When Life Rocks Your Boat

Last week, Ellis, our resident one-year-old, had a "minor" surgery that required anesthesia. Although we were assured by the specialist that it was routine and necessary, taking our sweet boy to Children's Hospital and then waiting on pins and needles for good news from the surgeon was anything but routine for us.

As always, God showed His faithfulness in far too many ways to count. From my dear friends who called the night before to pray with me, to my parents who came to be with us at the hospital, to our amazing nurse, Melissa, who Ellis bonded with right away. (That last part is pretty miraculous for this kid, considering people aren't exactly his favorite.)

And the surgery? Well, let's just say it was the best possible case scenario if your child has to have surgery. What could have taken up to two hours took just 45 minutes. What could have required three separate incisions took only one. And even though Ellis has to be out of daycare for two whole weeks (pray for me), by the time we were home, he was already up and trying to wobble around on his own.

God is good.

I say this not only because my kid came through surgery.

I say it because it is true. 

I prayed, pretty much nonstop, for the past two months that God would miraculously heal my son and keep him off the operating table, only to show up at the hospital and find out God chose not to answer our prayers the way I had hoped. 

He didn't heal my son the way I wanted, but He did overwhelm me with love through the kindness of family, friends, nurses and doctors who cared for Ellis. He did give me peace through His Word and hope for a future where physical ailments will be a thing of the past. He did remind me that He can be trusted, even with the people most precious to me. And He did, in His grace, allow Ellis' surgery to be successful.

In the words of my grandmother, who is now in heaven dancing up and down the streets of gold, "Ain't God good??!"

There is a Scripture hanging on a Retrogram board in our kitchen (I know ... random, impulse buy):

"We have this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul," Hebrews 6:19a

I can't presume to know what you're facing in life at this moment, but I know everyone has something. I've often struggled with anxiety, comparison, depression, perfectionism and feelings of not being "enough." I've struggled with not being in "control" of my life and not being able to fix the outcomes how I want them, not only for myself but now for my children as well. 

Still,  no matter what life throws at me, I have the hope of Christ as a sure and steadfast anchor when life rocks my boat like it did last week.

So I can't help but wonder, what's anchoring you? Where do you run when life gets tough? What are you relying on outside of Christ that isn't living up to your hopes the way you thought it would?

Run that ship aground, friend. If it's your own ability or the stability of your income or intellect or resources - you're in for a rude awakening. Nothing can sustain your soul - truly satisfy your soul, even - other than relationship with the Maker you were created to live for.

It is only in Him that we truly find ourselves.