He Gives Grace

Jeremy and I were able to drive up to see Michael today.  When we got to his room, we smiled noticing he had a few new decorations up.  One in particular, was his softball hat from the years he played on our church’s men’s softball team.  It hung right above his bed and it made me happy thinking of how much the guys on the team all loved having Michael play with them.

Other decorations included this fun mini drum set.  I got it last week, when I stopped by Kohls to pick up some more comfy clothes for Michael.  For those of you who were able to help by sending money for this fund, know that we have done a great job getting Michael all decked out for Rehab.  He’s already worn many of the clothes that we got for him and he looks great!  Having gone for about three months consistently wearing hospital gowns, I think that Michael truly appreciates being able to wear normal clothes again.  Last week when I was picking up a few new pairs of shorts for Michael, this mini drum set caught my eye.  I knew it would be a fun addition for Michael’s room, and couldn’t beat the 90% off clearance price.  Michael knows I’m a pretty savvy shopper so I think he’d be proud to know we got something so fun for a great price.

A little bit after we arrived, Michael’s occupational therapist came to get him so we ended up taking a hike out back behind Michael’s Rehab.  It was another beautiful day to be outdoors and we really enjoyed spending time hiking the trails with Sally.  And you can probably imagine our great delight, when our trails ended up leading us out to this view.

Sally was sweet to take a picture of Jeremy and I.  We really, really enjoyed spending the afternoon with her, exploring and talking together.

We got back to Michael’s room and were able to spend a little more time with him before having to head back home to pick up our kids.  And thinking back tonight, two little instances from our visit stood out to me to share.  The first was getting to see the way that Michael’s therapists helped him get into his wheelchair from his bed.  First, they helped him into a sling while he was laying in bed that would then connect to this special machine that helped to lift him up so he could sit in his chair.  I was so touched by the tenderness that the therapists showed as they gently helped him get into the best position to move.

And secondly, was after Michael got into his chair.  Jeremy got to wheel him out to the lounge area.  While he did this, he gently helped to hold Michael’s head steady so that he would be comfortable and safe as he pushed him down the hall.

Both instances were beautiful and I think they showed the presence of humility.  Because our incredible friend Michael is doing well, but I think part of the reality of his situation right now is that he needs a lot of support and help.  And I’m so thankful as I see the beautiful and wonderful people that are all around him to provide this.

But aren’t there times in life, where we don’t always want to accept help?  We often let our pride get in the way and cause us to think that we can just do everything on our own.  We fail to let others help us because we don’t want to have to admit our shortcomings.

The reality of life though, is that we all need help sometimes and that we all need each other.  God never intended us to do life on our own.  He gave us each other, and most importantly, He made himself available to help us in all of our weaknesses.  He did this most beautifully, by sending his one and only son Jesus to earth.  In Philippians 2, it talks about how Jesus himself, chose humility.  He set up the example for us by humbling himself to death, so that God could exalt Him to the very highest place.

In James 4:6, it simply states, that God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.  God choses not to work with our pride.  But he promises to work his incredible and amazing grace through our humility.

We all have areas of pride.  But let’s look for ways to give them up.  Let’s look for ways to accept help and to make the choice to be humble, so that God can bring his grace in beautiful ways into our lives.

And also, I should let you know that Michael is having a good week so far.  His storming has come down to fewer and more minimal episodes, which is a huge answer to many of our prayers.  For this, we thank God!  Please continue to pray for Michael to have a strong week at Rehab!

*Thanks so much to Sally for sharing many of the beautiful pictures that I’ve been using lately for my posts.