Today, as I was folding laundry, I came across one of my shirts that has on the front of it “What day is it today?” I was wearing it for the first time and didn’t really pay attention to the saying on the front of it, when I went into my mothers room to get her up for the day. My 2 sisters and I take care of our mother who has had Alzheimer’s for the last 8 years. When I was getting her up she kept asking me “What day is it today?“. I told her what day it was, but she just kept repeating it, and no matter how many times I answered her, she wouldnt stop asking .
As I was walking her out to the livingroom, I looked at my husband and said “Oh Boy! This is gonna be a long day today, my mom won’t stop asking me what day is it today.” I thought does she honestly need to know what day it is today? Does she know something that’s gonna happen? Anyways, later that morning, as I was looking in the mirror, I saw that I had that shirt on that said “What day is it today?”. I started laughing when I remembered my mom loves to read everything that’s in front of her.
Later on I asked myself. “Well, what day is it today?” The Bible verse that came to my mind was Psalm 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” That one verse has been one of the strongest verses that has helped our family in the last 28 years .
28 years ago my husband was very ill, and we didn’t think he was going to make it . He had been bedridden for over a month. Many of our church people and friends sent in money to help my husband get to a clinic in Reno NV. My 7yr old son was also in the hospital suffering from a severe asthmatic attack, and his body was not accepting oxygen. I was on my way to Reno, when I got a call from the hospital telling me I needed to turn around and come back and be with my son, because he needed my help. I was torn between my husband and my son, not knowing which direction to go. My sister Carolee and some of our church people, stepped up and helped me with the care of my son Justin at the hospital. I went on to the clinic in Reno to be with my husband.
My husband was diagnosed with advanced lymes disease, was not able to walk and was on the verge of having an aneurysm. He was in very bad shape. He had to go thru extensive IV treatments and multiple painful shots. One day an elderly man brought his wife in for treatment. She was around 75 years old and about 70Ibs and in a wheelchair. She also had lymes and was not able to eat. Her tongue was dried up, and hanging out, and she was not able to talk. She had a large black marker that she used to write notes on a yellow Mead note book to communicate .
Her husband placed her on the recliner next to my husband to start her treatments . She started writing on that Mead notebook a message and gave it to her husband to give to my husband. On that tablet it read “Are you a Christian?“. My husband was not doing very good, as he was struggling with the condition of his own health. He was very discouraged because his health had declined so fast. He had his Bible with him, but he wasn’t reading it. He wrote back, “Yes“, and gave the notebook back to the man to give to his wife. She started writing another message and sent it back to my husband. On that notebook it read “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it”. That elderly lady who was suffering from lymes disease herself and in far worse condition than my husband, was used of God to wake him up and encourage him at one of the deepest darkest times in his life, when he didn’t even know if he was going to make it. That verse, Psalm 118:24, changed his life and helped him to realize, with the Lord’s help he could make it, no matter what he was going through.
Over the past 28 years our family has been faced with many health challenges. They have not been easy and sometimes I didn’t think I could continue on as a caregiver. We have cried many tears not understanding why the trials just never seemed to end. Thru it all, we have grown together as a family. I told my kids many times when they were young, after a rough morning with their dad, to go to school and put a smile on their face and enjoy the day and not talk about our problems with anyone. I told them no one would quite understand what they were going thru, and that God allowed this trial into our lives, and that God would take care of their daddy. I told them that no matter what God chose to do with daddy, that we would not get bitter at God, but that our family would go on and serve the Lord .
These years have not been easy, but I’m so grateful I have had the Lord to guide me as a mom, a wife, a caregiver, and now as a grandma. I have not faced these trials perfectly, and many times God has had to chastise me because of my attitude. However, I am thankful for a patient God who has molded my family and I along the way.
I don’t know what you’re facing today, but God does, and He promises to walk you thru every situation in life. I can tell you from experience, that it’s better to walk through the trial with God than to get bitter at God and walk away from Him. Too many Christians are bitter from the circumstances they’re facing and they’re leaning on their own wisdom to walk through the trial. I never wanted to wake up 30 years down the road and realize I made horrible decisions in my own strength and then see my kids far from God because I didn’t do it Gods way.
Let God’s Word guide you, and let it wake you up and encourage you like it did my family. Let it speak to your heart in a life changing way. So, today is a challenge for you. “What day is it today?” Well, “This is the Day which the Lord hath made; we will Rejoice and be glad in it.” WHAT DAY IS IT TODAY?