a divine meeting {pray for J}

Oh how the Lord works in mysterious ways. I brought my older daughter Allie on a mini girls trip this week, just to have some one-on-one time with her. It was so, so good for us. Having four little ones, it is hard to get individual time with each one, but the effort is so worth it! She is a delightful child, always planning a party or wanting to give me a back massage. (yes, you read that right! Of course, she wants me to pay her for it!)

Allie and me after enjoying a slice of triple chocolate cheesecake

We were in the pool of our hotel when another beautiful little girl began playing with Allie. Her aunt told me that she had a medical problem and they were on a getaway so they could just enjoy life together. Allie and the sweet girl, J, continued to play. Allie makes fast friends with anyone and this little girl was just so, so sweet. It was easy to see there was something special about her.

Allie and J

A little later, I began talking with J’s mom. J is actually a patient at the same hospital where my son had his surgery shortly after birth, and also this hospital is across the street from our church. (God is real, folks! And I think he loves to blow our minds with divine meetings!) We shared stories of the sadness of having a sick infant and how thankful we are for our hospital and the amazing doctors. I told her Landon was doing great now. Sadly, this is not the case for J. She has already beaten the odds and lived much, much longer than any doctor could have guessed when she was born.Sometimes when I talk to parents of other sick children, I arrogantly think I am going to be a blessing to them. And one hundred percent of the time, they are a blessing to me. I just could not believe J’s mom, C’s, outlook on life. She has a child that could pass away at any time, yet she told me over and over again she is blessed to have had the 10 years with her that she did. I was trying to hold back tears the entire time I was talking to her. She truly is an example of giving thanks in all situations. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Friends, childhood illness and death is a very real, heartbreaking aspect of this broken world. It is sometimes easy to pretend it’s not happening all around us, but for families like J’s, it’s their every day reality.
I know this may sound trite, but if you have healthy children, please say a prayer of thanksgiving right now. Pray that God would give peace to those parents who are watching their own child suffer. And if you have children that are ill, please know I am spending time in prayer for you right now. Please, e-mail me if you’d like to tell me your situation. And please, please pray for J and her family today.

Linking up: A Royal Daughter

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