Faith, Trust, And Pixie Dust

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I had high hopes of being able to wake up, get ready, and go to church with my family.  Well, those hopes came crashing down when I got out of the shower and got dressed to go.  I was trying so hard to ignore the vertigo and the pain in my stomach and legs, but it was no use.  Vertigo is something I just can't ignore.  I felt like I was going to pass out, so I sat down on my bed and cried.  There it is folks...the ugly truth.  I cried because I was frustrated and sad that I was going to miss church again.  I cried because I felt like I was letting my family down.  Most of all, I cried because I was sick of the pain and the dizziness.  I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.  Remember in my last blog post when I said that it's OK to have to give something to the Lord a hundred times a day if need be?  Well, that was me yesterday.  I had to wrestle with my thoughts all day and beat them into submission to the Word of God.  I had to fight against depression most of all.  It was exhausting, but worth it.

The girls decided that they wanted to have a Tinkerbell movie marathon while we ate snacks together and snuggled.  I was too tired to really care what we watched, I just knew I wanted to be with them.  I'd already seen all three of the Tinkerbell movies and nothing really stuck out to me until yesterday.  One of the main lines in the movies is from "Peter Pan."  The line is, "All it takes is faith and trust...and a little bit of pixie dust."  This is what the character says to whoever it is they are trying to teach to fly.  The other ingredient to being able to fly is to "think happy thoughts."  Sometimes it's really hard to think happy thoughts, especially in the midst of suffering.  But, it is crucial to being able to persevere.  In Philippians 4, Paul tells the people to think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.  He told the people to put into practice everything they had learned or heard from him, or seen in him.  And that if they put those things into practice, then the God of peace would be with them.  Thinking happy thoughts helps us to rise above our problems and look up to the Lord, keeping our focus in the right place.

As we were watching the movie, Hailey said, "Mommy, I wish I could fly.  Do you ever wish you could fly?"  I told her that I definitely wished I could fly and we talked about what we would do and where we would go if we could fly.  I started to think about how I would love to be able to fly above all my problems and leave all the pain and anxiety behind forever.  I realized that as much as I would like to be able to do that right this second, it's not going to happen.  But, it will happen someday.  I will be taken to Heaven and will leave all this earthly pain behind forever.  That is the hope that keeps me going through days like yesterday...well, through every day actually.  It's the same hope for all who believe in Jesus.  Revelation 2:7 says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Heaven)."  To overcome is to be victorious by believing in Jesus, persevering, remaining faithful, and living our lives devoted to following him.  Such a life will bring great rewards.

Even though I can't physically fly above all my problems, in a way I can.  Isaiah 40:31 says, "...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  My hope is in the Lord and because of that I have full confidence that this verse applies to me.  I can soar on wings like eagles, in my spirit.  Someday soon I will walk and not be faint from vertigo, and someday I have hope that I will be able to take off running and run as long as I want to.  Having hope in the Lord means that you fully expect that his promise of strength will help you to rise above your circumstances.  It means that you trust him completely.  When we trust him completely, then we will be prepared when he speaks to us.  That way, when he asks us to wait for something, or wait on him, we will be patient and fully expect him to fulfill the promises in his Word.  He will fulfill the promises in his word.  To fully hope in the Lord takes faith and trust...and not even a hint of pixie dust. : )