Parenting With Jesus

Before I became a believer, I always said “everything happens for a reason”. And now that I know Jesus and the Truth, I understand that everything does happen for a reason — they happen according to God’s plans and His Will.

Today, our son was supposed to have a heart catheterization procedure done in preparation for his big open heart surgery this coming Monday.

But a couple of days ago, some of his labs popped up abnormal and really threw a wrench into our plans. Certain interventions were done that we didn’t agree with, which caused him more stress than anything. And now we are at a point where we don’t know if he is just stressed out or if there is something actually going on in his tiny body.

Our poor dude has had a rough time today, but is finally settling down now. And as I sit here in the dark with our worship lullabies playing, watching my son sleep, it really makes me wonder how anyone could go through any this without Jesus.

In the last 24 hours, I’ve had moments of heartache, stress, and frustrations. Not directed towards Ezekiel, but in regards to the general situation at hand. I’ve had many moments where I had to stop and pray. To pray for peace to fall upon us in this room. For my son to feel God’s love and presence and find comfort in that. For protection over us from the attacks of the enemy, and for the strength to keep praying in the Spirit to fight off these attacks.

Jesus has brought us so much unexpected peace in the midst of the craziness these last two days, and I don’t know what kind of mother I’d be for my son without Jesus.

This delay for Ezekiel’s surgery and procedures wasn’t a part of our plan (or the doctors and surgeons). But we know in our heart and in our spirit that God manifested our current situation to move the surgeries to line up with His time and His plan for our sweet boy.

I thank You Lord for giving us the strength, the faith, and the discernment to recognize Your works even in the thick of it all. I thank You for swarming us with Your presence to bring peace over our spirits. And I thank You for holding us so close to Your heart that you would change the course of our earthly plans to fit Your plans. I thank You for transforming my heart so many years ago, and for drawing me so close to you as Your daughter in Christ.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

— ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:3-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