My ROCK

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

What a week I have had! The past seven days have probably been some of the most trying I have had in a very long time. In the midst of it all though, I have been increasingly thankful for my Rock, my Jesus! Although not every tough moment was turned over to Him as it should have been, I can say that through it all, He has carried me faithfully. I have fallen more deeply in love with my saviour because of the events of the last seven days.

Last Friday, around 3:00, I received a terrifying phone call from one of my dearest friends saying that they were headed to the children's hospital ER with her 4 day old baby boy, because of some suspicious spots the pediatrician noticed during a check up. Not knowing what to say, I immediately began praying over the phone. After I got off the phone I immediately began calling our friends to join in prayer together. Following several tests and a couple of LONG days of waiting, the doctors determined that though there was nothing positive, they still wanted to keep him for 2 weeks for preventative care. Newborn + Hospital= no fun! As a friend, I just felt like there was nothing to do or say. For me, feeling helpless and at a loss for words is good. It causes me to turn to the One who is never helpless and always has the right word to speak. It was in this time, as the body of CityView Church sought the Lord, that He gave us multiple ways to bless our dear friends in this challenging time. Seeing how our church has come together has made me love CityView even more and want to scream- this is what Church is supposed to be!!!!

In the midst of me wanting to be there as much as possible for my sweet friend, my sweet Elaine came down with a nasty cold and became increasingly fussy and restless. So... Monday found us at the pediatrician's office being diagnosed with a double ear infection. Poor baby! Then, evidently, the medication the doctor prescribed did a doozie on her tummy, because she had an even more difficult night than before seeming to have tummy cramps. We finally found a medication that was easier on the tummy, and I have gottten more than 1.5 hours of sleep at a time the past two nights.

To add to the week's challenge, Elizabeth has begun to test me more and more. I believe it was Tuesday (but everyday is kind of a blur) when Lizzie was sitting on the big potty (we finally got rid of the little one!!!!). I went to check on Elaine and came back to an entire new triple roll of toilet paper rolled off the roll and sitting on the floor! Are you kidding me?! Somehow (God Himself taking care of me), I still had a twinge of patience in me and hint of ingenuity, so for her discipline, I told her she needed to roll back the entire roll. There was definitely some resistance, but she did it, and did not like doing it! Yes! I was thinking, this is working! However, I got lost in my fog of exhaustion and premature celebration. When I came to, my precious toddler had thrown the entire roll into the toilet!!!! AHHHH! Not my finest moment! Seriously?!?!

So, all this to say that God is so Good! He has lovingly carried me this week. He has taught me new things about His character. He has shown me a clearer picture of what His Bride is to look like. He has revealed sin. He has shown me grace. He has been consistent. Oh how I love my LORD, my Rock.


Just a side note... this is our 100th blog post!