If you pray for a beach, expect sand…

Summer is quickly coming to a close. In some strange way I am actually glad. Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons. I think it has something to do with a bountiful harvest and seeing the fruits of hard labor. Our summer was filled with missions trips, 3 county fairs, a two week task of caring for a friends hobby farm, a few rabbit shows and a few AKC dog shows…I am getting tired all over again.

You may have noticed that I have taken a little time off from posting a weekly blog during the later part of the summer. The main reason for this is to give us a break…me the writer and you the reader. I found it more important to read, research and pray instead of just writing to fill a blog post. My hope is to continue to inspire and to inform. As the sub-title of this blog indicates, my hope is to be able to give you a snapshot of living with a child/sibling with CHARGE Syndrome and special needs.

We have much to report on the good side of what has been happening with Matthew. The “official” results of his visit with the endocrinologist: after a three year period of no weight gain and no growth, Matthew has gained 6 pounds and has grown an inch since his heart surgery to repair a leaking mitral valve back on April 1 of this year. He has probably progressed more to date as this appointment was at the beginning of August. Go Matthew! (Information on Matthew’s heart surgery Pray and expect… and A matter of heart…)

As I was preparing to write this week I had so many things that were swimming around in my head…I have so many different topics that I have been writing in my journal…but, as is often the case, something happened in the last week that caught my attention and wrangled my thoughts in that direction. I can thank a friend who posted this on a Facebook post:

“praying, not intervening…this one is probably one of the hardest for me to remember” Debby Albrecht

Thanks Debby, I needed to hear that. My prayer life has been completely opposite of praying, expecting God to act and accepting what the outcome is, whatever that may be. Without realizing it, I believe that my prayer has been telling God about the situation (as if he didn’t know of it already) then trying to manipulate events, interjecting my own ideas and theories on how the situation needs to be resolved, then being disappointed on how God “took care” of the situation. As a reminder I had to go back to the basics, how it is supposed to be done…Jesus taught us how to pray as he taught his disciples:

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10

Seems so simple doesn’t it? Try it…it is not that easy. As I have heard before and have reminded myself over and over…God answers prayer in three ways: Yes, No and in His time and terms. The first two may be abrupt and hard to swallow…the latter is the tougher one though. Having to wait on His timing, especially the longer the time period, opens up further opportunity to intervene.

So, my prayer this week is to do just that…pray, then expect God to do what he wants to do more than anything…answer. May I be quiet so I am able to hear the answer and not to take matters into my own hands and intervene.

Many have asked if it is okay to share this blog about our Lessons from Matthew…not only is okay, but we emphatically ask that you would. We welcome any chance to show how good God is and how he is working through the power of prayer.