Well, I’m getting quite the late start on the blog here this year. So much has been happening here. To God be the glory, January brought a final diagnosis for Big Bro. In His goodness, God has blessed us with someone who read the reports correctly and is showing us how to help him. In just a few short weeks, we are seeing proof as we begin using some specific techniques.
Its officially called Central Auditory Processing Disorder and it affects how his right brain communicates with his left brain in getting the information he hears into his short and long term memory. As we begin to teach him in the way that he can learn, we are seeing him begin to gain confidence in himself. He’s finally feeling safe enough to open up. Its messy though. The tears and things he has been sharing with us break our hearts but we are just so grateful to see this little guy get a new lease on life. By God’s grace, He is granting us healing and we are on the path to well-being in our home.
Recently, I learned that it takes about 2 years to recover and return to normal from a life change. That tiny piece of information explains the upheaval and out-of-sortsness that has been dogging me since we learned a new little person would join our family almost 2 years ago, now. What a blessing and a joy Baby Bro has been, but wow. Just wow. Only just recently have I been able to return to my normal early wake-up time and am able to spend quality time with God again.
The past two years have been quite a desert in that regard; the struggles were real and the hill was steep. Often I found myself wondering if I had been forgotten, even while knowing I had not. The faith that God has built and the things He taught me sustained me through the desert, but it was another time in my life when I know there were only 1 set of footprints in the sand.
Towards the end of my desert journey, a friend gave me the workbook to James MacDonald’s Bible study Gripped by the Greatness of God. I wasn’t expecting what I experienced. I am just on week 4 of 6, but I have been blessed with encouragement. For so long I have really only been able to identify with God’s strong, mighty, powerful arm. Trials upon trials, struggle upon struggle, pain and heartache have marked my life from before I can remember. It has truly been an uphill climb. Oh, there have been joys, don’t get me wrong, but life has never been great. From allergies to peer abuse, TMJ to a weak core/back pain and anxiety, my physical body has been taxed. Having a child with an undiagnosed issue was an 8 year battle that sorely tested my marriage and my self-confidence. There were some dark and stormy days and periods of times, for sure.
I told my hubby a short time ago that I had a way to describe how my life has always felt. It has been like climbing a mountain and each time you reach what you thought was the top, you would see it was just a ledge and that there was still another steep piece to navigate.
I thought it was going to be another reminder of how far short I fall and provide a glimpse at the next mountain top. Instead became a glimpse into just what God had been doing. As I began to work through the study, God wrapped his other arm around me, the gentle, caring and tender one. He showed me how much he had grown my faith and understanding of Him through it all. My confidence has been boosted and I have felt his love and goodness flow over me in a way I have never felt before. I had no idea that I had been gripped by God’s greatness, but I had. I have been forever changed by this encounter with God, with this blessing of understanding.
My quest to read through the Bible chronologically had been restarted and I am now reading and studying my way through Exodus a second time. Soon, I will be sharing here what I have been learning. As I learned with Abraham and Noah, there is much to be gleaned from the life of Moses, too. Exodus teaches us a lot about God’s character, too and we begin to see God using other names to describe himself. Digging deep is uncovering many gems!
If you’re climbing a steep mountain today, friend, stay strong! You will find a point were you can look back and see where you’ve been. I promise you will stand amazed at what God has done.
