Perfect Provision

Today my sister Sherry stayed with Steven for a few hours while I went to the Celebration Service of a precious little almost-ten year old (see especiallyheather.com). It was the first time I've left Steven since we came to the Hospice House Monday - actually the first time I've left for a long time. He's been feeling a little better and has increased his eating (4 of the little yogurts today!), but the eating has also increased his secretations again, causing more choking. He was choking pretty badly when I left, but Sherry booted me out and said she could take care of it. What a blessing God has given me in family!

His temp was down today to just a low-grade fever. At this point, each day is still really up and down, so doctors aren't giving any definite predictions yet.

II Tim. 1:7 was part of Steven and my Bible reading today and affirms that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a calm mind. Back in the spring of 1994, Steven had come out of the coma enough for us to find a temporary apartment and enroll him in an outpatient facility. Everything about life with a severe traumatic brain injury was traumatic and scary. I remember writing II Tim. 1:7 in big letters on a long roll of paper and stretching it all across our bedroom wall so we would see it first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. (One of the major ways we made it minute by minute, day by day, was by living and breathing Scripture - keeping it in front of us constantly, memorizing it, saying it, reading it.) Today, that same Scripture is just as relevant, just as comforting, and just as true.

• Any fear in this situation is absolutely not from God;


• we have all the power we need to combat every emotion, thought, temptation or whatever that Satan might throw at us;


• if we allow it, His love can pour out through us to those around us;


• He will calm our spirit and give us the discipline and self-control to make it through victoriously to the end

His provisions are perfect.