Dinner tonight included one of my favorite things to eat. We had some leftover roast from our Sabbath meal, (which we got to share with some very dear friends!) So I cubed it and let it warm in a sauce pan. I had popped 2 potatoes into the microwave to bake. (How else do you bake a potato?) I cubed those as well and threw them in with the meat. Then I took some red chili that I had made earlier in the week for Huevos Rancheros, and poured it on top. I let it simmer then served it up on a flour tortilla with some cheese and chopped onion. Matt had sour cream on his. Remind me to tell you sometime about my husband's unnatural obsession with sour cream. It's a sickness.
Speaking of sickness, I have just completed a marathon week with a sick baby. Oh how I dislike those days. I have such a hard time watching my sick baby struggle. They just don't know what's wrong and get very cranky about it. Now I realize that my son was very mildly sick compared to what some babies have to suffer. I am extremely thankful that my son's illness was temporary. But the scary thing for me is always wondering how bad it's going to get. I have had a child in the hospital with lung issues. It is so scary to be out of control of what happens to your baby.
I have experienced the healing power of my Savior. In my own life, and in the life of my child. Let me tell you, it is a real thing! So naturally, every time my children get sick, I pray for their healing. This past week, I spent hours asking God to heal my son. I just knew that the next time he woke up, he would be his normal non-sick self. It didn't happen. And in the middle of the night, when my sweet little baby was wheezing and coughing and crying, I was asking my God, "Why won't you heal him?" I felt abandoned in my sadness and exhaustion.
In the days after Levi got better, I felt relief. I was so happy to have my sweet smiley baby back. And suddenly, our everyday existence seemed, well, easier. He wasn't crying all day or coughing and struggling. I was actually able to sleep in my own bed, no longer afraid I wouldn't hear his cries. And then it hit me, sometimes God has to show us what our reality could be, to make us appreciate what our reality is. In my reality, I am incredibly blessed with typically healthy children and a very worry-free life. But there are times that I let myself become disenchanted. I complain about being bored or overwhelmed with my daily tasks. I believe that there are times that God needs to reset my perspective. I need that spiritual slap in the face.
I pray for my brothers and sisters who have real struggle everyday. I pray for the Burns and baby Sarai, I pray for Jeffery and Noelle, I pray for Janet Brown's family, I pray for the mamas sitting in the hospital rooms with sick ones. I pray for those who have lost things they can never get back. Adonai, your ways are not are ways, but though you slay me, I will hope in you. Let us be blessed by your grace and mercy.
Love you all. Be blessed today. -chelle
