As on older sibling, you kind of hope that you will be the good example. That you will be the ‘strong’ one, the one who always knows what to do. You don’t expect to be taken care of or encouraged by the younger sibling, because, you know, that’s YOUR job. But more often than not, I’ve found myself on the receiving end of our sister relationship. I’m the one being encouraged and taken care of and she is the one being looked up to. Sometimes I still see her as being 16 and still being able to give her advice. Her words of wisdom and encouragement to me, in the past 3 years especially, have reminded me that she is not. Instead she is a godly woman, who still has her own struggles, but seeks to encourage the discouraged. If I could use one word to describe her it would be just that – an Encourager. No matter what you say to her, whatever questions or statements or doubts, an encouraging word will always be given back. This is a gift. Thank you, Laura, for your example to ME and for sharing your story here.
I can’t say that I am always a positive person. I don’t always look at the bright side. I don’t always see the good in a situation. I struggle with many things. We all do. But I remember something my daddy once said-the struggles of life are real but we have a Savior that is reliable! Many people have what they call a life verse- “A specific Bible verse that a Christian believes to be specially representative or predictive of his or her life. Many Christians regard their life verse as an inspirational motto or lifelong mission statement.”
If you were to ask me what my life verse is I’m not sure that I could pick a particular one. I have many favorites. There is much encouragement and comfort from God’s word and His Word is all we need in knowing how to face everything in our life. But if you were to ask me what I might say to try to encourage someone, two words would come to mind. Now this isn’t something that I have perfected in my life or probably even came close to but it’s what God seemed to speak to my heart one day. Two words. Trust and Wait. My husband and I had been married about 4 years and I think it is only natural for a woman to have a desire to have children. That was my desire. I just don’t think that my husband was as ready as I was. I believe that was the first time that God just simply told me -Trust and wait. And I did. And It didn’t seem like it was long after that, God gave us our first little boy. That was God’s plan. He knew what we needed in our life exactly when we needed it. And He ALWAYS does! Even when we don’t understand the why, how or His timing.
We have all experienced things that come unexpectedly. A loss of a loved one, a sickness, an accident. All things that are just not in our control. I remember specifically one day when God allowed something in our life unexpected. Our second son was 10 months old and he had been sick. He was running a fever and sleeping a lot and I had just been holding him all day. I had put him down on the couch for a minute, and after trying to pick him up, it was unusually difficult. I thought that maybe his arm was stuck in the couch but he was face down and when I rolled him over, I screamed. His eyes were rolled back and he was jerking. I frantically started searching for the phone to call my husband who was outside working in his saddle shop. I cried “Corey! Cooper is having a seizure! “I remember watching him run toward the house. I didn’t know what to do. I quickly picked up the phone and dialed 911, which I had never had to do before. I called my mom and sister not knowing anything to say but to ask them to pray for Cooper! It seemed like it took forever for the ambulance to get there. Corey rode with Cooper in the ambulance and my mother in law drove me right behind them. I think I probably prayed all the way to the hospital. My phone didn’t have much charge but I looked down and my sister had sent me a message. The chorus of a song that I had written months before. A time when I wasn’t really going through anything very difficult.
“Lead me to the Rock,
that is higher than I
when my heart is overwhelmed
and all my questions are Lord why
am I going through this place
help me remember that your grace
will be enough for this trial.
Lead me to the Rock.”
Family and friends had filled the waiting room and I know that so many people were praying for us. After a few nights, and tests and scans, we were able to go home with the conclusion that it was a febrile seizure. A seizure caused by a spike in body temperature. I’m so thankful that Cooper never stopped breathing during that time but his seizure lasted much longer than a normal one is supposed to.
We were home. Cooper was better- Praise the Lord! But the fear was still there. What if this happens again? What if he has another seizure? Many children that have these have them every time they have a fever. What if…
The trusting is hard. The waiting is too. The fear seems to linger when you just don’t know what might be ahead. I remember talking to a lady in our church not long after this. Saying why is it so easy to trust God for salvation but so hard to trust Him for everything else?
One night, Cooper ran a fever again, and I don’t know this for sure but l feel like God allowed him to just to show us that he wouldn’t have another seizure. Maybe to give me comfort that I didn’t have to fear.
Why did God allow this? I’m not sure. But I do know God wants us to be assured that we can trust Him! I had to learn and still am learning to trust Him and to wait on him when we don’t understand why or what God is doing in our life. Through other things that have come in my life and things I have seen in others lives, I believe that God has shown that He is constantly working while we trust, while we wait. And if we can trust Him for salvation- for all eternity, we can trust Him even now, no matter what he allows in our life.
Laura Sewell is a Christian wife and stay-at-home mom. Along with her husband, Corey, they are raising three lively, full of personality boys: Will-7, Cooper-5, and Mason-2, whom she is blessed to be able to home-school. She enjoys art, music, shopping, spending time with her family and serving Jesus! She loves food; from home cooked meals (thanksgiving style), to good ol’ burgers and fries, and “any way you can fix it” chicken. She has more than one sweet tooth to accommodate for cookies, cupcakes and her love for all things chocolate.
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