Who is holding you up?

First off, let me say, today is a great (yet, very hot) day! Praise God for my job, my family, my friends, my health and all the abilities He has allowed to grow and season in my realm of experience!

I'm coming upon my 2 year anniversary with this job I currently do. Like any job, there was a period of adjustment, learning the "new stuff", getting down the office personalities, etc. Overall, this has been a great, and at times challenging, job for me! What is amazing, as I reflect on these past two years, is how tumultuous my personal life has been.

tu·mul·tu·ous adj.
1. Characterized by tumult; noisy and disorderly: tumultuous applause.
2. Tending to cause tumult.
3. Confusedly or violently agitated.

Hmmmm....can I really define the past two years as confusedly agitated or noisy and disorderly? Nope. Need to search for a different word which accurately describes the upheaval of the past two years.

up·heav·al n.

1. The process of being heaved upward.
2. An instance of being so heaved.
3. A sudden, violent disruption or upset: “the psychic upheaval caused by war” (Wallace Fowlie).
4. Geology. A raising of a part of the earth's crust.

Bingo. Upheaval. The past two years were in a state of upheaval. Yep, that word will certainly do.

Okay, I won't say I made it through these past two years unscathed...but I can say, with confidence, it was all for my good. And Frank's good. And Jameson's good.

Where am I going with this and what prompted me to meander down this road?

Every day, I walk past the CHOC Oncology Clinic on the way to my office. This clinic is for children who are diagnosed with some form of cancer and are well enough to live at home and come to the clinic for checkups, treatment, etc. You cannot miss who the patients are. Without exception, they usually have bald heads and their eyes look a bit hollow.

Over the past two years, I have met children and their parents, only because I see them so much. I always try to smile and say hello. They are always cheerful, even though some are quite sick and in pain. Even the very ill ones want to smile and tell you about their toy or Sponge Bob shirt.

During periods of personal despair...without fail...I'd run into a familiar face waiting outside the clinic. I'd linger long enough to say hello and hear about how their treatment was going, etc. The children were always happy and eager to hold my attention. The parents of these children tugged at my heart. I always walked away thanking God for these moments of "reality checks" in my life. I'd pray for these people and petition God to heal them if it was His will. I then would thank God for my situation, thank Him for reminding me that "things" weren't important, He was/is...people are.

Today, an athletic-looking father and young (maybe 4-5 year old) son were waiting outside the Oncology Clinic. I've seen them several times the past month or so. They say hello to me and the boy runs up and hugs my leg. That energy alone is enough to tire him out. He slides down to the floor and sits there, almost a bit stunned, dazed. The dad walks over and calls him "buddy" and swings him up onto his shoulders. The boy gets a huge grin on his face and announces that he is much taller than me now! I laugh and ask how things are going.

As I listen, I notice a few things. Dad and son are dressed almost identically. And, dad has shaved his head. Kinda a "mini-me" thing is going on when you look at them. As Dad and I talk a few more minutes I notice the son is getting recharged with energy and the blush hue of health has returned. He has his little arms wrapped around his daddy's chin and is resting his head on his daddy's head. However, instead of wiggling to get down, he is quite content to stay safely seated on his daddy's shoulders. Dad's perfectly fine with him being there too. :)

Seeing dad holding up his son reminded me of the past two years and Who's been holding me up! I cannot imagine going through life without God sustaining and carrying me. I am thankful for the husband He has given me, the church family He has blessed me with, true, Godly friends to hold me accountable, or hug me and cry with me.

Psalm 91:1-2
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!"

No one, no thing, compares to knowing God.
No one, no thing, ever satisfies like God.
Only in God's capable hands will you find true contentment, peace and security.

Praise God!

dogledanji!