Jane VanOsdol of www.onlybyprayer.com and I had such a good time talking during her Talkshoe program the other week.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to it yet, I wanted to make it easy for you to do so.

We talked about so many things! From stress management to the strain illness can cause marriages (and what to do about it) to getting the emotional and financial help you need.  That’s just the beginning!  I LOVED my time with Jane, and I know this discussion will bless you as much as it did me.  To listen, follow this link to Jane’s site: http://onlybyprayer.com/parenting-chronically-ill-children-with-kimberly-ehlers/

When you get there, you’ll see the player (a small arrow) at the end of the article under the Sharing is Caring options.  If the interview does bless you, please take a few seconds to use those options to share with your friends and family.  After you listen, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

In His Love,

Kimberly

Yep, there are only 3 warning signs that your child’s illness is destroying your marriage.  I really wish there were more.  I’d love to give you a long list that would give you some breathing room and not add to your stress.  I’d love it if the list were so long you could say,”Well, OK, so my husband and I have trouble in 2 areas, but there are 5 (or 10 or 20) where we’re doing really well.  We’re not so bad!”.  But there aren’t 10 or 20 warning signs to watch out for – there are only 3.

You may have noticed that since discovering your child’s health problem your marriage has been on rocky ground.  (Praise God and thank Him endlessly if your marriage is one of the rare ones that actually became stronger because of the illness.) As I shared with Jane of www.onlybyprayer.com during our recent interview, satan is our adversary.  It’s who he is and it’s what he does.  He loves to throw adversity into our paths.  When our child has an illness it’s as if our marriage now has a giant target on it.  We now have a weak spot and you can count on the devil to shoot at it over and over again.

BUT, if you know these 3 warning signs (because there’s only 3, they’re easier to remember), you will be able to recognize them right away and join Christ in battling them.  The battle is God’s, but we have to cooperate.  “You will not  need  to fight in this  battle.  Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord  is  with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17 NKJV) We show up to the battle, confront it head on, and God does the fighting for us.  When we show up to the battle, we are choosing sides.  It’s at that moment that we decide whose plan we want to follow – the devil’s or God’s. We face these decisions all the time. Something or someone pushes us to the brink and our flesh wants badly to respond in a way that we know doesn’t please God.  It’s at that moment when we have to decide who we’ll obey – the devil and our fleshly desires or God.  Let’s look at the 3 warnings which are also lies satan would love for us to swallow.  Following the warnings/lies, you will find verses that reveal God’s truth.

Why are these warnings so bad?  Each way of thinking serves to separate you from your husband.  They bring division into our homes when we need to be a united front more than ever.

You may struggle with leaving your child in anyone’s care.  If you have never had someone else watch him or her, I suggest that you start small.  Have someone come over so you and your husband can take a short walk together or spend 1/2 an hour at the local coffee shop.  You can slowly make your dates a little longer each time so that everyone’s comfortable.

Now, if you will not leave your child with your husband (either because you don’t trust him or he’s nervous about the idea) things need to change.  Your husband needs to learn what is involved in caring for your child for a couple of reasons:

1.  He will better understand the amount of stress you are under and be able to give you the help you need.

2.  What if something happened to you?  This was another great point my friend, Jane, made.  It would be horrible if you were unable to take care of your child and your husband didn’t know how.

What do you do if you struggle with any of these warnings?

What’s your biggest struggle?  Did any of the verses about God’s Truths stick out to you as being tough?

In His Love,

Kimberly

photo by: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2125

Hi, Everyone,
I was blessed with the opportunity to do an interview with a friend, Christina Pilkington, about homeschooling a child with a serious/chronic illness. You can read that interview here: http://christinapilkington.com/2012/04/14/homeschooling-with-a-sick-child-my-interview-with-kimberly-ehlers/ .  If you homeschool, I can’t recommend getting connected with Christina enough.  She is  smart, sweet, and full of incredible ideas that help you to take advantage of your child’s interests and talents to give them an excellent education.  You will love her.

