Finding Joy in Our Journey
With the spring season and warmer temperatures, we’ve been spending a lot more time outside as a family. It’s a treat to see the girls running barefoot, riding their bikes, or playing in the sprinkler. One of my favorite things this time of year is driving up to the house after a day at work and seeing Mary Beth and the girls playing outside, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.
If you’re familiar with our story, you already know that there have been times when we questioned what our life would be like and how Audra’s eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) would affect her. The choice to stop feeding fear and focus on hope instead is one that changed our family dynamic — both on the good days and the bad. Today, Audra is doing amazingly well physically, but just as impactful is the emotional and spiritual healing we’ve seen in her little heart. The joy in her heart, together with an adorable love of laughing and being tickled, is as strong of a testimony as her physical health today.
Lately God has been using this season to remind me of this passage in Isaiah:
“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.”
Isaiah 61:7
There a seasons of shame, disgrace, pain, and suffering, and we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize that. Sometimes we ask, “How can God let such pain into the world?” And in the moment, there’s nothing more real than the emotions we feel and the questions we ask.
At the same time, God seems to find ways to turn curses into blessings. From the grips of terminal cancer, He is the source of remarkable joy that inspires us to hope for a brighter future. He wants to give us an eternal, joy-filled inheritance — a double portion that far outweighs the difficulties we face.
I know in my heart that God’s long-term plans for us are good, but sometimes it’s hard to see that in the midst of my circumstances. This season has given me a beautiful, sustaining glimpse into the inheritance — the double portion of joy and grace — that He has in store and is already working in our family.
This season is also a reminder of God’s grace. I don’t understand why our experience with EoE hasn’t been more severe. I’m grateful for the quality of life we have, and at the same time I’m humbled and my heart breaks for the families that are facing more severe medical situations.
I couldn’t pretend to know the specifics of how God’s plan works out in your journey through medical adversity, but I’m sure that He wants you to ask the tough questions along the way. I’m also comforted that He gives us promises like the one in Isaiah that point to everlasting joy and grace. You may even get springtime glimpses along the way that give you a picture of God’s generous, fatherly heart toward you.