Thanksgiving on Thursday...

My thoughts on community 

continue...

(please pardon me, 

but this one

is very wordy!)

It was my birthday...

a good half year

 had elapsed

since my daughter

 was diagnosed 

with Lyme,

 and it was about

8 months since normal had ceased

to exist in her life 

and in ours.

My heart was really overwhelmed

 that evening

as we prepared 

for Bible study

with our church family.

I was exhausted 

in my soul,

and would have loved to finish the day

curled up in a 

fleece throw 

by the fire

instead of going out 

into the cold, 

dark night.

I was so tired of needing to 

make decisions about her health, and I was emotionally

weary from weathering a storm I had been

very unprepared for!

But I am 39 now, a big girl, right?

I always feel like doing the right thing.

Hee hee. Not.

(I think by now my starry eyed

visions from youth that a woman of 

40 is over the fleshly feelings,

have long vanished and I have

accepted the fact that there will

always be feelings to lay aside

for the greater good,

and to do the right thing!)

As we drove the 45 minutes to

where Bible study was to be held

that evening, I wondered what I 

was doing even going. I felt so

drained emotionally that I knew

I didn't have anything of my own to give.

But I have lived long enough to have memories

of other, similar experiences where God

had surprises and good things in store,

and where He gave grace more than

abundant for what I needed,

and so I committed my way to the Lord.

The brother in charge of the service 

had a rather 'out of the box' assignment

to give us relating to the gifts in the Body,

and in my weary-of-heart state,

it looked huge to me. I wondered how

I would ever accomplish the fairly

simple thing he asked of us,

especially since the assignment, 

combined with my heart ache, served to

bring alot of old feelings to the

surface that I have dealt

with in times past, and put to rest.

I felt completely annoyed that

I should have to deal with that

on top of everything else!

Again, I chose to commit my will

to God, and let Him bring whatever

circumstance He thought I needed.

But before we were to fulfill the assignment,

we separated into groups for prayer.

The lady at whose house we gathered,

 a good friend to me,

led the prayer time.

As she prayed, she asked God's favor on me

on my birthday, and then continued to 

completely surprise me by praying for

my family and my daughter in her illness

(you see, up until now, we had been struggling as a 

family but not really sharing alot because it was 

confusing even to us, although people knew

that she was sick, but not how it really was

affecting us all in our home,

so this dear friend had no idea just what she

was praying!)

I was moved to tears. And I began to weep.

In fact, I was weeping so hard, that by the time

it was my turn, 

(I was third in line. A sweet little lady of 11

prayed before me and also included me and my 

family in her simple prayer)

I could not pray.

So they skipped my turn and all 4 ladies

who prayed after that, each prayed for me

and for the situation/my family.

I was completely overcome with gratitude

to God who knows what we need,

and can use even those who don't know

just how He is using them!

I was able to complete the assignment 

I was given during the teaching time,

and afterwards, as we ladies sat visiting,

the friend who began the prayer time

asked me if I was ok, and when I said

that I was not, she wanted to know

if I wanted to talk.

I chose to share my heart with these sisters

and it was a real blessing to be able to 

give them a picture of what was going on.

During that week, we also had a few others

asking specifically how things were going,

and I had opportunity to share honestly

that we were really being pressed

at the present time. They all assured us of

love and prayers.

The Sunday following that Bible study,

a brother in church took the opportunity to

pray for healing for my daughter,

and for grace for our family to walk

through this experience.

He assured us that she was going to be

his prayer 'person' the following week.

That was 2 weeks ago.

She has had more normal living 

since that time,

more normal than we have

known for almost a year.

The effectual, fervent prayer

of the righteous avails much.

I am blessed to be surrounded

by community that cares

and who knows the God

who has allowed this experience

to be in our home.

Thank you to my friends

for praying, and for caring.

I am so very blessed, and 

I thank God for you.

Community.

What a special blessing.

How are we using that gift?

Are we contributing to it

with the gifts God has

blessed us with?

What richness can be had,

when we choose to 

be where and how God

calls us to be!

"You are the God who does wonders;

You have declared your strength

among the people."

Psalm 77:14