20 Jan Holy Ground: An Intersection of Heaven and our Lives

Monday was a long day. My son Jeremiah had been sick for two days and woke during the night with difficulty breathing. I was unable to get it under control with breathing treatments so off to the hospital we went. Many previous trips to the hospital makes it easy to pack for the hospital, even in a few minutes, but oh did I not want to go back.

We quickly made it to a room in the ED. We got treated so quickly. No hours long wait. But this nurse here also recognized that the reason there were are all of a sudden 8-10 ED staff members in and right at the entrance to his room was because he was very sick and they were preparing for the possibility of him going down the tubes.

Thankfully they were able to get him stabilized and most of those staff members could get back to the other patients they were helping, the ones that had to wait for their care while my son needed them.

There were breathing treatments, oxygen, steroids, several sticks for an IV, and many staff members in and out. We know the drill. But knowing the routine doesn’t make the low oxygen at home less scary, the needles less painful, and the unknown of how sick he was going to get easier.

We waited in the ED for several hours because of two emergencies in the pediatric critical care area. And although the wait meant no sleep for us I ache for the children and the families that were walking through emergencies.

Our wait was little to pay so that they got the care they needed. Our waiting may be a life line for someone else.

Jeremiah was diagnosed with RSV. We had to turn his oxygen up and even into the evening his breathing wasn’t totally comfortable.

And the evening was hard. He couldn’t eat or drink because of the risk he could choke due to the RSV and his swallowing difficulties. He had gotten steroids and they made him fussy and he was fidgety, moving almost constantly. He was unhappy and because of his limited communication I could only guess about what was wrong.

And then it happened. As we lay in his hospital bed, he grabbed my hand and put is onto his belly and motioned that he wanted me to rub his belly.

And I felt like I was standing on holy ground.

Because sometimes when God shows up it may not mean anything to anyone else but God is shouting to us and his realness is tangible. Because he wants to reveal himself in personal ways. Amy, I am here.

Jeremiah at 8 years old can speak, sign, or through actions make known some of his physical wants. But during all of his medical problems he doesn’t communicate where he hurts or what is wrong.

It is like the stress of a baby, not knowing what they need, that has continued for 8.5 years. So most of the time what we have to work with is what we see or what we estimate is wrong. It is better than nothing but has huge limitations.

As we laid there he let me know that it would make him feel better if I rubbed his tummy. I felt emotional and in awe of this answered “ache” of my heart. That Jeremiah would be able to communicate his needs so we could try to meet them. Now what hope that he may be able to communicate more in the future! “…a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

Several years ago I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Finding blessings and being thankful are essential so we can thrive. When we are thankful, when we look around our life, in the big and small things, and look for the hand of God, we can find it with his grace in us and our situations.

Those blessings may not be in the way we want but they come from the hand of a good Father who we can trust. A Father who sent His beloved Son to rescue and free us. He is not far off.

And when we see the blessings, my friend, we have the absolute privilege of standing on holy ground. Ground where the presence and work of God intersects with our lives. Where he reaches down, loves, touches, engages, and works on our behalf. And on behalf of the ones we love.

And this happens so much of the time in the midst of the painful and messy. May we have eyes to see God’s work in our lives, in the big and in the small and super personal. His work that is His love poured out upon us.

I pray that you will be able to see the blessings God has put in your life – through the way he changes situations, through the ways you grow to be more like him, through answered prayers, through what you learn of Him in the waiting or when the answer seems to be no. Write them down. Praise Him for them, even if it is through tears.

FYI: Jeremiah is slowly improving.