April 1, 2007, my sister Brittany was in a grease fire in her kitchen. After two weeks in the hospital, multiple hyper-barrack treatments, daily gut-wrenching burn treatments and three skin grafts, she was released from the hospital. She was released with the prognosis that she would need intense physical therapy and would not walk for a couple of months. She would not be able to operate at full capacity for a year and even then, they weren’t sure.
It has been three months since my sister’s accident and she is a “walking” testimony of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. After only a month, her skin was healing incredibly fast and she was walking around. Total days of physical therapy were zero.
Brittany came to visit last Friday. Several thoughts flooded my mind upon seeing her. My thoughts were something like, “Wow I’m so glad she’s here!”, “She looks great!”, and some other “sisterly” thoughts I’m sure. =) But on the backend of those thoughts were, “Wow I’m so glad she’s here, and that God spared her life when she was in a grease fire three months ago.” and “She looks great! God has been so good to have healed her burns so quickly.” Then I felt God say to me, “Look at my faithfulness sitting right before you. Look at my grace and mercy manifested before your eyes. Yes, the fire harmed your sister and might have taken her life, but I have taken those trials and afflictions and worked them out for everyone’s good and for my glory.” How kind of God to grant these thoughts to me. On my own I would not think them!
I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. Psalm 138:2
Whenever I am tempted to be anxious about something or try to be a “back seat driver”, as Ryan so appropriately put it, I often feel the Lord prompt me to remember His faithfulness. If I recount every single decision or trial in my life, I would not be able to come up with one time that God was not faithful or my plans were better than His. Why then do I ever doubt Him or try to take control? God is teaching me to take a moment each time I am tempted to worry or be self-sufficient and “remember” His faithfulness.
When I look at my sister now, by His grace, I see a beautiful picture of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.
“Thank you Lord for Your steadfast love and faithfulness. How patient You are with me when I try to take matters into my own hands or worry about the outcome of something. Thank you for Your faithfulness to my sister and for working this trial out for our good and Your glory! With each passing day, may I become more prone to remember and less prone to forget. May I have the awe inspired tears of knowing what I deserve, and instead receiving the grace and faithfulness of a Holy God. ”
For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD! Psalm 117:2
-Lana-
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2 comments:
Thanks Lana for sharing this! God is truly an awesome father! I too have been reminded lately of God's steadfast love and faithfulness in my life. What a testimony of God's grace he has shown us through the trial your sister went through and your families example of trusting God through that difficult time. You all will be greatly rewarded for that!
Thanks for sharing lana. After hearing all about brittany's injuries and then seeing her running around playing volleyball was a definite testament to God's grace.
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