Also, on Monday, I am doing a live interview with Jane from www.onlybyprayer.com.  You know her sister, Mary, from the wonderful Take 5! devotions she provides for us.  I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this talk with Jane.  She chose some excellent topics like stress and marriage.  It’s going to be a great program, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.  If you follow the link below you will find out how you can join us (it’s at 1:00 CST).  If you can’t make it live you will be able to listen at your convenience.  I would love to “see” you there!

Only By Prayer Podcast – Live & Recorded Episodes:

In His Love,

Kimberly

I do hope you were able to hear my sarcasm in this title. Have I been the world’s greatest mom? No, far from it. Do I have a laundry list of the ways I’ve failed as a mom? You bet. I have a vision of the dream mom I’d love to be – one who is laid back, full of grace, and open to new adventures. Something in me insists on smothering those characteristics with its constant reminders that in order to be a good mom I must:

a.) carefully weigh the pros and cons in every situation in order to make perfect decisions at all times
b.) diligently (and perfectly) train up my son in the way he should go or he will, this voice warns, grow up to be a hoodlum
c.) by all means, be perfectly responsible at all times.

So, while I haven’t been “such a good mom” (as in perfect), I certainly have strived to be… and that striving leaves me with lots of regrets.

Regret #1 – Being Overly Protective

This is an old regret, thankfully changed by Seth’s now healthy heart, but its effects still linger.

It’s natural for a mom of a child with a serious illness to be extra precautious about perceived dangers. I, on the other hand, was not necessarily overly protective in the sense that I didn’t allow Seth to experience things.

I was, though, protective of how I wanted him treated. I did not want him to be:

~treated like or called a “heart boy”
~ given special treatment because of his heart (that means, I didn’t want him to be given a free pass to not try his best academically or make it OK to behave badly)
~ limited by his heart unnecessarily (I didn’t want him to miss out on opportunities)

Always on watch, I became an angry mama bear at the first sign that Seth was being treated differently. I was determined to have the very best for my son and to make sure every doctor, nurse, and caregiver did their best. It went beyond being an advocate for my child. I was trying to control a situation (Seth’s heart defects and future) that could only be controlled by God.

I regret the hurt I probably caused others in my desperation to fix what I couldn’t fix. I regret carrying that anger.

Regret #2 – Stressing Out at the Drop of a Hat

That control and fix it attitude I talked about above did nothing but put my nerves on edge. Stress is such an ugly force that starts a painful chain reaction. It causes you to be defensive and misinterpret actions or words. It makes you impatient, quick to anger, and less able to control yourself. All of that leads to lots of words and actions you wish you could take back – and memories you’d love to erase.

That stress, though, can also cause something different – fear. It can make you worry about things you may not normally worry about. It made me afraid that I would miss something I should have done for Seth or maybe I would miss a warning sign and not get him the care he needed.

I have allowed the worry and stress of my son’s illness to define what a good mom is instead of following God’s leading to be that mom of grace and flexibility that He’s put in my heart to be. I believe the mom God wants me to be is free. Free to love, free from worry, and free to live abundantly as His daughter. The mom my son’s heart defects push me to be is a slave to their every whim. Who do I live surrendered to – God or ugly heart defects?

“Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.”
~ Romans 6:16, New Living Translation

All this striving to be the very best mom for my son now leaves me with worry that I was the complete opposite.

Through all of the regrets, on thing remains true. Thanks to Christ, I can try again. By His grace, my family can have a fresh start whenever we need it.

“I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!”
~ Lamentations 3:19-23, The Message

When I mess up and fail to be the mom God wants me to be, I can seek forgiveness from Him and my son. Then I can turn away from my wrong behavior. I can also ask God to heal the hurt I’ve caused Seth and trust that He will. I will continue to seek after His wisdom, understanding, and discernment. I can also make it a frequent habit to stop and ask myself, “Who is my master – sin, heart defects, the “perfect mom” ideal, or God? Oh, so many things vie for our devotions. Who am I devoted to?

