Never a dull moment!

We ventured over to my parents house tonight to celebrate my sister Hope and her husband Eric's birthday's. I thought to myself, Samuel has had an ok day.  He had been coughing up alot today and needed constant suctioning, but seemed to be calming down. After visiting for a little while and watching Chloe Bekah taking her first steps :-)  and Tucker and Micah run around in circles, we took turns eating and sitting with Samuel. Then it started...he starting coughing and throwing up and then Annaleigh started yelling from the bathroom that she felt nauseated! Me, Tim and Melody were running back and fourth, tag teaming between the 2!! It was a little chaotic! While in the next room they were singing Happy Birthday, etc..  After rushing home and getting them both settled (I think Annaleigh was just over tired) I told Melody...its never a dull moment on our house!

I am so thankful for a sweet nurse to take care of Samuel this morning while my house was becoming shiny and clean and so I could have a time of fellowship and Bible study with my dear friend who also walks this path of having a special needs child. We are doing a study on verses about the purposes of God on our suffering.  I am constantly encouraged by these verses! I studied 2 Corinthians 12:9 last week.
”And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.'Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ”
Wow! After meditating on this for awhile, I thought about all of the major trials in our life. Heart problems and getting a pacemaker while  pregnant and only 22 years old, Samuel having problems and eventually realizing that he has a progressive degenerative condition, 2 miscarriages and the great loss of those babies and becoming an insulin dependent diabetic, just in the past 12 years. And these were just the big things, not the every day things!  Through every one of these major trials I clung to my Lord. I searched His Word for answers, I prayed, cried and sought Him through the long days and nights. Would I have cried out to Him if life was/is good? Would I have learned to totally depend on Him if my suffering didn't ” bankrupt” me and Tim? The exciting part is His grace is sufficient! And His power is PERFECT in weakness. And, even though this part is hard ”I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses so that THE POWER OF CHRIST MAY REST UPON ME!” Wow! May His power be made perfect in us.

(here is the link to the study on the 36 purposes of God in or Suffering)

http://counselingoneanother.com/2012/03/20/36-purposes-of-god-in-our-suffering/