Well...it's been an exciting day. Not the kind of excitement that anyone would ever want, but exciting nonetheless. I can, however, say with utmost certainty that my tear ducts are clear and functioning well. As most of you know, Nick received some pretty nasty chemo last week, and was to be in pseudo isolation for the next couple of weeks. It has gone well, and except for the first few days at home, he has felt fairly well.
The plan was for him to get labs drawn in Jackson on Monday & Thursday so that we would know when his immunity was compromised and if he needed a transfusion. Well, we hadn't heard anything from Monday's labs, and he has had some coughing and upper respiratory congestion. So, I insisted that he see our Nurse Practitioner today. (I had assessed and listened and palpated and done every other "nursey" thing that I could think to do, but I wanted someone else to say that his lungs were o.k. too.)
So, I got a call earlier this morning from the Nurse Practitioner saying that his lungs sounded clear...just some post nasal drip. He is already on two different high powered antibiotics that should take care of just about anything. (I had told Nick the same thing last night. So, at least I felt good about my nursing skills.)
I continued with my day at school. At 1:00 I had a nursing test. As we enter the room for tests we have to show I.D., take off any coats or other outerwear, and place our belongings in the front of the classroom...including cell phones. I have never done this before, but today I asked one of my instructors to hold my phone just in case I got an emergency call. (Thank you, Holy Spirit, for the prompting!) She knows about Nick's situation. So, she kindly took it. About 10 minutes into the test time she brought the phone to me and escorted me to the hall. Our Nurse Practitioner had gotten Nick's blood work back from this morning and several of his numbers were at critical levels. Critical...as in...Oh, no, somebody do something quick. So, I needed to put her in contact with our oncologist at Vandy to get marching orders. Several phone calls later I left school and headed home leaving my test incomplete and not knowing what to do next. When I got home, Glenn had just heard from the oncologist who instructed us to just watch Nick and make sure he has no outside contact or fresh fruit or vegetables that could possibly contain any sort of germs. He is stable, but just critically immune-compromised.
I am once again in awe of how God cares for us in the most seemingly simple ways. I had no idea that Nick was going to need me before the end of the test hour, but God did. I have heard stories over and over about people being delayed, or changing their routines, or stopping at a green light...only to realize that that momentary change in their usual behavior saved their lives.
I don't believe in coincidence or luck, but I do believe in a mighty God who speaks to each and every one of us daily. (Whether you know that He speaks to you or not is irrelevant. It doesn't change the fact that He does speak to you.) (I am passionately bold about this...can you tell?) Throughout the years I have heard people say repeatedly that they just don't hear from God...or... they don't believe that He speaks to them...or... they can believe that other people hear from Him, but they have done too many bad things for Him to want to speak to them. Oh my, nothing can be further from the truth.
It may not be some kind of "James Earl Jones" booming voice. There may never be a burning bush in your front yard. You may never feed 5000 people with your fish sticks and crinkle cut french fries or get a gold coin out of a fish's mouth, but you have and will hear from God.
Let's start simple. Look for the simple interventions in your day tomorrow...then be bold enough to thank Him for them as they come. (Nobody else has to even know about it, but this is a very important part!) You will be surprised by how many you find, and how much of a change it makes in your overall attitude. There will come a day when you realize that you can rely on Him, and that you don't have to have all of answers...you just have to know who has them.
Do you know Him?
It is well!
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