Eliana is home from school today.  Yesterday afternoon, she had her first encounter with a bee.  As it turns out, their relationship isn’t that great…

At first everything seemed pretty normal.  Elle got stung and she cried.  I get that.  It scared her and I’m sure it hurt.  But then, after getting home and giving her medicine, the swelling kept getting worse.  When she started complaining of itching on her trunk, my radar turned up a bit.  And, then, I saw her very pretty, red and bumpy eyelids, and I knew it was time to go.

As calmly as I could, I told her we were going to urgent care and grabbed Brad on the way to the truck.  It’s not easy to appear nonchalant while trying to do things quickly, so I’m pretty sure I failed at that one…

Regardless, we were on the way.

But, after barely leaving the driveway, Elle’s little voice came from the backseat –

“Can you say a prayer?”

And, so I prayed.  For calmness, for Him to guide the doctor’s hands, and for everything to be just fine.

And, Elle was better.

Just keep breathing…

As we continued the drive to the hospital, all I could think of was how hard it must be for parents of children who require regular medical treatments or if a child was severely injured.

I mean, here I was, not really freaking out, but not really calm, either.  And, my child had been stung by a bee.  Granted, allergic reactions can be very dangerous, but Eliana could breathe, and I truly wasn’t afraid of the situation turning to one of life or death.  But, we were still on our way to the hospital, and whatever it was that was going on with our daughter – I couldn’t fix.

So, here I was, in continuous prayers, and Eliana sat, so at peace in the backseat after just one.  Her faith never ceases to amaze me.

Call in the Reinforcement?

Today, as I was replaying yesterday evening’s events over and over in my brain, my thoughts went back to a sermon series our minister recently did.  The series was based on how Jesus reinforced many lessons taught to the disciples through the experiences they shared.

The sermons in the series focused on Mark 5.  In that short chapter, Jesus did so many things.

After casting out demons, and healing a bleeding woman, Jairus – a synagogue leader – saw him.  Jairus approached Jesus, fell at his feet, and pleaded earnestly with him.

…“My little daughter is dying.  Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”                           Mark 5:23

But, on their way to see her, the man gets word that his daughter had died.

Just Believe…

How crushed would he have been?  The feeling of despair and unbelievable sadness must have washed over him.  Jesus’ response in verse 36 –

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Just believe.  How hard that is sometimes.  Again, here I was freaking out a little bit because I had to take my daughter to the hospital for a bee sting, and this man was just told his daughter was dead.  And, to that, Jesus basically said, don’t worry – I’ve got this.  But you have to believe…

Because the man and his wife did believe, Jesus went in to their home and told the girl to get up.  And she did!  Jesus raised her from the dead.

Sometimes I’d like to think that maybe it was easier to be with Jesus when all these things happened.  Maybe just his presence would have been enough for me to believe a little easier and find a little more comfort.  But, really, that’s just a copout.  That’s where faith comes in.  Jesus didn’t say, “That’s ok, you don’t have to do anything or even believe that I can do this.  Just hold on to my hand, and watch me as I take care of everything.”

Nope.

It is all about faith and belief.

What I learned and am still learning…

Sometimes it is so difficult to have faith in something I can’t see and touch and feel.  But that is exactly what is being asked of me.

 “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

I need to be weaker and just give it all over.

It goes against everything in my human, sinful nature.  But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it.  In fact, that should be my biggest clue – and, I need to do the exact opposite.  I need to submit and allow myself to be led.

Just imagine how freeing that would be.  How wonderful to not be afraid and to just believe!

I think about Ellie and her newly discovered allergy to bee stings.  While she will always need to be on the lookout for bees, at least she now has the medicine her body needs to help stop another reaction. I’m pretty sure that she won’t live in fear of bees forever or won’t ever again step foot outside.

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

She’s already learned this one.  From the moment I looked back after saying the prayer on the way to the hospital, I knew she wasn’t afraid anymore.  She had let go and was calm.

Maybe this experience was the reinforcement I needed to help me better learn this lesson.

It’s not one I’ll soon forget.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think?  Do you struggle with fear and unbelief?  How do you get past it?  What verses have you found to help you through hard times?  I would love to see your favorites!  I can’t wait to hear from all of you!