March Madness

...and I'm not talking about basketball...I'm talking about sickness. 

Flu, fevers, runny noses, stuffy noses, hacking coughs, ear aches, sore throats, pink eye, and surgeries. By the time March comes to an end, we will have seen it all...not only from our kids, but one of our dogs, as well. It's been quite the month for sickness in the Pichura house.

I know we are not alone. I know so many of you could share your own stories of illnesses that seem to linger and days that seem so long. And, others I know, are going through grief that makes the flu look like a walk in the park. Their pain is deep and their loss is great. They battle not to keep a fever down, but to trust God's sovereignty in the midst of a broken heart.

I am reminded that the roads we walk have been paved by our good and gracious Father. Before time began, He ordained our moments, days, weeks and yes, even this March madness for our sanctification and the exaltation of His name. We are hemmed in behind and before!

I have been blessed by a couple of blog posts the last two days:

"Your Mom Has A Blog" said: "The future spreads out like an undiscovered playground, and it looms like a terrifying storm, and in both things I see it is true. God knows. He knew what joys this day would hold and He knows what sorrows tomorrow may hold, and whatever comes we know that we little unknowing ones are held close. We are intimately known and exquisitely cared for."

And in "Out of the Ordinary": "I tell you again, if there be any pathway in which there be not fire, tremble, but if your lot be hard, thank God for it. If your suffering be great, bless the Lord for them, and if the difficulties in your pathway be many, surmount them by faith, but let them not cast you down" (Charles Spurgeon)....Temporal sufferings, like temporal blessings, are an opportunity to bring glory to God. If we who have Christ as our model don't believe that, a lost and dying world never will."

May we all live lives that show our husbands, children, family, friends and the watching world that God is enough! My His joy be in our hearts and on our faces and may these words from Psalms be the theme of our heart's cry:

"Whom have I in Heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my life and my portion forever. " Psalm 73:25-26

P.S. My dear sweet momma has been going through intense physical pain for the last couple of months...and she has been a living example to me, my kids, and so many others of suffering for the glory of God. Mom, in sickness and in health, you are a sweet aroma of Christ and a testimony of His sufficient grace. I feel so blessed to be your daughter and to grow in grace as I watch you cling to the One who is "your life and the length of your days". I love you!


Comments