Celebrating Freedom | Fuel For The Weekend

 

I am looking forward to a long weekend! It is going to be so nice to catch up on some rest, work on some projects, do some writing, and enjoy the holiday weekend. Here in America, we are celebrating Independence Day. I am so thankful for the men and women who have served, died serving, serve now, and will serve in the future. I do not take my freedom for granted. I know how quickly our rights can be taken away. But I am also thankful for freedom from sin. I am thankful for the sacrifice Jesus made for us, to cleanse us and wash us in His precious blood so we can live with Him for eternity.

In Galatians 5:1, it reads, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." This is a great word for a time like this. We are to stand fast in the liberty that Jesus made us free. We don't have to work for it, try to earn it, be good enough or popular enough. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and choose to live for Him, we simply must stand firm on the Rock of our salvation, the foundation we build on, and that rock is Jesus. The next part of that verse is telling us what not to do. Don't pick up bad habits you laid down when Jesus set you free. Don't get messed up by running with the same crowd of people who you were pulled away from. If there are people who bring you down, tempt you to do things you shouldn't, and try to make you spend less time on your relationship with Christ, it is time to separate yourself from them and don't get tangled up with them again. That old behavior, those old lusts, that old way of thinking and doing things will get you snagged in a trap planted by the enemy so you become a servant of sin again. Don't do it. Hold on to the freedom you have. 

John 8:36 says, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." That's pretty clear! If Jesus Christ has set you free from sin, you are free. You can celebrate your liberty in the act of love demonstrated on the cross at Calvary. Look at your life. Examine your thoughts and motives. Are they pure? Do you seek to honor Christ? Are you living in a way that would please the Father? Are you listening to Holy Spirit as He leads and guides and directs you?

Galatians 5:13 says "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." In other words, we have been called to liberty, freedom in Christ, but we should not take advantage of our liberty and start indulging our flesh. We are to come away from that old sinful nature and walk in liberty. We are to lovingly serve one another. There are so many needs all around us. Let's take the time this weekend to look for ways to serve and love others. Let's remember why we celebrate 4th of July in America and then remember why everyday should be a celebration of our freedom from sin. Jesus saved us and by His grace and mercy He keeps us. Let's love each other and help one another Home.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend whether you celebrate or not. If you are working, I pray you are safe and have a great work day. I hope you get some time to rest and relax. I am glad to have a long weekend to recuperate from all the sleepless nights and around the clock care I gladly gave to my baby girl. I am wishing you all a wonderful weekend as we kick it off together. May something I have shared today be strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Kadesia's Healing | Thankful Thursday

                                                 
God gave me a beautiful rainbow this evening! My daughter spotted it on our outing tonight. It's a sign of God's promise and He has made our family a big one that we are absolutely ready for! What has God promised you? It's so nice to get glimpses of God at work on what He has in store for us.

Last Tuesday my daughter was diagnosed with strep throat, given an antibiotic, and went home to rest. She was sick and just from the way she was talking I could tell her throat was sore. Thursday morning, I am at work and get a call. The nurse came to get me, I was in with a patient, and they said, "Your son is on the phone and he said it is an emergency." I knew immediately it must be something with Kadesia and I prayed it wasn't her throat. I spoke with my son who told me that he and his Papaw were taking Kadesia to the ER because she vomited a large amount of blood and felt like her throat was closing.

Every nurse she got from triage to discharge were professional, compassionate, and caring individuals. They treated her well and gave her great care. The doctor was amazing, too. He was kind and compassionate. He listened and included me in the plans. It was the best experience we have had there so far.

Kadesia was scared. She could not talk at all. She used her phone to text me and that was the way we had to communicate. She texted me answers to questions the nurses and doctor had as well. She used her phone to play worship music when she was scared. The inside of her mouth was full of blisters, sores, and blood. She had palatal petechiae. Her tonsils were so swollen and large it was difficult to visualize the back of her throat. I felt so bad for her. I was scared and felt helpless but I did not want her to know that so I prayed silently and I watched God hold her through every step of that journey.

