Lessons from Last Year's Fear (3rd and final part)

The story continues...(You may to read the last two posts to catch up)  My daughter, J,  came home from the hospital around 5:00 p..m.

Reasons I survived...
1)  God's preparation

I was reading "Experiencing God Day By Day" by Henry and Richard Blackaby for my quiet time.  The day before J went to the ER with swelling in her ankles and an odd rash on her legs, the scripture reference was Romans 14:23, "But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin."  The writers say, "Whenever God reveals something, He expects us to believe Him and adjust our lives accoringly.  What does this mean?  It means we trust Him implicity for all our needs (Phil. 4:19)...It means we approach crises with the assurance that God will bring good from them (Romans 8:28).  It means we overcome anxiety during stressful situations because God instructs us to bring our requests to Him. (Phil. 4:6)...Faithlessnes is sin.  "But without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6)".  And the day J would go to the hospital, God prepared me with another devotion about Phil. 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing..." 

God used scriptures to prepare me. 
 Phil. 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God.”  I love verse 7, “and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  I experienced these verses the day my daughter couldn't walk in the hospital. 

2) God's provision
The next day, the girls had a snow day and went to play with some friends.  I noticed some bruising on my J's ankles, where she had swelling previously. I called her Dr. and he said he would try to get her scheduled with a rheumatologist.  I called my rheumatologist neighbor (God's provision) to discuss J's symptoms and ask for advice.  After dinner, J complained of being cold so she went to take a shower.  When she got out, her knees were swollen and she couldn't walk without a limp.  I called my neighbor back and explained her knees were swollen and her rash was bigger.  She and her husband, cardiologist, (God's provision) came over to look at J.  They felt we could give her ibuprofen and wait until our next day appointment with our pediatrician.  

 The next morning (Friday), J’s swelling in her knees had subsidedr.  We continued to give her ibuprofen.  I texted our rheumatologist neighbor to see if she could help us see a pediatric rheumatologist.  She spoke with one on call that day.  When we saw our pediatrician, he called the rheumatologist and spoke with her about J's case, while we were there that day.   Our pediatrician thought she had HSP (Henloch Schonlein Purpurar) with the migrating arthritis and rash.  It is an inflammatory reaction of the immune system to medication, or after strept.  We had an appointment with the rheumatologist the following Monday (totally a God-thing to get into a specialist so quickly).

3)  God's protection
J felt great over the weekend.  We kept her on continuous ibuprofen and waited for our Monday appointment (Valentine’s Day).  We thought we would go and hear, “Yes, she has HSP…no worries.”  However, she did not confirm the diagnosis and thought she had acute rheumatic fever.  With rheumatic fever, J could have had heart problems, none.  With the HSP, she could have had kidney problems, none.  God is good.   The Dr. prescribed prophylaxis antibiotics until she is 21 years old to prevent J from ever getting strept again.  If she gets strept, she could get the rheumatic fever again, with possible damage to her heart.

J had another echocardiogram that same week.  Heart: perfect.  Three months later, J went to a pediatric cardiologist.  He said she did not have any effects, and won't, from this episode of rheumatic fever.  Praise the Lord!

God prepared me, provided health care when we needed it, and protected J through it all.  Most importantly, I learned lessons about fear and faith I can apply for years to come. 

What is God teaching you about fear or faith? 


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