3/20/2025
I have not visited this blog in a while. After writing every day for over a year, I was running out of things to say. With the kind of faith-writing I do; it needs to come from a place of inspiration. Now I do realize that all writing does, but faith-based writing means you have to share something that God lays on your heart.
A few days ago, my son experienced a medical incident that led him having to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Just to put your mind at ease, he is fine but will take a few weeks to heal.
During this situation, where I was not at the hospital, I was becoming EXTREMELY frustrated with the care, or lack thereof, he was receiving. I was getting regular updates through texts, but after 3.5 hours of him waiting my frustration started turning to anger. Then, after 4 hours had gone by and the waiting room had completely emptied out, he was finally seen by an ER doctor...for a total of 15 minutes. No x-rays, or scans, just a quick exam and he was released without even pain medicine. My anger went atomic!
Now, if you know me, you know that I rarely if ever get angry, especially to that point. However, when someone I love is in pain and suffering, it comes out like a dormant volcano that suddenly erupts and takes everyone by surprise.
Now, this post is not really about anger, but how I reacted in the storm. You see, many times during that night I felt as if, no, I knew I should open my Bible and then pray. I was praying, but in a frustrated way. I had calmly prayed when the incident first happened and when the ambulance arrived, but the comedy of errors that was my son's treatment, at least in my eyes, pushed me over the edge. I am not proud to admit this, but it is true. Even after my son had arrived safely home very early the next morning, my blood was still boiling. Eventually, sleep found everyone but me. I was still too full of adrenaline.
During Lent I have been reading the book of Matthew. Part of that morning's reading was Matthew 7:24-27, Build Your House on the Rock. Sigh. It hit HARD! Now, most of the time I would claim that my house was solidly built on The Rock. but that morning I realized my house is more of a trailer or RV. Sure, most of the time it is on that solid foundation. Sometimes, however, I park that baby squarely on sinking sand. That night...
"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:27
Yes, instead of battening down the hatches when the storm came and making sure my foundation was on The Rock, listening to that Spirit tap to turn fully to God in faith, I willingly moved my house and was battered by the storm.
Was it a coincidence that I read these verses while I was still stewing in righteous indignation? Of course, it wasn't. As I read Jesus' words, I felt at once ashamed and also grateful, and I asked for forgiveness. God had shown me clearly my unfaithfulness and gently led me back to solid ground. His grace and mercy fell on me like a soft rain.
As always, I am a work in progress.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27
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