When Life Gives You Lemons

17"Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

19 God, the Lord, is my strength;

He makes my feet like the deer's;

He makes me tread on my high places."

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV)

Life always has a way of disappointing us.  Whether it's the people in our life or the circumstances surrounding us, we are bound to face disappointment.  Because of our human nature, it's guaranteed to happen sooner or later.  Sometimes those disappointments we face are major, life-altering tragedies.  Someone we love passes away or receives a sobering diagnosis, parents are in the midst of a divorce, a job is lost, a fire destroys all our earthly possessions. More often than not, those disappointments are much smaller, yet still we become frustrated over the change in our plans.  So often I find myself focusing on the circumstances that I selfishly become consumed with my own frustration over the changes taking place.  I lose my joy because I placed it in the incorrect place from the beginning.  Fortunately, God knew we would face difficulties in life, so He filled His Word with many reminders to keep us on track.  In Hebrews 13:8 we are given an incredible promise:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

We can place our trust and confidence in God because His nature never changes.  He isn't swayed by the ways of man.  Thankfully, He doesn't operate the way that I do, changing my mind from one moment to the next, or having difficulty making a decision.  Charles Spurgeon says in his Morning & Evening devotional, "Beings act according to their nature: when those natures change, their conduct varies also; but since God cannot know the shadow of a turning, His ways will abide everlastingly the same."  We can lift our eyes to the One who remains constant, and find our joy in Him, not in the mess around us.  A disappointing day does not change the fact that we, Christians belong to the God of the universe.  No matter our circumstances, whether they be big or small, we can always rejoice in the Lord!

A Time to Remember

Tomorrow is such a big day in the Porter household. Our little miracle is turning THREE!!!! Where have the last three years gone? As I've done each year, I'd like to take tonight to reflect on the events of three years ago. I won't go into all the details, since I did that in a previous post. It was on February 3rd, 2015, when we were blindsided with the news that our baby girl was severely sick. I knew something wasn't right, but never could have imagined what was on the other side of the door we were about to pass through. But God knew. He knew all along the difficulties we would soon face, and He was ready to carry us through them. Every part of our story had passed through His loving hands before it ever crossed our path. I love how Isaiah says it in chapter 43 verses 2-3,

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; 

when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, 

and the flame shall not consume you. 

For I am the Lord your God, 

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (ESV)

God was there in the ultrasound room, when the doctor first told us about the hydrops. He was in the ambulance as we were rushed to Vanderbilt. He was in the hospital room as they began prepping us for what may happen during delivery the next morning. He was there when they wheeled me to the operating room where more than 20 medical professionals were preparing for the scary delivery ahead. He was still there while we waited the excruciating 18 minutes the NICU team needed to resuscitate her. He was in the NICU when we saw our unresponsive, swollen baby girl for the very first time. He was there as the hours stretched into days when she had two major setbacks that took her back to the OR for major surgery. He was there when days stretched into weeks as the doctors were baffled by her daily progress and fighting spirit. He was there on her 44th day when we took her home for her brothers to meet her for the first time. He was there when we had to take her back to the hospital, resulting in the second surgery that would finally make her whole again. He was there through all the storm tossed our way, and He's still here today! Praise God!!!

I truly believe we were given a front row seat to watch God preform an actual, real-life miracle. Even her doctors admitted as much. Her case was considered a mystery, one that could not be explained by modern medicine. Here we are today, on the eve of the third
birthday of our beautiful, HEALTHY little girl. Psalm 77:13-14 says it best,

"Your ways, God, are holy. 

What god is as great as our God? 

You are the God who performs miracles; 

you display your power among the peoples." (NIV)

Tonight, I am praising God for blessing our family with this miracle who is so full of life and joy. We could not be more grateful for our little Cora Joy!

February 4, 2015

February 4, 2016

November 2017
(Photo by Theresa NeSmith Photography)