Treking to the top…

Last weekend, I began to teach a nine part series of messages on the life and ministry of Elijah taken from 1 Kings 17. As you read, study and embrace his life, if there is one truth which is evidently displayed in his relationship with God, it is God who must, so often, first take you down before He is able to bring you up. God must first take you through the valley before He leads you to the top of the mountain. This is what he is doing for Elijah before he faces even greater challenges in his life. We all face seasons such as this.  Our family has been there, even recently, when we encounter the unknown or face what might seem as immeasurable circumstances. These are never easy days, but these are the days we look upward to gather our strength and push through second by second and moment after moment. The affirmation in all of this is, you know after you have been taken down and all of your pride is stripped away, God is going to lead you back to the top of the mountain. And, what a great experience this is!
Today was another trip for Caleigh and me to the University of Michigan Medical Center. As I have spent hours in different hospitals over the years, I, once again, appreciated their personalized care and concern for us. For the last few weeks, we have noted how Caleigh’s stamina as well as her overall health seemed to be improving.  This has been a natural indicator of how we believed she was doing physically. In December, we decided, along with regular visits to Mott Children’s Hospital, we would also seek direction from a wellness doctor who we know locally. Our purpose was team with the doctors at U of M and to boost Caleigh’s immune system naturally to fight her disease. Over the last four months, we have seen slow but steady improvement with her physicality, even as we have weathered through the long winter months. Today, we received some encouraging news again as Caleigh has been cleared for another visit to Ann Arbor in six months, this time, conducting an additional battery of tests to track her progress.  This next visit will more than likely be an all day event, but we are thankful for the full medical attention she will receive.  The bottom line after today’s visit is, Caleigh continues to do well and her markers continue to stay consistent. Her body is not fighting her disease nor is it ignoring it. For this we are truly grateful to our Lord.  Another day of health, is another day which can only be seen as a gift from God. We embrace the fact…the fact that God is sovereign in all things. As we continue to address her needs day by day, we bring her before God’s unimaginable throne and ask for His continued healing touch upon such a precious life.