Hallways

As I think back on our time here at UAB, I have many emotions. I feel glad to be going home, but at the same time, I feel a little sadness. It's here that God stretched me beyond words. It's here that I saw the "family of God" really come to life. It's here that I saw so many miracles.

I pray that in our going home that God continues to challenge me to be "wide-eyed" in seeing His hand always at work. In the "everyday life" you get so busy that you miss what He's doing around you. You miss opportunities to minister to others. You miss seeking Him with all your heart. You get distracted from what is really important.

When a trial comes, it seems that you focus all of your attention on God. You know at that point that you need Him more than ever. It's sad that when things get back to "normal" that we put Him back on the shelf where He was before and go about our business. I pray that I don't do that.

I think maybe God gave me Victoria to help me always remember Him. She reminds me of His sovereign hand and how He guides all of our steps. She reminds me that He is in control even we feel total chaos all around us. She reminds me of His unconditional love. She will always remind me of Him and this special time.

The hallways of this hospital are interesting. That is one picture in my mind that will never go away. Rather, I don't want it to go away, so I took a picture. In the hallways of the hospital area that we are in now, there are toy cars, tricycles and things for the kids to play with. In one of my pictures, you can see a little boy riding a tricycle in his hospital gown. In the midst of these kids having difficult and painful times, they are given toys to play with. This helps them to remember who they are even though they are recovering from surgeries and sickness. It helps them to remember that they are just kids.

Do you ever think that our lives are like that? In the midst of our crazy circumstances, God wants to remind us that we are His children. He doesn't want us to get away from our identity. He doesn't want us to get so wrapped up in the stress of it all that we forget to be just ... His children. So, He gives us grace in the midst of difficult times to laugh and enjoy life even though life seems hard at the time.

As we go home today to Mobile, my prayer is that I never forget these hallways. My prayer is that I remember that little boy playing in the hallway. May I never forget to just be His child.