God is always with us!
Life. It is not as easy as we thought it would be. We have problems to solve, bills to pay, ill health, busy schedules and relationships to maintain. However each day I am aware that He continually gives me the grace to choose His love over the alternative. Many of you will know that 2012 was not a good year for the Taylors. At the end of 2012 I sat and reflected over the year and straight away listed all the problems we had had! Easy they were right there.
Then I felt God prompting me to now write down all the good things that have happened. And do you know there were far more high lights than low lights. In fact compared to the 7 low lights there were 22 highlights. I then felt a further prompting from God telling me to look carefully at the Highlights and do you know what I found? That some of the highlights happened because of the low lights. Extraordinary! But of course it’s not! God has a plan for all of us a plan that gives us a hope and a future. God promises to be always with us and he is especially during the difficult times. One of my favourite verses this year is the one you have been given for I have been heavily relying on God these past 12 months. Psalms 18 verse 2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress… in whom I take refuge”.
There is still hope with Mike’s medication to get his RA back under control and he is about to start a new drug regimen. He has also been very careful when taking steroids and only ever takes them for short periods and weans himself off very quickly. When I reflected on that and thought even if this new drug regimen doesn’t work he can always use the steroids and still avoid the complications of these drugs. So rather than feel depression I know felt a new hope again for the future.
When Sammy was very ill and being monitored as to whether she would need dialysis, I really felt God with us that night saying it won’t come to that and the relief the following morning when her blood levels were coming down was momentous for both of us. Knowing God was with us that night and is always with us gave me the strength to be composed and not frighten Sammy with all my worries of what could be in front of her. The consultant paediatrician was also an astute man and recommended a low carbohydrate diet for Sammy and I know most of you have seen her transformation as she has lost 2 stone and 9lbs. She is gaining so much more confidence in herself as a young woman since losing the weight and feels considerably healthier to.
Whilst on our summer holiday many of you know how Mike ruptured his right bicep tendon. But what seemed to be a disaster at the time has proven to be quite the reverse. If the same thing had happened here Mike has been told on a number of occasions that they would not have operated on him here due to him being over 50! The consequences of not operating on Mike could have affected him multifold as he nolonger could have done DIY or even lift a baby safely in order to baptise the child. All I can say now is thank God he took control and it happened in France. Reflecting on the whole episode, God can be seen in many incidences. The main fact that it happened in France, that the orthopaedic surgeon spoke fluent English, none of the other staff could. I learnt to drive in France confidently and often had to drive on my own when tooing and froing from the Hospital when Mike was an inpatient.
Everyone has financial difficulties at the moment but with us preparing to send two teenagers off to University we realised I needed to go back fulltime. I approached my boss who found that financially the hospital was trying to make cutbacks. This was in March last year that I approached her. Again I felt God nudging me saying “Lindy everything will be alright” and of course He was right and in December I was called into the office to be told that I could go fulltime in January and here I am in my first month after going full time. God is good for He is my rock and my fortress.
As many of you know we were hoping to have lots of gorgeous retriever puppies about this time of year actually. However it was not to be as Honey was not interested in the idea whatsoever. Artificial insemination was tried which was not successful at all and Honey was left with a vaginal infection. The vet advised us not to carry on as Honey is now 5 years old. Looking back over this period I can think of nothing more than praising God for having now gone full time there is no way I could have looked after puppies as well. God is good!
Mike as you know unfortunately had his maximum glutinous ruptured by an injection during the latter part of November. It was extremely painful at the time and made things very difficult for Mike. However during that time Mike had to pace himself and even though Mike still has a tendency to overdo things he is also recognising the importance of pacing himself also. This gives Him the added bonus of spending more time with Father God which benefits us as a family and also the family of the church. God is good.
Sadly in March I lost a lovely nursing friend to cancer. She had been ill for a long time but finally succumbed to this horrible disease. I miss her still but know she is in heaven waiting for me as she was a practicing catholic. I learnt from this that life is short and we worry unnecessarily about things that are not important in the big scheme of life. I’ve learnt not to worry about what other people think for I know that I am precious in His sight. Every dealing God has had with you and me is an expression of love. If you really believe that God’s nature is love, you will accept that His will and way in your life is love. Why God had to take Niamh at such a young age I will never know but she had been suffering for a long time and I know with all my heart she is now with Father God. Even when things happen that you and I don’t understand, you can be assured that He has not left you for a moment. His love is with you even in the darkest tunnel, the most frightening storm, and in the stillness of loneliness.
