Keep Digging

 Over the last year or so, my son has made significant improvements. I beefed up his diet, kept him on CBD, which helps reduce stiffness and tone, and added a type of light therapy, and he's been working with an exceptional therapist/healer at the 34 Project. And, of course, it's all bathed and covered in prayer! TBIs are not supposed to be getting this much better at this stage, but he just keeps improving. Thank God.

So, over the weekend, a friend asked me how I dealt with the progress. He asked how I was going to feel when my son takes that first real step on his own or starts walking. Then, he asked how I deal with the small steps of progress I'm seeing day to day. His question, in the context of the conversation, seemed to indicate that progress was a stopping point. I told him that I didn't have time to stop. The analogy I used was that of digging a mine. You don't stop when you find a gold nugget - but it inspires you and drives you to keep digging deeper.

Isn't that what we have to do day after day? Enjoy the light spots, even when they are few and far between, but keep focused on the big picture of caregiving? We don't even have time to enjoy the happy times when we get the opportunity. Of course, we are thankful, but there is still so much to do. We just have to keep digging. We dig until we find the grace we need for the moment, enjoy it for a second, and then go right back to digging. We dig through so much in a day to find His grace and peace. Most of the time, we are digging through tons of emotional stuff and just trying to make it to the end of the day with our faith still in tact. But the best part about it is that He meets us right where we are every single time. He's not tapping his foot, silently signaling for us to hurry up. He's just with. And having that knowledge can't be beat.

Because when God is with - His peace is there. His grace is there. His patience is there. His strength is there. His everything-we-need-to-keep-digging for the day is right there with us. He doesn't measure the depth or darkness of the cave. He is just with.

Today, I'll remind myself that God is still right here in my right now. I may take a few minutes to meditate on the power of His with-ness. When we move, He moves. If we sit, He sits with. If we fall due to fatigue - He remains with - and gives us the strength to make it one more step. One more dig. One more day. I will trust Him with today. Will you join me?

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Book of the Week!

The book of the week for this week is  The Year Orange Juice Saved my Life. It's the story of the year I was very sick with a mystery illness. It was a rough road, but God carried me through that time, and I just started getting better one day. The only explanation is my testimony of how He healed me. You can read this moving and encouraging story on Kindle. You can also download the eBook from my DFM bookstore.