Today in Carolyn McCulley's blog I found this quote that I loved..."what if circumstances seem to hand us exactly what we want? Is that automatically confirmation of God's will? Not necessarily." (Here's the complete post) The actual purpose of the post doesn't apply to my situation, but it reminded me of school. God is doing something else through school than I thought he was, and it's a good reminder that I can not presume to know God's will entirely.
But my cousin taught me something interesting about my brain. Can you draw clockwise circles in the air with your right foot, and draw a 6 in the air with your right hand? I couldn't either. But I could on my left side. Strange.
...we need some staples for her head. (ka-CHUNK KA-CHUNKACHUNK!!)
Actually, I visited a different doctor this time. I lost 4 pounds between Monday and Thursday. Most of that was probably muscle. Ouch. I hate losing muscle mass. I also gained an infection--conjunctivitis (also known as "pink eye"). She diagnosed me with bronchitis and ruled out strep throat. She's suspecting mononucleosis, but we have yet to reach a final verdict on that. So now I'm pumped up on meds: a Z-pack (Zithromax), eyedrops, and an "overdose" on an OTC med that would be the equivalent of the prescription version.
My dear friend Lisa prescribed me a boquet of burgundy lilies (they're BEAUtiful!) and the most recent cinematic adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice." Despite the presence of Kiera Knightley :-P it was quite a good flick. Mom and I watched it again after Lisa left, and we stayed up til 12:30 AM! That's a big deal for mom. Lisa also gave me a lot of laughter during her visit, and that was just as helpful.
This is the second-worst experience I've had with downed biosystems. The first was getting whacked in the head and being unable to see for a few hours. This is much different.
My dad told me I have bears in my lungs. Nate told me I sounded like a man. My sister makes chocolate pudding for me. I haven't taken a shower in more than a week--baths only! (this part of being sick is not so bad. I love baths.) What does this mean?
My doctor tells me I have an acute upper respiratory infection, but she didn't get to hear the bears that Dad did. According to what I feel, I have something similar to bronchitis, a sore throat, an ear infection (recent development), and a sinus infection. Quadruple-whammy. Oh, and I've had recurring fevers all week. Today my core bodily temperature was 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of the sore throat and ear infection, swallowing acidic or crunchy foods really hurts, so I've been living off of oatmeal, jello, pudding, and Italian ice. What I wouldn't give for a real Misto from Rita's...
It started on Wednesday. Sure, I was on Spring break, but even for breaks I rarely sleep in until 1 PM. 5 hours of work was very hard, even at a fun job, and I came home and dropped into bed. Thursday I woke up in severe pain and difficulty breathing. My temperature was 100.7 degrees. My condition varied from day to day (I even went to Mittelman's to share their lunch on Sunday), but it didn't go away. Normally I can kick bronchitis' butt in 3 or 4 days (a good weekend's worth of rest), but not this time. 7 days have passed since my first symptoms occurred, and they show no signs of retreat. I have missed all classes and both jobs this week. I will miss a trip to Philadelphia this weekend to visit family that I haven't seen for years.
Is there good news in all of this? Of course! God's grace has sustained me daily, and even when my body was racked with pain and the next breath seemed impossible, he has provided for my spiritual rest. Also, I discovered two things. The "Rocky" movies and Tylenol Sinus Severe. Thanks, Nate! We had to buy another box of TSS.
My maternal grandparents will be celebrating 50 years of union this year. As part of a scrapbook made for my grandparents, I was asked to write down my life's goals and a brief note for my grandparents. I don't think I've ever had very defined goals for my life (other than the ambiguous "serve God"), so this was really interesting. I've listed them in order of importance to me.
My Life’s Goals:
*That I might glorify God in all I do
*That, with God's grace, I might serve my family to the best of my ability.
*That my occupation might be an opportunity to evangelize the world with the gospel
Dear Grandpa and Grandma,
Thank you for the influence you have had on my life! Through the legacy you established in your family, you have given my mother godly principles that directly affects my development. You exemplify godly stewardship of time and money-- resources that my generation often devalues. You both have encouraged me to pursue the path that God has led me on, and given me resources that helped me to do his will. Thank you so much for your love and examples! I love you!
Well, I really didn't want to go to caregroup tonight. Recently, my life has been rather humdrum in a difficult sort of way, so I've let other things take primary importance. As a result, I had no regular devotions, got little out of church services, etc. etc....I wasn't desiring God, despite the recent messages at the church about that very thing. (I always seem to be a bit late about catching on to the subject matter of sermon series.) So, I didn't want to go to caregroup because I didn't want to answer questions about my relationship with God. John and Nate were over for dinner, and we were having fun there, so why go to caregroup? I went anyway.
I did not have a huge "religious experience" at caregroup. No one prayed specifically for me. But, guess what? By caring for the body of Christ, I was made more hungry for him. Vicariously experiencing grace feels so good! This happened a while ago when I was praying for a non-church friend, too. After caregroup, Lisa and I started to sing. John joined us, but Chuck had to leave and took the song book. We got our hands on a Methodist hymnal, and kept on going. Boy, was that fun! Worshiping God a capella with all sorts of varying harmonies is exhilarating. Feeling a hymn resonate through my body means so much more than just hearing it from the lips of another.
Lisa drove me home, since my parents had left earlier. We arrived home to the ending of "Fantastic Four," and Nate was still lounging around. So Lisa and I enjoyed a quasi-wrestling match between Nate and Mike that involved a squirt gun and an injured ankle. Good entertainment, let me tell you!
Once again, God has used grace through his people to remind me of his direct grace. Now begins the process of making that grace a regular experience. I learned tonight that it takes about 6 months for the human brain to get used to new habits, so I guess that means I'll be working on this for the next 6 months. Devotions, here we come! (I think I'll start with John Piper again...)