God is good!
- Mike’s Rheumatoid Arthritis deteriorating
- Sammy being admitted with Rabdomyeolisis and nearly needed dialysis
- Mike rupturing his bicep tendon and requiring surgery in France
- Financial shortages
- Honey not having puppies
- Mike pulling his Maximus glutinous muscle.
- A nursing friend’s death.
Then I felt God prompting me to now write down all the good things that have happened. And do you know there were far more high lights than low lights. In fact compared to the 7 low lights there were 22 highlights. I then felt a further prompting from God telling me to look carefully at the Highlights and do you know what I found? That some of the highlights happened because of the low lights. Extraordinary! But of course it’s not! God has a plan for all of us a plan that gives us a hope and a future. God promises to be always with us and he is especially during the difficult times. One of my favourite verses this year is the one you have been given for I have been heavily relying on God these past 12 months. Psalms 18 verse 2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress… in whom I take refuge”.
There is still hope with Mike’s medication to get his RA back under control and he is about to start a new drug regimen. He has also been very careful when taking steroids and only ever takes them for short periods and weans himself off very quickly. When I reflected on that and thought even if this new drug regimen doesn’t work he can always use the steroids and still avoid the complications of these drugs. So rather than feel depression I know felt a new hope again for the future.
When Sammy was very ill and being monitored as to whether she would need dialysis, I really felt God with us that night saying it won’t come to that and the relief the following morning when her blood levels were coming down was momentous for both of us. Knowing God was with us that night and is always with us gave me the strength to be composed and not frighten Sammy with all my worries of what could be in front of her. The consultant paediatrician was also an astute man and recommended a low carbohydrate diet for Sammy and I know most of you have seen her transformation as she has lost 2 stone and 9lbs. She is gaining so much more confidence in herself as a young woman since losing the weight and feels considerably healthier to.
Whilst on our summer holiday many of you know how Mike ruptured his right bicep tendon. But what seemed to be a disaster at the time has proven to be quite the reverse. If the same thing had happened here Mike has been told on a number of occasions that they would not have operated on him here due to him being over 50! The consequences of not operating on Mike could have affected him multifold as he nolonger could have done DIY or even lift a baby safely in order to baptise the child. All I can say now is thank God he took control and it happened in France. Reflecting on the whole episode, God can be seen in many incidences. The main fact that it happened in France, that the orthopaedic surgeon spoke fluent English, none of the other staff could. I learnt to drive in France confidently and often had to drive on my own when tooing and froing from the Hospital when Mike was an inpatient.
Everyone has financial difficulties at the moment but with us preparing to send two teenagers off to University we realised I needed to go back fulltime. I approached my boss who found that financially the hospital was trying to make cutbacks. This was in March last year that I approached her. Again I felt God nudging me saying “Lindy everything will be alright” and of course He was right and in December I was called into the office to be told that I could go fulltime in January and here I am in my first month after going full time. God is good for He is my rock and my fortress.
As many of you know we were hoping to have lots of gorgeous retriever puppies about this time of year actually. However it was not to be as Honey was not interested in the idea whatsoever. Artificial insemination was tried which was not successful at all and Honey was left with a vaginal infection. The vet advised us not to carry on as Honey is now 5 years old. Looking back over this period I can think of nothing more than praising God for having now gone full time there is no way I could have looked after puppies as well. God is good!
Mike as you know unfortunately had his maximum glutinous ruptured by an injection during the latter part of November. It was extremely painful at the time and made things very difficult for Mike. However during that time Mike had to pace himself and even though Mike still has a tendency to overdo things he is also recognising the importance of pacing himself also. This gives Him the added bonus of spending more time with Father God which benefits us as a family and also the family of the church. God is good.
Sadly in March I lost a lovely nursing friend to cancer. She had been ill for a long time but finally succumbed to this horrible disease. I miss her still but know she is in heaven waiting for me as she was a practicing catholic. I learnt from this that life is short and we worry unnecessarily about things that are not important in the big scheme of life. I’ve learnt not to worry about what other people think for I know that I am precious in His sight. Every dealing God has had with you and me is an expression of love. If you really believe that God’s nature is love, you will accept that His will and way in your life is love. Why God had to take Niamh at such a young age I will never know but she had been suffering for a long time and I know with all my heart she is now with Father God. Even when things happen that you and I don’t understand, you can be assured that He has not left you for a moment. His love is with you even in the darkest tunnel, the most frightening storm, and in the stillness of loneliness.
God is good!