At the end of these posts, we close with, “We are blessed”. This was a simple statement that was born out of our adversity. It was not planned or intended to be anything “deep” and catchy. Honestly, it hasn’t even always felt like a true statement. Looking back, the first post that ended with this was on November 7, Day 3. We had shared results of the 48-hour MRI in the previous post, then responded to people asking how we were doing. For those who are new to this page, this page began just as a means of communicating with friends and family easily about what was happening with Hannah’s condition. We were in a battle for her life and we lived in the ICU room. We needed a way to spread the word efficiently. (All our posts are still up, and there is much to read.) There was lots of support for Hannah, and there was lots of support for us too. Despite the trial that we were facing, we reminded ourselves of God’s love for us, and that He has “thoughts and ways” bigger than our own. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
When we saw the outpouring of love and support for us and Hannah those days, we felt blessed. The “strength” that we have is initially based on what we know to be true and believe about God, but it’s highly doubtful that we would be where we are today without the love, support, and most importantly, the prayers of all of you. I wrote, “We are not all doctors, and she is in the best of hands, so although there seems little that any of us can do, the prayers of the saints on behalf of Hannah are the biggest things that she needs, and that is something that any of us can do, no matter where we may be. From in this room to around the world, the prayers of those who love the Lord, on her behalf, are the greatest gifts imaginable and the key part of helping that we all can do. Thank you all for your love and support. We are blessed!”
With the blessing of your support, we pressed on. As the days grew darker and the situation unraveled, “We are blessed” became a reminder to us. It was a reminder that even though we were “mourning” our daughter’s condition, Jesus told us, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) Jesus called us blessed! It was another reminder that we needed to separate our emotions from our “heads” and what we knew to be true. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God knew our situation. He was not caught off guard by this. We love Him and we knew that even in those dark times, He was still working that situation out for “good”. It didn’t feel good to us, but this life is not about “us”. We remembered and trusted that this was for a greater good, and that even though we were mourning, “We were blessed”.
Being blessed isn’t about a circumstance. It’s not something that we should say only when things are good and “going our way”. It’s a position that we have, as believers in Christ. We need that heavenly mindset rather than the earthly one. We can’t have our “affections” only set on things down here. (Galatians 3:2) Yes, some days we “feel” it, and other days we need to be reminded of it, but in the end, our blessed position is a constant. As we put it at the bottom of these posts, you are part of the “we”, and I am not saying it of my own thoughts, I am reminding us all:
We are blessed
Hannah Helps 