The theme for today and Saturday is: always, anything, and everything.
Philippians. Often termed as the letter of joy. Penned by Paul in prison. Joy in jail. Who woulda thunk?
Tomorrow (August 1) marks our (Ed and Alice) 26th wedding anniversary. The 25th was memorable as we enjoyed a lakeside dinner with Zach and Megan with our ‘little family.’ God willing, we’re hoping someday to repeat that celebration.
Our wedding text was “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ” (Philippian 4:4-7).
Three words have always stood out that seem like hyperbole. 1. Always. Rejoice always. Really? 2. Anything. Do not be anxious about anything. Really? 3. Everything. Prayer, supplication, and requests for everything. Really? Really. Always. Anything. Everything.
Always. Rejoice always. Not always happy. Not always in a good mood. Not always without tears, pain, and sadness. But always with joy. Joy in our God. We take delight in Him and not our troubles and circumstances. His name comforts. His presence brings joy. Always. God is above the chaos. God is above the storm. Chaos and storms don’t consume him. He’s in the middle of them right alongside us right to the end. That brings joy. Always. Rejoicing isn’t a feeling. It’s something we do. Always. It’s a place we go to. Always. It’s a constant we have. Always. We’re watched, loved, and cared for. Always. There is more than our pain, more than our trials, more than our tears, more than a moment. There is joy. Always. Twenty-six years and counting.
This portion of the race marked out for Zach is like a pounding storm. When will it end? When will the running get easier? We don’t know. But we do know that joy, joy in Christ, brings calm. Joy brings peace. Joy brings comfort. Joy brings hope. Joy brings reprieve. Joy brings relief. Joy helps us run. Joy helps Zach run. Hebrews 12 reminds us to let go of “everything (there’s that ‘everything’ word again!) that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” But we can run holding on to something. Clinging to it tightly. And that’s joy. Running and rejoicing. Always. Running and rejoicing to the finish line, to the eternal joy that we will receive. We WILL rejoice always.
Today’s Updates:
Zach’s last couple of days haven’t been as great. Yesterday, he threw up several times. They stopped Zach’s feeds because of his nausea and are waiting to resume his meals until they find out whether anything concerning is causing his vomiting. The care team is worried that he may have aspirated again, so they are exercising caution before resuming his feeds. Zach got an IV inserted yesterday evening so that he can receive fluids and anti-nausea medication without upsetting his stomach, and he has not thrown up since then. Zach went down for an abdominal x-ray this evening, which didn’t show anything conclusive, so he is supposed to get a CT scan tomorrow to investigate it more.
Zach has been pretty tired for the past couple days. He has been less interactive, communicating less consistently, and hasn’t been smiling or laughing as much as usual. He also has not had as much time in his wheelchair because of how he is feeling. However, the rehab doctor from Foothills Medical Centre says that as long as Zach’s vomiting is resolved without too much trouble, he’ll be ready to be waitlisted for the neuro rehab program at Foothills. Please join us in thanking God for this progress, and pray that the preparations for Zach’s transition to rehab will go well. Pray that his nausea will resolve and that his body may continue to recover. Please pray especially for restoration in Zach’s brain. Pray that God will grant him the patience and strength that he needs in his journey.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
(John 16:20-24)
