I’ve shared a little bit during our time together here about how my husband suddenly got sick in February 2007 … and for the next decade we spent praying and treating him, trusting God for restoration of his health to better than it was before he got sick.
I’ve also shared how some time in the last six years, I started fasting every January, choosing to give God the first of my year. Remember I told you God gave me a hiatus in 2016, telling me to continue writing my blogs but otherwise to spend time with my family?
January 2017 God did something He had never done before … and hasn’t done since. It was during my time of fasting and I was driving home from dropping our son off at school. I remember exactly where I was on the road.
I don’t remember anything particularly spiritual about the conversation I was having with God; we were just talking back and forth. By that I mean I would say something out loud to Him and then sit in silence in case He wanted to respond. I’ve never heard His voice audibly, but I have “heard” His gentle whispers in my spirit.
I had known for about a year that I wanted to eventually write a Bible study about the lessons I learned as a caregiver for my husband. I was sitting quietly in the car and suddenly God reminded me of this project.
He began to download the outline for the book to me. I got home, sat down at the computer and began to take notes from what He was telling me. Within 20 minutes, the entire book was outlined and all that was left was to write the actual words.
From February 2017 through the end of the summer, I spent time writing each chapter. This was probably one of the hardest assignments God gave me. In order to write the book, I had to relive the fear that my husband would die while walking through the grief of losing our baby all over again.
One vivid memory that stands out to me was my husband had to take me to the emergency room two days after my miscarriage due to complications which resulted in surgery. Two months later we were back in the same emergency room, with the same smells, same nurses and same doctors, but this time with an undiagnosed medical condition and a husband whose health was deteriorating in front of me.
I finished writing in August and then while it was being edited, once again I was stuck with the dilemma of what picture to use for the cover. Many suggestions were made but none of them were right.
Our family took a quick weekend getaway in October to our favorite spot … and that is when God created the right conditions for the picture that appears on the cover. As in the past, His timing is perfect.
Since the publishing of this book, I have had the privilege of leading a Bible study at my church. It has been such a blessing to walk alongside others who care for their loved ones each and every day.
Just as God used our miscarriage as a way for us to offer encouragement to others, He used my husband’s illness as a way for us to offer support and prayer to those around us who are caring for those they love.
Are you a caregiver of a friend or loved one? If not, do you know someone who takes care of a loved one on a regular basis? What do you need or how can you help encourage your friend/family member? Please share with us by hitting reply. I’d love to continue this conversation with you.