May marvels and mantras

In my little corner of the world, the month of May had some challenges which are still on my mind in June.

You, too?

I found that I had to hold on to my mantra for 2019. In case you are new here on the journey, and haven't heard me say this before, I feel God gave me a word at the beginning of the year. I felt as if He said to me, "What if you believed - really believed - that in 2019, goodness and mercy are going to chase you down.

Goodness and mercy are going to chase. you. down.

We had lots of things happen in May involving health issues: I had to go to the convenient care (during a stay-cation!), and Baylee had to go to the emergency room twice for things involving accidents. Marvelously, all those things cleared up quickly.

But I will always remember May because of opportunity for great joy. Here's how it happened:

Sometime in January, Jim's general practitioner says, "I don't like your numbers on your blood-work. Your kidney numbers are high." (Whatever that means.)

This was concerning because Jim has a brother who is on the kidney transplant list. His father and grandfather died of kidney disease. 

Fear tried to move in and lodge in our hearts. Silly fear.

So, Jim visits a kidney specialist who tells him he has irreversible kidney disease because of all the years of having to take lithium. She says "Drink more water, cut down on salt, and come back in four months."

We also do lots of praying and have the elders of the church anoint him with oil as the bible tells us to do.

Then, we're 5 months into the year when it is time for more blood-work regarding his kidneys. The doctor decides to order an ultrasound of the kidneys as well.

It turns out the ultrasound showed something. The scary words "renal mass" were spoken.

That day, I was in the middle of participating in a 10 Day Writer's Challenge on Instagram. The word of the day was mantra.

I remember my word for 2019 - goodness and mercy are chasing me down. I heard it from the Lord. It's scriptural because Psalm 23:6 teaches us that goodness and mercy are following me, they are pursuing me, they are trying to chase me down.

I wrote, "I'm in the middle of a test right now, a scary hairy-toed monster of a test, but gazing at my mantra reminds me who is covering me."

What a marvel! We found out that the mass on Jim’s kidney was just a cyst, and that his blood-work came back good and he doesn’t go back to the doctor for a whole year.

I kept saying God is good – which of course, had the answer been something else, He still would have been good, and I know He would have helped us.

What I probably should say is God is merciful! He knew I was stressed to the max and the idea of Jim having a serious illness might push me over the edge.

Goodness and mercy showed up on that day!

There’s 6 more months of 2019. I’m thinking it would be good to slow down so goodness and mercy can catch up with me everyday. I don't want to miss their arrival.

Ironically, a couple days later, my scripture writing happened to be James 1:2-4. I looked it up in the New Living Translation and lookee here what it said: 

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

Or, in other words, an opportunity for great joy is whenever a trouble of any kind comes your way.

Think on that!

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