Monday, April 20, 2009

Monday

I haven't written a Not Me Monday post since Stellan went into the hospital. Partly because it just didn't seem as fun to play without MckMama, but also because things here were getting very intense leading up to Seth's surgery, and afterwards his recovery was a little rough. I'm out of practice, I guess.

This morning, I slept in with Seth and then spent all morning running around searching for 1980's items for the Gala. I spent this evening having a long talk with my neighbor and good friend about...well, I'm not sure what it was actually about. It started out being a conversation about our youth group and morphed, as many conversations with friends do, into a long, drawn out talk about 14 unrelated things. But one big topic was prayer.

Prayer is such a powerful tool. Sometimes, when all seems lost, when there's nothing else we can physically do in a situation to fix it or make it better, we can forget that prayer doesn't just help the person or situation we're praying for, it also helps us. It can help us come to terms with something we're unhappy with, even help us find joy where before we'd only seen sorrow.

Yes, our prayers can be answered, and they are answered, every day. But beyond that, prayer is our ticket to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Life gets busy, and it's easy to forget to take the time to pray. But Jesus calls us to pray unceasingly, and there's a reason for that beyond those we're praying for. When I try to pray unceasingly, it draws me closer to God. I feel like I am considering Him in my decisions, that He is there with me, supporting me throughout my day.

When I forget to talk to my husband at night, because I'm too tired, or too busy, or just plain don't feel like it for whatever reason, we both feel disconnected the next day. When I take the time to listen to him or to tell him about what my day was like, it helps us remain close to one another. The longer we go without talking, the less we talk. It's a vicious cycle.

That's how prayer is for me. When I'm praying regularly, I pray more. Praying is on my mind, and I do it more often. I have a running conversation with God. When I don't take the time to pray, I feel as though I am distancing myself from God, and the longer I do that, the easier it gets.

Tomorrow, or possibly even tonight, Stellan is going to have surgery. I know you're all praying for him already, but please hit your knees a little more than usual. I know what it's like to fear the unknown, and a lot of times, that's worse than reality ever could be. I have been blessed to be able to count Jennifer as a good friend for quite some time. My heart goes out to her, and without a doubt, she is being tested. We all know she will pass, that her faith is great, but she needs to be lifted up just as much as Stellan does.

But I promise you, spending time in prayer for Stellan and Jennifer will not just help them, it will help you, too.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It wasn't until I read your blog and a few other mommy blogs that I found my way back to God. I'm still a rookie at praying, but have found my roots in believing. I pray every night for Seth, Stellan, Bentley, and the many many other babies all over to get stronger and stronger each day.

In my weakest moments as a mother, I turn to all of your blogs and I draw strength and belief that there IS a plan and He DOES answer our prayers. I'm just a little scared still I guess you can say. But thank you for this post. You have NO IDEA how much this means to me and my young son right now. We're (I'm) so incredibly scared and for the first time I'm putting all of my faith in the hands of our savior. Thanks for the nudge!

Analiza

Carrie said...

Thank you for such a wonderful post! Such a great reminder and a great comparison of prayer with simply talking daily with your own family! It's definitely easy to skip praying when all seems well in our own lives...but how wonderful to keep an ongoing conversation and relationship with God! I'm always needing this reminder...and I appreciate you being the one to tell me :) I keep Seth and Stellan in my prayers and the trials the families face together!

Shanda said...

Well said, my friend! I am praying!

Fowler Farm said...

A friend of mine just gave me your blog address. My son is profoundly deaf also. He is 19 months and has had his implant for about 10 months or so. I am glad everything is successful for you so far. Good luck with your activation. We sure have had a long road to where we are at with our son too, and still much more to go. But we love it and wouldn't change it for the world. I was reading through your blog and it sounds like you guys are doing great and it sounds like Seth is sure blessed to have you guys as parents. Good luck with everything. I would love to talk to you if you ever want to talk with someone going through the same thing. Just send me a comment on my blog.
Shelby

Mrs. Granberry said...

That was a great post...I always need reminding to pray and your post was a great kick in the pants!

Mrs. Granberry said...

Oh and I just saw your twitter...One Tree Hill is my guilty pleasure too!!! I am sad it will end after this season!

Madison Sanders said...

This is so true!

Courtney said...

We're praying for Stellan and for his family, too. God is the God of Miracles. No doubt about it.

Stacey said...

I have been on vacation and just now read this post. Thank you so much for sharing this. I have been pondering "prayer" a lot lately. Just thinking about the real meaning, know that God calls us to pray, but in reality HE already knows the out come. I love that you say it will help us as much as it will help the people we are praying for. What a great way to look at it.

I have been praying for your family, since the day I stumbled across your blog.

In HIM
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