She was unable to swallow her saliva. It was incredibly painful so she would spit it out and she became very dehydrated because she could not swallow. She was given an IV and she did great. The fluids and steroid seemed to help a little. She had to have a CT of her throat to rule out an abscess. Thankfully there was none. I cannot explain the feeling that overwhelmed me as I saw her laying on that bed in so much pain and suffering. I knew that I could call on Jesus and He would heal her.

We were in the results waiting room for what seemed like forever. The nurse kept apologizing and I knew she was busy and was really working to get us out of there quicker. They gave Kadesia some antibiotics and she was finally able to get them down but it was excruciating for her.

Kadesia was so tired. She wanted to lay down but at least she had a recliner for the lengthy wait. She just wanted to lay down but she could not lay flat or even put her head back because the pain was too much for her.

I am so thankful that everyone at work was so supportive and amazing. I work with an incredible team of professionals and I am so thankful for my job. They allowed me to go be with my daughter and prioritize family. That means a lot to me.

The wait was lengthy, as I said, but in the end she was diagnosed with a severe case of tonsillitis and an upper respiratory infection on top of the strep throat she had. I took her back to the house and got her comfortable, as much as was possible. Even though she is technically an adult, she will always be my baby and I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend caring for her.

After several rounds of antibiotics and rotating Tylenol and Ibuprofen, Kadesia was finally ready for something to eat. Her papaw gave her some ice chips and she tolerated those really well. She decided to try a popsicle and ended up eating two orange popsicles. She only wanted the orange ones. Then she wanted to try real food so in this picture she is eating a cheese quesadilla from El Compadre. She loved it and I was so happy to see that she was starting to feel better.

Finally as the days progressed she decided she wanted to eat chicken, a Bosco stick, and one potato wedge with honey mustard. Her daddy cut up the food into small pieces and she took her time. She was still very tired and only able to eat a little bit of the food. Every bite she was able to eat made me happy. I was so thankful for God keeping her airway open and helping her through this whole situation.

Javan saw a purple dinosaur in the grocery store when he was with his papaw, so they bought it for Kadesia. She loves dinosaurs and she loves purple, so why not give her a sippy cup, right? She was drinking fruit punch and doing much better. She had little energy but she was so happy to get that silly little cup!

Tonight Kadesia took a little bit of a longer car ride. She was able to endure it but when we got back to the house she was wiped out. Her throat is still sore and at times it is painful, especially in the morning after she wakes up. She has been trying to build up her stamina. She tires easily and sleeps a lot, but that is to be expected. She still runs a low-grade fever a couple of times a day but she is drinking lots of fluids and her appetite is improving. I am so glad that she is on the mend.

I definitely have a lot to be thankful for this Thursday! God has been so good to us and He is mighty in power! He has kept her safe through all of this. I thank God for His healing power. I thank God for the nurses and doctor He allowed Kadesia to have in this visit. I thank God for the wisdom of the doctor to change her medication and to give her what she needed to start healing quickly. I thank God for her papaw's wisdom to give her those ice chips and popsicles to soothe her throat and help her. I am thankful for her mamaw for suggesting he buy the popsicles. I am thankful for Javan and Paul being so kind and patient with her when she was so frustrated because for days she could only communicate with her cell phone to text us or to type into google translate and let it speak for her. I am thankful she has her voice back and that she is improving every day. I am so thankful for my baby girl!

I am very grateful for all of you who have been so kind to check on Kadesia, said a prayer for her, or continued to ask about her. It means a lot and I am thankful for every prayer that went up on her behalf. God is so good to us! We just cannot tell all that He has done because it is that much!

PSALM 30:2 O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me.

PSALM 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.

PSALM 6:2 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

I hope that you will take a few minutes to just thank God for the things He is doing for you. Don't ask Him for anything, just thank Him for what He has already done. The big and small ways He has showed up and showed out! Thank you for joining me as I count my blessings today. I hope something I shared has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens