The Serenity Prayer

This is was my Dad's favorite prayer. He went through a lot the last several years of his life. He went through a divorce with my Mom, then two heart attacks and had two triple by passes within a few years. He battled melanoma and chemo for a year and beat it. Then the last couple of years he was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. Which there is no cure and he lived on oxygen the last two years of his life. I watched him struggle for every breath he took. The most difficult thing I have ever had to deal with was to watch him struggle to breath. He died four years ago. But through everything he went through he would always say this prayer. And I never heard him complain through all his illnesses. He was always grateful for another day. I miss my dad dearly but I know where he is and he is not suffering anymore. 
"The Serenity Prayer"
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.
Thought to be by Reinhold Neibuhr
(1892 - 1971)

A Time for Everything

After my second trip to the Dominican Republic I felt God leading me to sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic. I was going to sponsor a little boy but they told me he had just gotten sponsored. So they told me that this little girl named Heidy needed a sponsor. So I sponsored her.
After sponsoring her I found out that she was really sick. She had a bad skin infection on her arm. They thought that she may lose her arm. So with the help of God I was able to get her the medicine that she needed. And had it sent down there with the next mission trip team that was headed there the next week. Her arm healed and she regained use of her arm. It was a miracle in itself. All of the circumstances surrounding the timing that I sponsored her. God knew she needed medicine. 

Every time I have gone to the Dominican I have gotten to spend time with her and her family. I was able to eat with her in her two room  home with her family. And go to church with her. I had grown attached to her. She was a very shy, sweet and very pretty. 
Over the last six months she developed a lung infection. Possibly pneumonia. She had been in out of the hospital. When I was down there in March I was able to see her. I was so glad to see her. When I saw her my heart went out to her and tears welled up inside of me. I had been praying that she would be healed of this lung infection. And she seemed to be doing much better. I gave her a big hug. And her Mom also. I got to spend a little bit of time with her there. And I was so grateful for that time. Because little did I know it would be the last time I got to see her. Soon after I got back from the Dominican she relapsed. They put her in the hospital. A children's charity hospital. With limited medical care. Everyone was praying for her. And she started to do better. She started to respond to the medication they were giving her but it was only for a couple of days. On June 14th I got a knock at my door. It was someone from the children's home where I sponsored her through. I knew before the lady opened her mouth she was there to tell me she did not make it.  I was so sad and my heart sunk. I really thought she would make it. I did not know what to think or say. I felt so sorry for her mother. Her mother was just a sweet person. They both have a sweet spirit about them. 

On the day that Heidy went to be with the Lord I sent an email to one of the people from the children's home who is in the Dominican right now. In that email I spoke about the scipture in Ecclesiastes 3 which says:

A Time for Everything

 1 There is a time for everything, 

   and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 2 a time to be born and a time to die, 

   a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, 

   a time to tear down and a time to build, 

 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, 

   a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, 

   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 

 6 a time to search and a time to give up, 

   a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, 

   a time to be silent and a time to speak, 

 8 a time to love and a time to hate, 

   a time for war and a time for peace.

Later that day my husband and I were in Mardels. I had told him I was wanting a new desktop calender. They had a whole rack of them. So many it was hard to chose one. But then he picked up the one by Stormie Omartian - The Power of a Praying Wife. He turned to that days reading June 14th and the what it said could of only been from God to me. 

It said:

Remember that even though we pray and have faith, the outcome and timing are God's decisions. He said there is "a time to heal" (Ecclesiastes 3:3). If you pray for healing and nothing happens, don't beat yourself up about it. God sometimes uses a man's physical ailments to get his attention so He can speak to him. Keep praying, but know God's decision is the bottom line.

In this devotional she put the same scripture the one I had put in the email earlier that day. So I know that God was speaking to me here. We don't always understand God's plan or His purposes but I know that He is in control. And God is still God even when we think our prayers are not answed in the way that we want. God knows best. Heidy was only 10 years old. And she was a precious little girl. I know she is in the arms of Jesus now. And I will miss her.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  

  "Where as ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It   is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:14

Last Wednesday I wrote about how I was missing my Dad. Well on Friday I received two devotionals about losing a loved one. One of the devotionals was about how death is not a period it is only a comma. I liked that. And the other devotional was about a gentleman who had lost his Father. And the scripture he used in the devotional was James 4:14. That was the scripture my Dad would always say.

My Dad suffered greatly the last two years of his life with Pulmonary Fibrosis. He lived on oxygen the last two years of his life. I watched him struggle for every breath. It was hard to watch him struggle for every breath. And he never really complained the whole time he was sick. He would just say we are only a vapor here. Here today gone tomorrow. So that is the scripture we put on his tombstone. I just felt God was talking to me in the two devotionals. Letting me know that my Dad is with Him. And this weekend I went to an awesome retreat. And I felt God speaking to me again about my Dad. And the words I heard this weekend helped. God is so good. He knows our every need. Even when you are missing your loved one He will speak words of encouragement to you. And it says in Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted."  And God has done some comforting for me the this weekend.

Thanks for the kind comments on my last post.