Word-Filled Wednesday ~ Philippians 4:13

(photo: dreamstime.com)

As I have mentioned on previous posts, I recently flew to MN to help our daughter and her family pack to move back to MT. While there, God gave me incredible energy and strength to help with packing, cleaning, painting and chasing our grandsons. I prayed for this before I left, because ordinarily, I have many days when I do not possess energy and strength; in fact, most of my days I deal with physical pain. A year ago, I was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia, the former being a congenital deformity that results in the crowding of the brainstem and the cerebellum, and the latter being a large cyst that formed in my spinal cord. You can't see it, but I certainly feel it, and even after having had surgery in August of 2009, I continue to have the symptoms caused by nerve damage. (If you want to read more about this, go to this post.)

I share this because I have such huge praise for the Lord for giving me the ability to do what I needed to do in order to help them get ready for this move. As we worked, my daughter kept reminding me to not overdo, and I was able to honestly tell her that God had given me His strength to help out. There were a few times I needed to rest or went to bed early because I was worn out, but He was faithful to provide for me anew every day.

But God wasn't done - on the flight home, I sat next to a woman who shared with me that her adult daughter also has CM, and we talked the entire flight about how her daughter and I cope with this chronic condition! I do not believe in coincidences; no, He orchestrates the details of our lives to bring us closer to Him, be it through a stranger who, out of all the people on that plane, shared about something I know so much about, to answering my prayer to be a help to our daughter and her family, to bringing me home safely. How do I feel now? The symptoms are very apparent, but I am so much closer to Him. He is Metsuda, my fortress.

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Please join Susan for Word-Filled Wednesday at Forever His.