On Thursday night I got a text from a friend while we were at the gym asking me to give her a call. When I did, she asked if I could contact a friend of hers whose son had been diagnosed with seizure disorder (age 2 1/2) and she is at her wit's end in knowing how to deal with things. I did give her a call and listened to her and then tried to alleviate some of her worst fears and concerns and provided a shoulder to lean on both then and at any point in the future should she need it.
The thing is, I remember being where she is now. I remember the diagnosis and feeling like I was alone in the world in dealing with taking care of my daughter with epilepsy. I remember trying to navigate the health care system, trying to understand the drugs and their side effects, trying to stay the course of scholastic difficulties and assistance, all the while watching my daughter suffer from horrific looking seizures. I remember how very very difficult it was for me (pretty much from diagnosis forward I was a single mom dealing with this until my 2nd marriage) and how alone I felt. At the time I didn't know who or how to reach out for support. I didn't know how to access help for Kelsey scholastically. I felt like a huge failure in advocating for my child. I have provided that support for quite a number of families over the last 15 years not because of any reason other than "I remember."
We are a Christian family and I do believe in divine miracles and have prayed for such a miracle for my daughter. I do believe that God could heal Kelsey in the blink of an eye if it was His will. I do have that kind of faith and I do believe that God answers ALL prayers. That said, I think that a lot of people believe that just because you pray for something, God will automatically grant it and if He doesn't, then a) he must not love you, b) he isn't listening, c) he doesn't really exist, d) insert your own conclusion here. God answers ALL prayers, but not all answers are "yes." Some answers are definitely a "yes," some are a "no," and some are "not yet." For Kelsey, I believe that His answer is "no" and it's not about her or us. I believe that God will use this disorder and how we deal with it for his glory. There have been too many instances where He has moved people into our lives (just like my new friend above) so that they can see how we deal with the disorder and the fall-out and ramifications that go along with it and do it all with our strong faith and our belief intact.
Thoughts?
God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty. Peter Marshall
1 comment:
I was diagnosed as epileptic when I was either in middle school or early high school. I was at an eye exam and while the dr's back was turned I some how got a goose eye on my forehead, and the only way I could have gotten it is if I fell forward and down to the right but I was laying back in the chair when he saw me, so it was assumed I had a seizure. I remember going for the EKG and falling asleep during the testing.. I had 'abnormal' brain activity, so they put me on meds. I was on them for years my first license was even restricted to my taking them, but I never had another seizure. I talked to my dr about coming off the meds, and I did and now at 43, I haven't had another seizure (that I know of)
I watch a show called Mythbusters, and one of the favorite tag lines of the show is "failure is always an option' because they embrace that they learn a lot when things don't go as they expected them to. We all want perfect lives with no adversity, but it is from the adversity we grow and learn. I believe we are here to learn, and to help teach others.. so maybe your daughter's condition is necessary for some upcoming events.. maybe it is her cause.. her mantel.. her purpose in life.. to learn or to teach.. or maybe it is someone who meets her at some point in her life that needs her inspiration.. Sadly God's plans are sometimes so vast and so wide we can not comprehend and accepting that can sometimes bring the peace you need, well that I need, when stressed about what is going 'wrong'
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