Friday, August 13, 2010

Waiting.....

Just wanted to give you all a quick update on my friend, Kristi. They are in "wait" mode at the hospital. Waiting for the paperwork for her to leave. Waiting for the nurse to unhook the IV. Waiting for their new normal to begin. And we all thank you for your prayers! She will be having skin graft surgery next week. I'll keep you posted.

I have been a LONG time fan of Steven Curtis Chapman. I probably have some of his first CD's! Each time he has toured Greenville, we've been to his concerts. And, since the loss of his daughter, Maria, I've wondered how they as a family were doing.

His wife, Mary Beth, is a wonderful writer. The other day while in a local Christian bookstore, I saw where they were preselling copies of her book, Choosing to SEE. Being the patient person that I am, I rushed home to check out Amazon and see if they had the book yet! Yes, m'am...they did! Quickly I pressed the "add to cart" button and sent them my handy dandy credit card number. Then, the wait began!

When it arrived, I had another book that I was working on ( I have 2-4 going at one time!). It's Magnifcent Obsession by Anne Graham Lotz and it's fabulous! I wanted to let that one digest before I began Mary Beth's. I've had a lot of waiting time this week, so I started Choosing to See on Monday. As I waited for child #2 to finish oral surgery at the dentist this morning, I also finished the book. I was laughing one minute and crying the next!I was hoping that I wouldn't read a crying part while in the waiting room!

One quote that I want to share with y'all just really touched my heart this morning. Mary Beth writes, "And even when we feel our God being silent in the pain...that is where the truest sense of faith must come into play." Think about that for a minute. We are in times of pain, and we are reaching out to God. But, we don't hear Him, see Him, or feel His presence. It happens. Most of us have been in a place like that. Then, faith, maybe as small as a mustard seed, that has been planted in our hearts begins to grow. Not quickly, but over time new growth occurs. The wait is over...faith has arrived.

Sweet Blessings,

8 comments:

Empty Nest Full Life said...

Praying for your friends quick recovery, and I bet both of those books are great! Anne Graham Lotz is an awesome speaker.

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elaine @ peace for the journey said...

The depth of that quote is written by someone who's had to live it out... thoroughly, daily, and then some. Although I've never lost a child, I have some level of understanding of what she's talking about here.

Faith moves forward. Always. Even when we can't see through the chaos.

Love you friend. Enjoy your weekend.

peace~elaine

Jennifer @ JenniferDukesLee.com said...

Those periods of silence can be excruiciatingly painful. I've had friends who've come alongside me in those times, who have "been Jesus" to me, who have loaned their faith to me when I couldn't muster up any of it on my own.

I think you're one of those kinds of friends -- one of those people who walks up alongside weary travelers to says, "You can borrow my faith for a while."

Yolanda said...

Such a beautiful testimony of the walk of faith.

Love you!

Mary Singer Wick said...

Sweet Susan,

Thank you for such an eloquent post. I was in tears reading it. I wrote the Chapmans when their precious daughter tragically died, and receive a beautiful reply. Like you, Steven Curtis' music has ministered to me for many years.

God is resurrecting beauty from the ashes of grief, and using Steven Curtis and Mary Beth in ways they could never have imagined.

You are so right--waiting is very hard for all of us; patience is not easily learned. Praise God He never gives up on us!

Miss you dear one,

Mary

Beth E. said...

Susan,
I have a friend and her family who lost their son, Westin, to cancer. He was 4 1/2 yrs. when he died. This sounds like - maybe - a good book for them to read. This family is really struggling and I am so very concerned for them. Would you recommend the book for someone going through extreme grief? Westin died in February...it's only been a few months, but the family - especially the mother - is grieving as if it were the first day. My heart just breaks for them.

Praying for your friend, Kristi.

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

Susan:

I love this quote too, and you are so right. We have all experienced it, the times when we just have to dig in and 'blindly' trust God, minus the feelings or answers. He is doing His deepest work in us during these times... we are learning who He really is and how real are His promises.

Hugs!

Sonja