Friday, May 9, 2014

Our little life changer

Last night at ISI we told the kids about our situation.  It was good to let them see how hard this was for us and that our lives are not easy and perfect.  It was good for them to see us going through something, not on the other side of it.  We tried to be real and open with them and show them we really do practice what we preach to them.  We were clinging to God, his truth and his word; which is exactly what we encourage them to do in their trials.  One boy in particular melted my heart. He pulled Kory & I aside afterwards and cried and told us how sorry he was.  He is an 8th grade boy, who we've known since 5th grade, taller than Kory, a tough kid who's seen a lot of pain and suffering in this world who was broken for us and for Karis.  These kids never fail to touch my heart.  So many of the ISI kids that night let us know they were there for us.  A lot of their parents called and texted us, telling us if we need anything they would be there and they were praying for us and for Karis.  They ministered to us in such a deep way.  So many of the ISI girls would text me throughout the week asking if I was ok and that they were there for me if I needed to talk.  I couldn't get over how sweet that was.  7th graders that had my back in this trial.  Mirroring back to be what I had said and done to them throughout the year.  So cool.

I was talking to my neighbor the other day about everything we found out about Karis and she was sharing the hard things that she was going through.  In a weird way I was a little glad I had something hard I was going through to share.  So many other times it seems so one-sided.  I'm used to being the listener.  It felt good to listen and to share. And I'm sure she felt the same way.  She could be the strong one this time.  As she was talking she said, "you know they always say God doesn't give you more than you can handle but that's crap because look what he's given me, I can't handle this."  I thought about that for awhile.  Does God really give us just what we can handle?  I don't think he does. I think he gives us more than we can handle so that we must rely on him.  There are a lot of people I know in my community that have more on their plates than they can handle.  And this situation we are walking through with Karis is way more than I can handle on my own.  We need God.

Another neighbor that regularly comes down to our house and sits on our porch to talk and shoot the breeze with Kory was here the other night.  I heard him ask Kory "what's new with you guys," and then I heard Kory re-hash Karis's condition.  This neighbor is an ISI parent, has recently committed his life to Christ and has started to come to our church.  Even though there are still a lot of struggles, he is really trying hard to live for God.  I heard him say through tears that our faith was such an inspiration to him, and that he can really tell God is real to us.  I thought about how crazy it is that God can take such bad things and use it to actually encourage and strengthen others.  What Satan meant for evil, God really does use for good.  He was using this hard situation to make our lights shine even brighter for him.  Only he can do that.

I was sitting on the couch reading with Avery and I looked down at Karis in my belly.  Did she know the impact her little life was having on us, our neighbors and so many others?  I felt slight movements and small, tiny kicks.  If only she knew that she was impacting those around her profoundly and she hasn't even breathed our air yet.  Pretty amazing.


No comments:

Post a Comment