THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD

Things are going along the same this morning. As far as we know the plan is to take Witt off the vent today! He did well on all the pressure trial tests. Mel is a little concerned because one of the "numbers" that the ventilator measures is different than it has been. This is where my very limited medical knowledge fails me. I think she said it has to do with the volume of air Witt is breathing but that could be wrong!!! Melanie stayed with Witt all night and just went to the recliners.
Sometimes people wonder how we can be doing this. First, we all do it because of Witt. When our eyes remain on Witt as the earthly prize and Christ Himself as the eternal prize it's possible to keep going. I constantly pray that Christ Himself is Mel and Austan's strength and that He is the very air that Witt breathes. Psalm 28:13-14 pretty well sums it up for me:

"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord."

God constantly encourages me with His goodness. I see it so many ways:
~in the way He carries Melanie and Austan...sometimes simply bringing the next breath!
~in Witt's precious smile even with the vent tube in his mouth and tape all over his face!
~in the comments, prayers and actions of all of you!
~in the way He is at work in the "recliner" room!

The lady(Marsha) that I have visited with over the last few days in the recliner room came and found me yesterday. Remember she was the one that was very angry at God especially for her daughter's suffering and said that God was nowhere around this hospital. I watched as God worked in her life. Yesterday, she came to say goodbye because her daughter was being moved to a regular room...just days after a lung transplant! She had tears in her eyes as she told me of plans to take her daughter on a cruise and so many other things that were never possible. I said do you see that God is here...she said that she did but with a smile said that He seemed like he was way to busy. I said never too busy for her. We both admitted that we still didn't fully (if at all at times!) understand the suffering but it didn't seem to matter as much. This is nothing short of the goodness of the Lord. This is what many times keeps me from despair. This is nothing short of the glory of the Lord!!!

If we need any reminders of why we do this...here it is!!! Do your hear that laughter? That is the goodness of the Lord!!! This video is from a couple of weeks ago...think it warrants being posted again!