Here is the newest baby quilt, finished today with all it’s shabby goodness. Just in time for the shower this weekend, I think it will be well received. I am very happy with it and will be making more of this pattern. Easy peasy and pleasing to the eye.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” Romans 5: 2-5
January has been a challenging month around here. It has been challenging in a good way, I guess.
About a little over a week ago, in the middle of a very stressful week which I had stuffed way too full of things, I walked out of the bathroom and started to make my bed while coughing at the same time. The coughing and bed making combo set me over the edge. I did something to my neck. Shane was gone for the day and so I called my mom. I couldn’t move, I was stuck in this weird head bent forward position and I was in pain. My mom came over and saved the day. I laid down and couldn’t get up. She convinced me to go to Urgent Care. Three hours and a shot in the butt later, I had no diagnosis given to me (I think I just strained it or pulled it?) and was pretty much laid up for three days in bed and then a week plus of continued pain. It still isn’t right but I am functioning and by the middle of the day it is hardly noticeable.
So I was forced to slow down. Really slow down. Thanks be to Jesus my mom and dad took my kids for pretty much two whole days and I was able to rest and do pretty much nothing but rest. The medication the doctor gave me helped a bit but made me sleep and just feel funny. Shane was also quite the trooper. I am so blessed!
Anyway, the reason I am writing this is because of what I have been thinking about it after the fact. We are studying Romans presently and had really great study of James last year. And I suppose the last week of my life was a trial of sorts. And I want to look at it and consider it pure joy. Because I know good came of it. The day it happened I was so distraught. I was so upset with myself. I was supposed to have a friend over that morning and I was really looking forward to it, I had a crazy work week and had a ton of stuff to do before I went back the next day (I ended up missing two days of work because of it), I was supposed to bring two families with new babies meals (one of which was in San Diego where I was supposed to pick Shane up from work that evening). It was depressing and I felt like I let a lot of people down.
So, the good things that came from it:
The neck thing got me down a bit, but I feel like I handled it pretty well. I was in a lot of pain, but other than not being able to make those meals, I really wasn’t too bent out of shape about it. I guess that is a good thing. Had I had something to miss, it might have been a different story.
It just really made me think about how I need to be aware of how the Lord is working in my life and how I can respond. I want to grow, so I need to want trials and I need to recognize them and respond appropriately.
Back to work tomorrow!
