When Storms Come

"He comes to us in the brokenness of our health, in the shipwreck of our family lives, in the loss of all possible peace of mind, even in the very thick of our sins. He saves us in our disasters, not from them. He emphatically does not promise to meet only the odd winner of the self-improvement lottery; he meets us in all our endless and inescapable losing." Robert Capon, The Astonished Heart.

I love that quote, especially the part about "the shipwreck of our family lives." I have certainly experienced that and I know of other dear ones who are feeling that sort of desperation right now. There is hope, unseen now, but coming. Sometimes we need others to hope for us when we are despairing.

I have a new challenge thrust upon me. My youngest child seems to have developed a food allergy and we don't know yet what is the culprit, but now we have to carry an epi-pen for her all the time, and at school. Hopefully we will find out what the offending food is quickly.

With the swine flu here threatening the health of our kids, and now a scary food allergy, you would think I would be feeling pretty anxious. Actually, I have, but honestly, if I had to choose between my child having the swine flu, a severe food allergy, or bipolar disorder, I would choose the first two without hesitation. Why? Well, because a child with early-onset bipolar disorder has problems that can break the spirit of a child: the loss of friends, going from school to school, admissions to psychiatric hospitals, doing embarrassing or illegal things that bring a bad reputation, and having to swallow dozens of pills each day, and always there is for the parent the anxious thought of a future suicide (I think the rate is 20%).

I downloaded a song that I find a lot of meaning in today. Hope you enjoy it! It is by the David Crowder Band.