God Blessed This Mess (And Health Updates)

Many, many, many, many times after entering our son Daniel's room, Shannon and I have looked at him and said in our most serious of voices, "Son, you are going to have to find a new place to live."

Of course, we were only kidding sort of.

Most of the time after me screaming asking him to clean up his room nineteen a few times, he does a pretty decent job of it.

But his closet...........well, that is another story.

Most of the time the door to his closet remains shut.

There is a reason for this.

A very good reason.

And that is what got me to thinking.

For the first time EVER in my life, God used Daniel's room and closet to reveal something to me which was quite a lesson with a blessing. And please understand when I tell you, only the Lord could bring a blessing out of the depths of Daniel's closet.

I'm just saying is all.

I'll start by showing you what Daniel's room looks like on an average day. (Average meaning after I have screamed asked him nineteen a few times to clean it up!)



If you just walked in this room you might think, "Wow! For a thirteen year old he really keeps his room neat. His parents must have raised him right. They must be so proud of him. I wished my thirteen year old would keep his or her room like this."

Of course, those are just some of the things you might think if your own child lives in a pig sty like my boys do most of the time.

While I was standing in Daniel's room looking at that shut closet door, I realized that God was pointing something out to me.



So many times we look at other Christians and think, "Wow, they have it so together. They are at church every Sunday. Their children are always dressed neatly and on time. Their children never misbehave at church. And look how in love that couple seems. I wish my marriage was as happy as theirs is."

Again, these are just a few of the things you might think of a person or persons in your own life. And if you start comparing your life to their life, sometimes you might feel like you come up short.

At one time or another, we all have played the comparison game. Sometimes we look better, sometimes we don't.

The thing is you may look at a person and think that they have it all together.
(Much like Daniel's neat bedroom.)

You may think there is no way you will ever be as pretty, as rich, as happy, as good a Christian, etc., etc.

But more important than the things that you know about people are the things that you don't know.
The things that go on in their house behind closed doors.
Only their family and God knows what they are really like.

Those same people that you see as rich....may be spiritually poor.

Those same people that you see as happy....may cry themselves to sleep every night.

Those same people that you see as the most in love couple in the world....may not even speak to each other in the privacy of their own homes.

I could of course give you example after example, but you get the point.

No one knows what goes on behind closed doors except for the family living in the house.

And no one really knows what is going on in your heart and your spiritual life except you and God.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

It's a worn out saying, but it's true, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."

The same is true of people.

I know so many times in my own life I have just beat myself up in comparison to others, only later to find out what I thought was true wasn't even close to the truth.

So the next time you are comparing yourself to someone else in a negative way, remember that God looks at your heart. He loves you for you. He does not expect you to be anybody but yourself.

And if you are tempted to compare yourself harshly, remember Daniel's closet door.



It looks great on the outside.

However, the inside is an entirely different story.

And only Daniel, God, and unfortunately Shannon and I, know what is really happening on the inside.



John 7:24
"Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."


(I wanted to update you all on what I found out at the neurosurgeon's office and on Allie's condition. First of all, my visit went well; I just have an area of concern to deal with. My foot has been hurting me quite a bit, which is possibly due to some swelling or scar tissue that is still pressing on the nerve in my spinal area. The doctor said that it is not "normal," but that it does happen. He gave Shannon an exercise that he has to help me do twice a day for two months. The doctor's hope is that after doing this exercise for two months, the swelling will go down, therefore eliminating the pain. If it doesn't, he wants to see me again. But if the pain goes away, I do not have to return to his office. I can also get back to normal life; he just said that it would take me quite awhile to be "normal" again. Allie's visit did not go as well as we had hoped. Her condition had not improved any, so the vet wanted to increase her meds. So we did, but she cannot keep the larger dose of meds down. We have to go today to get her two new medications to try. He still cannot give her anything to help with the pain or inflammation caused by the torn ACL , because there is still too much fluid in her lungs. His hope is that she will be able to keep these new medications down, so her heart health can finally start to improve. I want to thank all of you for your prayers for me, my family, and our Allie Girl. I have been completely blown away by the outpouring of love. You bloggy friends are a special group of people, and I am so blessed to have met each one of you here in Blog Land.)
God Bless,
Amy