Skip to main content

God at Work

Growing up I always had faith in God and never really questioned His existence. Often people ask me when I became a Christian, my response is always "I have been a Christian since the day I was born." Many people believe that you need to ask God into your heart but I believe that God is always in your heart you just have to feel Him. Unless you ask God to leave, He is always with you. There has not been a day in my life where I have questioned God's existence in my life. He has always been a huge part of my life.

I am not a religious person but I am strong in my faith and in my Christian beliefs. When people ask me what religion I am, I say I am Christian but I am a member of a Lutheran Church; in reality I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. To me it doesn't matter if your Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc., what matters is if your a Christian. Your religion is secondary to your firm belief in God, our savior Jesus Christ.

Having a child with a life threatening illness just reaffirms my faith in God; my strength as a Christian. Sure many people in my situation would question God, maybe even hate God for giving the disease/illness to their loved one. But God did not give Ashley biliary atresia any more than I gave Ashley biliary atresia. God does not want Ashley to die but God also does not want Ashley to suffer either. There have been so many times since Ashley's birth that I have seen God work in our lives. Even during the times that I thought God wanted Ashley back home with him, I still rejoiced in His love for me; for her.

Having a daughter that has a life threatening liver disease where a cause has yet to be found and a cure is far beyond reach is why God is so important in my life. There have been many times I have asked how people without that faith, people that don't feel God in their hearts; how those people survive in times like this. I can't even imagine how I could have survived without God during Ashley's diagnosis, surgeries and other life-in-the-balance moments. Prayer brings me peace, knowing God is there for me even when I am weak provides me with hope.

There are so many examples of how God has worked in my life, especially in Ashley's life from her birth, her baptism, her Dad's baptism and commitment to Christ, her first breath of life to her near death experiences. Examples of how faith can overcome obstacles. Tomorrow I will share with you Examples of Faith in my Life.

Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. (Colossians 3:15a)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ALF vs COTA - Loosing Sleep

What would keep a person up past 3:30 am? Decisions... As most of you know we have been using ALF (American Liver Foundation) for Ashley's Liver Transplant Fund. However, in the past year, we have found that ALF is not offering us what we need among a few other reasons which I will not blog about. When we opened Ashley's account with ALF we did so quickly after the death of my dad during Christmas 2006 and New Year 2007, we did not have time to research the best fundraising organizations. There are so many organizations out there from ALF , COTA , NTAF . But because of my dad's untimely death and because his dying wish was that friends, family, etc. donate to Ashley to help defray our medical costs, the first organization that came to mind was the American Liver Foundation. After all, Ashley does have a liver disease. Now, both my husband and I are wondering if we should have used COTA. We have also thought and inquired about opening up a local trust fund for Ashley. Howeve...

Living through Dance

In just about six weeks Ashley will dance, not just any dance; she will be competing in a big regional dance competition by dancing her very first solo.  It's completely amazing, seeing Ashley dance, watching her live through dance.  When Ashley was born almost 11 1/2 years ago, I never ever thought, we never thought Ashley would live to dance much else do her first solo.  I can't believe I am crying as I type this.  I didn't think I would get emotional.  It's just amazing!  When I put her in dance at age 3, I did it because I knew I needed to stop sheltering her.  She needed to be around other children.  She needed to feel normal despite what is trying to zap the life out of her; despite her disease.  Honestly I never thought Ashley would be a good dancer or even a great dancer, I just knew dancing was safe; it was the one activity the doctors felt didn't put Ashley's life at risk.  Little did I know how much dancing did and still d...

It's been a while. Did you know...

that Ashley was in the hospital  after Thanksgiving and before Christmas?  She had a bleed. She has varices.  Just a little reminder that she is not healthy and has a life threatening liver disease. that we lost our beloved beautiful puppy, Sarge, on January 2.  It was sudden, shocking, and sad.  We think he had leukemia based on his symptoms.  Not sure if we will ever get another dog.  Sarge was one of a kind and a perfect fit for our laid back, drama free family. that Ashley made the Principal's Honor Roll her 1st Semester of high school while taking all honors courses.  She is beautiful and smart. that Ashley is still dancing for her high school dance team minus a solo this year. She loves being part of the team but really misses competing in her favorite style of dance, lyrical/contemporary. that after a couple years of not having a dance studio to call home.  We think we may have finally found just the place.  Maybe som...