Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act. Psalm 37:7
This was the Bible verse that came out of our 'Devotions for Preschoolers' daily devotion back on December 11th, which was exactly two weeks before Christmas. At the time I thought it was the perfect verse to look to and use as a daily reminder for my Christmas-hyped Curly Girl and Ginger Boy. We posted it on the wall and memorized it quickly. In fact it's still hanging on the wall almost three weeks later.
Little did I know, that it was placed there more for me to read that day than for my kids. I needed that reminder at the time and I'm still needing it now.
You see, five days before we read that verse, Curly Girl had woken up with an unexplained rash on her entire face, which then developed into her entire face being puffy & swollen for about five days straight. She didn't want to be seen outside of the house and the two visits to the doctor's office gave us little hope or answers. They chalked it up to an allergic reaction to something. We have our suspicions, but nothing conclusive.
That time was a tough time for not only her, but also for this worried mama. I had so much mom guilt and worry built up inside of me. Even though my faith is strong, sometimes it's just not strong enough.
The day that she woke up almost completely back to normal with no swelling and wanted to go back to school was the day that we read this verse in the morning. I felt like God placed it there for me to read. I'm often impatient, Darling Daddy can attest to that ;)
I felt like God was reassuring me through His word that He WILL act. I just need to be patient. And still.
Little did I know that it was only the beginning of a season of being still for our family.
The next day, the Littlest Ginger spiked a fever in the afternoon. No other symptoms, just a fever. It went on for three days. Normally I'd just assume teething, but it was a bit high for teething and she was in pretty good spirits and sleeping well at night. We just couldn't participate in any activities because she was actively fevering. Sigh.
I had to be still and patient.
During the three days of Littlest Ginger fevering, Ginger Boy woke up from a nap one afternoon screaming & crying about ear pain. He had no complaints prior to that day. A trip to the doctor's office [third trip in less than a week] revealed an ear infection. And then a trip to Walmart to wait for the antibiotics. With all three kids. At dinnertime. During Christmas shopping season.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
We then had Christmas concerts for both older kids at their respective schools on back-to-back days. Darling Daddy couldn't get the time off work to attend either concert, but fortunately three of the four grandparents were able to come. And one grandma graciously stayed home with the fevering Littlest Ginger so that I could attend a concert. But I was tired. And not myself.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
Then, hooray! We had a run of a few days where everyone seemed healthy! No more fever or other symptoms, no more facial swelling, and antibiotics seemed to have kicked the ear infection. We were looking good with a little over a week to go before Christmas. I still had so much to do and we had many events yet to attend, but it was a time of excitement. Christmas was drawing near.
With a little less than a week to go, Littlest Ginger developed a rash on most of her face, which also spread onto her body. However, this rash was not the same as Curly Girl's rash. It was much different. She still seemed to be in good spirits, but the rash seemed to linger for a few days. Again, this mama was a little worried. Rashes are always a bit unsettling.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
Five days before Christmas, Curly Girl came home from school in good spirits and excited about her class Christmas party in two days. We worked together to make treats for her to bring to all of her teachers and principal at school. The next day she was so excited to bring them all to school and deliver them to teachers all around the school. Gift giving is how she shows her love. Christmas is such an exciting time for this girl.
She came home from school that day full of excitement and Christmas cheer. Her class would be celebrating all day at school the next day. She couldn't wait to take part in all of the fun. She had already brought in gifts for all of her classmates, which were waiting in her classroom in a big sack, and was planning to dress completely in red, including a Santa hat, to pass them out to everyone the next day. We had some time that afternoon, so we decided to make more Christmas treats that we could pass out to family, neighbors and friends.
And then that evening, she started fevering. And it was a high fever. [And then I remembered the letter that had come home from school earlier that week stating that Strep throat had been present in her classroom...] The poor girl was so chilled and shaking as I put her to bed that night. She was wearing four layers and had four blankets on her. A trip to the doctor's office early the next morning revealed what we had hoped we could avoid - a positive Strep test. And a confirmation of Fifths Disease for the Littlest Ginger. So this meant we now had two kids on antibiotics for two different things and another kid with a rash.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
We had a Christmas party to attend that evening, but because of bad weather that day and our fevering Curly Girl, we had no babysitter we felt comfortable with, so had to stay home.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
The next day was December 23rd, with a family Christmas gathering to attend. The weather was terrible and Curly girl hadn't been fever free for over 24 hours, so we all stayed home. That day Darling Daddy and I also started to feel terrible. Like we were maybe getting Strep throat too. A family trip to the CVS Minute Clinic [during nap time, because that was when the roads were finally clear and safe] revealed two negative Strep tests. That was good news, but we still felt horrible.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
The next day was Christmas eve. We had another family gathering to attend. This one would include seeing my 94 year old grandmother and nephew who is under a year old, among others. We still weren't feeling 100% and didn't want to bring the germs to the young and old, so we again stayed home. It was sad, but we knew it was the right decision.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
Christmas Eve church service was that evening. We were all feeling well enough to attend, Curly girl had been on antibiotics for over 48 hours so we knew she wasn't contagious, so we went! And it was so good. It was so great being with our church family that evening to celebrate what this season is really all about. The birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Sent to us to save us. A gift that we truly do not deserve, but was given to us freely.
When we are still and patient, we are able to truly focus on what this season is about. It's not about the hustle and bustle and running around shopping and attending parties. It's about Christ, and the gift that God gave us when he was born on this earth.
I've always known this to be true and we've tried to make this the focus of our Christmas celebrations with our children. This year though, I feel as though God really put it on us to make this the focus of the season. Due to all of our sickness, it was all we really could focus on because we were unable to participate in other things.
We celebrated Christmas day in a bit of a still way. It was quiet. Some grandparents came to visit. We had a birthday cake for Jesus. But there was nothing extravagant. It was restful and peaceful.
This past week since Christmas has also been very still. It's usually a week where we travel and spend multiple days away from home. We see lots of family and friends and don't get all that much rest in our home. But this week has been different. We've had bitter cold temperatures, preventing us from going out too much. And we're all resting and recovering from sickness and still dealing with sickness in different ways.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
I am so thankful that this verse has been a present part of our lives these past few weeks. I'm usually one who needs to be going or doing, but having this reminder has been so helpful in reminding me that it's okay to just stay home and rest and really have no agenda for the day. This restful time together at home as a family has been wonderful. Most days we don't know what day it even is and can't remember what we did the previous day. We're taking time to do things we often don't have time to do and it's been a good week overall.
God has ways of bringing His truth into our lives. Sometimes we just need to go through hard times to really see and understand this truth. He is present and active though. And He does act in His own time. We just need to be still and patient to see and understand how.
Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act. Psalm 37:7
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