God loves a party!

God loves a party!

Infection or not, life goes on. There are bills to pay, dishes to do, errands to run. The infection didn't make life stop. It just made it messier and more difficult. Despite doctor appointments and endless trips to the pharmacy, we had a big party planned for the weekend. On Saturday we were throwing a huge graduation party for Christopher's brother, Ryan. We were also planning a special ceremony to celebrate what God had done for our family. No infection was going to ruin our plans.

Not that we weren't vigilant about Christopher's health. We kept a close eye on the surgical site to make sure the infection didn't take off like wild fire, and we followed all the doctor's instructions very carefully. The whole situation was really out of our hands anyway. If we had learned anything after 16 years of chronic illness, we had learned that many things were just simply out of our control. We did what we could, and we prayed that God would take care of the rest.

Saturday came, and the infection was still there. It didn't look any angrier than before, so we set our minds on decorations, food, and party preparation. As the guests arrived, we set aside thoughts of antibiotics, infection, and surgery. This was a day for celebration. This was a day for thanks. We would just let tomorrow take care of itself.

Nothing was going to stand in the way of what God had done. Nothing was going to stop us from celebrating and honoring God for the incredible healing miracle that He had done in Christopher. That infection was just going to have to move over and get out of the way. We had a party planned, and God loves a party! Let the celebration begin!

About mid way through the festivities, we made an announcement and asked everyone to gather around Christopher for a special ceremony. For those who didn't know about the miracle that God had done, I briefly explained what had happened. Then Christopher's great aunt presented him with a special commemorative piece of art work, and a friend led us all in a special prayer to thank God for His goodness. Finally, we directed everybodys attention to the fire pit. I had saved the feeding tubes that used to be Christopher's life line, but God had given him new life. He didn't need the feeding tubes anymore. As a symbolic gesture, Christopher threw the feeding tubes into the fire as the crowd clapped and cheered. There wasn't a dry eye in the place...all praise, all honor, all glory to our Lord Jesus Christ! It was proof that our God lives, loves, and heals!

When the party ended the infection was still there. In fact when he woke up the next morning, it was still just as ugly and just as angry as it had been the day before. It seemed that the antibiotics weren't killing the bacteria but just keeping it at bay. Maybe the doctors were right. Maybe Christopher was going to need surgery after all.

Monday morning arrived along with the sad reality that it was time, time to let the surgeon's do what they do best...operate. I opened my eyes that morning knowing that I needed to get on the phone as soon as possible to make an appointment with the doctor's office. They were waiting for me to call. They were waiting for the latest report on how Christopher was doing. They were waiting to schedule surgery, but for some reason I kept waiting...waiting to pick up the phone. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I just kept dragging my feet. I knew that I was supposed to call, but I couldn't bring myself to pick up the phone. I continued to stall and make excuses until finally my phone alerted me to the fact that I had a text message. I cringed. It was probably the doctor trying to get ahold of me. Begrudgingly, I picked up my phone. To my surprise it wasn't the doctor after all. It was a friend wanting to know if she could come over and pick up the items that we had agreed to donate to the children's orphanage in Honduras. I was supposed to be calling the doctor. I was supposed to be taking Christopher to the hospital, but for some reason I sent her a text message telling her to come on over and pick up the items. What difference would a few minutes make anyway?

As it turned out, "a few minutes" would make all the difference in the world...Christopher's world, my world, my family's world. God had big plans for those minutes. He was about to give us something more to celebrate. After all, God loves a party!

 If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can pray like this:

More tomorrow...