Thursday, June 30, 2011
Soli Deo Gloria
Why do I write so often about faith you ask? And what is the purpose of this blog anyway? First and foremost, it's my earnest desire to bring glory to God. I'll probably never be able to put into words all that He's done for me, but I try. Fortunately or unfortunately, He didn't give me the gift of public speaking. If he had, I'd be shouting from a podium or a rooftop somewhere. It seems He designed me to use written words instead, and gave me the desire to do so. So, when thoughts come to mind that I think may bring someone a smile, provide a dose of encouragement, or otherwise bring glory to Him, I jot them down and post them here. Some of what appears here is for sheer comic relief, cataloguing the circus that is my life as a mom of two boys. I don't know why He'd give me these words except to share them, so here they are. To God alone be the glory. I want nothing more than to be His invisible microphone, and to give back what little I can to the One who gave me everything.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
The Promise
On a cold February morning eight years ago, the world seemed to be crumbling around me. The doctors' voices seemed unreal as their hushed phrases echoed in my blurry mind-- "Not much time," I heard. "Kidney failure.. save the baby... mom's a time bomb.. BP rising.. 24 hours, max." I heard the last words "seizure, stroke, coma, death," but they floated by without any concern on my part. They wouldn't let that happen. They would take our baby first. A baby who I knew was not ready to be born. At least that's what science told us. April seemed a world away, the month we were supposed to have our baby. But the events of the last few weeks had made it obvious we wouldn't get that far. Preeclampsia had reared its head and bed rest hadn't helped. The baby wasn't growing anymore and I'd long since stopped feeling. We'd already brought one stillborn child into the world, buried her and moved on with life. If I had to do it again, I needed to mentally prepare myself. But that February morning, quite unexpectedly, something else got a hold of me and flooded my consciousness.. something I have no words to describe except "hope." Almost in spite of myself, I dared to hope that just maybe, God had something bigger planned.
After the stillbirth, years of infertility and several miscarriages, we had come so far to get to this point. Why would God allow this pregnancy to progress so far, only to end in tragedy again? No, I wanted to believe that He was up to something. Something special. In the quiet darkness of that hospital room, I made a promise. I promised God that day, that if this hope of mine were true-- if He saw fit to perform a miracle, and allow both myself and the baby to come out of this healthy, I would tell everyone I met for the rest of my life what God had done for me. I would shout His goodness from the rooftops for all the world to hear! I would dedicate this child to Him, and my life to bringing Him glory. If He did not, we would praise Him anyway and continue to trust in His will.
I'm writing this today because God in His mercy saw fit to fullfill the hope He had placed in my heart. The next afternoon, the baby who was not supposed to breathe on his own, DID. Just three weeks later on February 28th, we brought our "April baby" home in perfect health, with a healthy mom to boot! That is what my wonderful, amazing, powerful God did for me. I am here to tell you, not just that He's been good to me, but that He is good, all the time. No matter the odds, no matter your past, no matter what the "experts" say, there is always, always HOPE. We serve a mighty miracle-working God, who loves us deeply and will bless us beyond our wildest dreams, if we will only put our trust in Him. That's my story.
After the stillbirth, years of infertility and several miscarriages, we had come so far to get to this point. Why would God allow this pregnancy to progress so far, only to end in tragedy again? No, I wanted to believe that He was up to something. Something special. In the quiet darkness of that hospital room, I made a promise. I promised God that day, that if this hope of mine were true-- if He saw fit to perform a miracle, and allow both myself and the baby to come out of this healthy, I would tell everyone I met for the rest of my life what God had done for me. I would shout His goodness from the rooftops for all the world to hear! I would dedicate this child to Him, and my life to bringing Him glory. If He did not, we would praise Him anyway and continue to trust in His will.
I'm writing this today because God in His mercy saw fit to fullfill the hope He had placed in my heart. The next afternoon, the baby who was not supposed to breathe on his own, DID. Just three weeks later on February 28th, we brought our "April baby" home in perfect health, with a healthy mom to boot! That is what my wonderful, amazing, powerful God did for me. I am here to tell you, not just that He's been good to me, but that He is good, all the time. No matter the odds, no matter your past, no matter what the "experts" say, there is always, always HOPE. We serve a mighty miracle-working God, who loves us deeply and will bless us beyond our wildest dreams, if we will only put our trust in Him. That's my story.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Sick House Rules
Hello and welcome to the Johnston sick house. You will be convalescing here for the remainder of your illness. Please grab the nearest blanket, lie down and make yourself comfortable while I lay down a few ground rules.
1. I am no longer simply your mother, but also your nurse. It is my job to see to it that you regain your health as soon as possible. All commands and requests of you are made for that reason alone, and not to torture you.
2. As your nurse, I will be administering beverages, medications, and instructions throughout your stay. It is in your best interest to do exactly as I say, when I say it, without argument. If you feel the need to ask "why," please refer to number 1.
3. It is my goal to make you as comfortable as possible, however this is not a vacation. Reasonable attempts will be made to provide some entertainment in the form of books and/or television priveleges. These are privileges however, not rights, and should you have any complaints about the entertainment provided, and/or disagreements with your siblings, you will be promptly escorted to your bed to convalesce in silence.
4. There will be no loud talking, no running, no jumping, and absolutely no horseplay. These will only result in removal of privileges and potentially prolonged illness, thus a longer stay in the sick house.
5. I hope you enjoy your stay here just enought to be comfortable, and despise it just enough to avoid illness at all costs for the foreseeable future.
1. I am no longer simply your mother, but also your nurse. It is my job to see to it that you regain your health as soon as possible. All commands and requests of you are made for that reason alone, and not to torture you.
2. As your nurse, I will be administering beverages, medications, and instructions throughout your stay. It is in your best interest to do exactly as I say, when I say it, without argument. If you feel the need to ask "why," please refer to number 1.
3. It is my goal to make you as comfortable as possible, however this is not a vacation. Reasonable attempts will be made to provide some entertainment in the form of books and/or television priveleges. These are privileges however, not rights, and should you have any complaints about the entertainment provided, and/or disagreements with your siblings, you will be promptly escorted to your bed to convalesce in silence.
4. There will be no loud talking, no running, no jumping, and absolutely no horseplay. These will only result in removal of privileges and potentially prolonged illness, thus a longer stay in the sick house.
5. I hope you enjoy your stay here just enought to be comfortable, and despise it just enough to avoid illness at all costs for the foreseeable future.
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