I have to confess that I have not been counting all of my trials lately as joy, but God reminded me today of how much I have been pressing in to get closer to Him during these hard times. And that is a good thing.

I was really looking forward to a break from all of the doctors and new meds and testing that I have had to have done in the last month. We came to Maryland to see our son and his family and to celebrate our youngest grandson’s third birthday. It has been a joyful time for the most part, but my poor, sweet husband has an abscessed tooth that suddenly showed its ugly head the second day of our visit. We spent the last two days trying to get our dentist in Virginia to send the medicine to the pharmacy here in Maryland in order to alleviate the pain. Our other option was to go home early before the party for Nathan. After I called the dentist’s office myself and told them that Harry’s jaw looks like he was in a prize fight and definitely lost, the nurse said that she would send the medicine again because it looked like they sent it but it didn’t go through. Finally…at nine o’clock yesterday morning, Harry got his medicine and could start feeling better! But then, I went into the family’s living room and discovered that the oldest granddaughter had the flu and was sick all day yesterday. I ministered to her needs, giving her ice packs for the pain, soda crackers and water and generally encouraging her to rest, praying the whole time that this bug doesn’t creep around the rest of us.

So, my plans were not God’s plans. I planned to get away from illness and it followed me here. He’s still teaching me, and I’m still learning. I hope one day to get the point where I “lack nothing” but obviously, I am not there yet.