Cup of Soup

Reality check. Life is hard. Life is unfair, but our God is unchanging. He is a just God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Psalms 86:15

I’m taking it back today to the middle of, honestly, one of the most challenging and humbling years of my life. When I wrote this, we were on our third PICU admission with our son, Hayes, and little did I know we were just at the tip of the iceberg for our family that year. I go back to this “cup of soup” time because it reminds me of the unconditional support we have from so many during these seasons of life. When time literally feels as though it’s standing still. When you are faced with a crisis and your priorities shift and you go back to the basics–back to your cup of soup and coffee. Sound familiar?

When I posted this image, from our PICU suite, I was overwhelmed with encouragement.

Here’s my response. –First off, you all are way too kind to me and give me way too much credit! I am humbled, flattered, encouraged and do not deserve it…but you don’t have to stop. Secondly, to clarify, I am not Wonder Woman, unless she looks like she’s had three mental breakdowns this week and running in circles…then maybe. I’ll keep you guessing. I have no super powers and I definitely don’t have it all together. What I do have is a patient, most of the time, husband who works hard to provide for us, compassionate, most of the time, children who have learned to be flexible when plans change, and friends and family who fill in all the gaps…it’s kind of scary how fast they can take over all the other aspects of my life.

God gave our family, and many others, a very different road to travel. It can be dark, lonely, rough, broken, heart-wrenching, infuriating, terrifying and trip-you-flat-on-your-face, but it also brings joy. Sometimes it is hard to see because satan is quick point out all the flaws, “should haves”, “could haves”, insecurities and bitterness — but joy is always there. I truly believe if you were in my shoes, you would surprise yourself. You would rise to the occasion because there is no other acceptable option. I also believe this because of how you love and encourage us.  So, thank you for being our cheerleaders, prayer warriors and reminding me we’re not alone.

“Don’t worry, you can do this. I know it seems like the scariest thing in the world and I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but you will accept this challenge and become the best mother and advocate for your child. Trust yourself. You can do this. There will be lots of frightening moments, lots of sleepless nights and more doctors appointments and hospital stays than you can count, but you are the one who can and will get it done. – You can do this. How do I know? – Because you’re doing it now.” —wonderbaby.org

#faithmakesthingspossiblenoteasy #Godalwayswins #onedayatatime #imomsohard #bythegraceofGod #cupofsoup #1Corinthians12