Wow...it's been almost a week since my last post! Perhaps that is an indication that life is getting a little bit back to normal or that life is crazy busy. Probably a little bit of both.
Mom continues to get better. Last weekend, I took her out for our first mom/daughter outing. We went to JCPenney and managed to spend a bunch of money! It was great to have someone to shop with again. (I hate shopping and I hate shopping alone even more!) After getting Chinese for lunch and home to work on some errands, we were both pooped and ready to retire for the night. So much, that we canceled our dinner plans with each other!
Mom has started back to church and has done a few lunches as well. We still look forward to Mom being able to walk around and be more independent physically. She does not like her present physical status. (Can't say I blame her!) On Monday, the doctor had lots of good encouraging comments - indicating that he expected her to do very well along those lines. The message was to "keep on". The road is long and hard but she can do it.
This week is Holy Week and no one knows better about long and hard roads as does our Jesus. I cannot even imagine the dread He was feeling on the night of that last supper or in the Garden of Gethsemane. But He knew the rest of the story and now we know the rest of the story. That gives us hope...
Well, the one thing we can be sure of: God's love is not a pampering love; it's a perfecting love (James McDonald). Even my precious, sweet little Mama has a little perfecting that God can do in her. My guess is that God is working in her and all of us throughout this journey. So, as usual, I just pray that we can all open our hearts to what God would like to do in us amidst the trials of life whether big or small.
Here's hoping you experience the deep, deep perfecting love that God has for you during this Holy Week...
Love, Audi
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2 comments:
Your words from the original 3/20 post: "Well, the one thing we can be sure of: God's love is not a pampering love; it's a perfecting love (James McDonald). Even my precious, sweet little Mama has a little perfecting that God can do in her. My guess is that God is working in her and all of us throughout this journey. So, as usual, I just pray that we can all open our hearts to what God would like to do in us amidst the trials of life whether big or small.
God's promise, through Paul, in Phil. 1: 6 is wonderful, yet daunting. It's wonderful because the outcome of God's completing grace is Christlikeness; but it's daunting because that completion process takes many forms and most often, a lot of time (especially in this life).
Paul didn't particularly like what God had in store for his shaping process, as we read in 2nd Cor. 12: 7 - 8. Whatever the infirmity was, it must've been nasty for Paul to pray so hard for it to be taken away. But God spoke (we don't know exacly how) directly to Paul in his pain, saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." And so Paul decided to declare that his "thorn" and any other challenges were to be seen as positives, not negatives.
I love this passage because it shows us all that we have a choice as to our reaction to the challenges of life, especially those which are disabling. And whenn we see that they are stages for others to see Christ playing out in our weaknesses, we can let His light of strength shine forth out of the darkness of our disability.
Tell your mom, Audi, that that is already happening with her; and I'm sure all of those folks at church and in her life are seeing Christ in the smile on LaDonna's face.
Blessings to her in this trek to being more like Christ ... sometimes it can be a bear! (boy, I had to work hard to resist using another "b" word there! ;>) ... Bill
Hi all you good friends --
I want to thank you for all your prayers, concerns (AND GOOD FOOD).
I am beginning to do better. I am truly grateful for the measure of recovery God has given me thus far.
La Donna Chamberlin
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