for Anna's blood production to return to normal. Also pray that she will have a good night's sleep again tonight. Pray specifically for her husband Brian, as it has been a LONG week for him. He accompanied Anna into the hospital 13 days ago and has hardly left her side since then. He has had very little sleep. Pray also for the extended family that is out in California caring for the children while their mama continues to heal. Pray that they would see God in the mundane!! In every diaper that is changed. In every bottle that is given. Praying that God would give strength to the weary. It has been a long week for everyone, and it certainly isn't over yet - not even when she returns home. Lastly, pray for Anna's children - all 7 of them. Pray that God would continue to protect their little hearts. It has been a hard week without mommy.
Thank you prayer warriors! We are thankful for each of you and the role you have played in praying Anna home. We are eternally grateful.
Kirsten
Thank you, thank you for all your updates and insights. It's been a blessing to read things from your perspective. Thanks for reminding us of the "extraordinariness" of these past days - and for addressing thoughts of the "mundane" and "new ordinary." It's important to think about it! And thanks for sharing the friend's post about God blessing us through prayer -- it's wonderful to think of it in those terms: "...He wakes me up in the middle of the night and says, 'Ask for this' just so that I can be a part of seeing Him answer." So glad you could share your husband - and glad that you can have him back now. May your family be blessed to have been a part of this grand work of God. ~Lori McCracken
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