As I’ve worked on writing this article, 2 spiders sought refuge under my papers and a flying critter buzzed by my ear – all escapees from 1 of my son’s bug jars. I calmly pointed out their escape routes and kept writing. Maybe I’m more laid back than I think. I also realize that, at the end of the day, my son is a happy young man who knows his parents love him a lot. Maybe I should give myself a break – how ‘bout you? Maybe, together, we can all stop chasing being an ideal mom and relax and enjoy being who God created us to be – His daughters, who happen to be beautiful works in progress.

In His Love,

Kimberly

top picture by http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=3062

My hearts desire, the purpose of this site, is to help you stay close to God throughout your child’s illness because He is the “secret” to your survival.  By survival I mean facing each and every day knowing that, come what may, God is with you, in control, and working for your child’s (and your) good.  In that knowledge you can experience peace, faith, and even joy instead of fear, doubt, and stress.  Surviving also means knowing that when you fall short of being the mom or daughter of God you want to be, you can start over again.

Every post, every edition of The Heart Connection, and every product in my e-store has been created to serve that goal.  I’ve realized, though, that all that I’ve made is very spread out, and I wonder how a hurting mom coming to my site would find what she needs to survive.  How can I give her (how can I give you), what she needs when she needs it the most?

That’s why I made “A Guide to Parenting a Child with a Serious Illness”.  It’s the jumping off point from which you can strengthen 4 key areas necessary for you to not only survive your child’s illness but to see you faith thrive in a time you need it the most.  Your mental/emotional survival is dependent on your faith.  Your faith is a gift from God that grows when our mind sets and emotions are healthy and inline with our Father.  We are holistic beings.  Every aspect of our lives is connected and effects one another.  Working on these 4 keys will bring you much needed healing and put you in the safest place on earth – held by His strong arm next to His heart:

 Key #1  – Everyday Life and Taking Care of YOU!

 Key #2  – Create Your Firm Foundation.  It’s All in Who and What You Know!

 Key #3  – Getting Ready for Those Dreaded Doctor Appointments or (Even Worse) Hospital Stays

 Key #4 – Building Up Your Support System and Watching for Warnings

There are, altogether, over 20 resources listed under these keys.  I encourage you to start with Key #1 and work at your own pace through each article, audio, or download.  It will take time to work through each Key and that’s good!  You don’t want to rush the work God wants to do in your heart.  Oh, did I mention that this guide is completely free?  All I ask is that you share it with others if you feel it would bless and help them.

Are you ready to go beyond surviving?  Here’s your link to your guide Go to Guide

In His Love, Kimberly

Picture of keys found at http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=151

Mary Kane of www.onlybyprayer.com

I just love Mary, and her genuine passionate love of God.  As I wrote to Mary, this is not an easy topic, but it’s incredibly important.

Instead of sharing my thoughts with you now (because God laid a lot on my heart as I did this study), I’ve created a follow up post.  I hope that you will be blessed with the freedom and joy that I believe God wants to give you.  Spend some time with Mary, let God speak to your heart, and please come back tomorrow .  We’ll look at how we can be “doers” even during our child’s illness – and how the enemy tries to keep us as hearers only.

To save Mary’s Take 5! onto your computer, just right click the link below.

Take 5! Being Doers and Hearers

In His Love,

Kimberly

kimberly@kimberlyehlers.com

It’s not so easy to have the Christmas Spirit when your child has a serious or chronic illness.  December can be such a hard month for our kids – the cold weather, the busyness of the holidays, the cold and flu bugs that seem to be everywhere we go.  Your child may be sick right now, as is mine.  You may actually be in the hospital with your little one.  OR your child may be healthy as of this moment, but it feels like a ticking time bomb ready to explode any second.

On top of caring for your child and worrying about their health, you’re suppose to be baking cookies, buying presents, and, well, being merry!  It seems like an awful lot to ask, doesn’t it?

Yes, actually, it is a lot.  You DON’T have to do it all.  Please know, though, that whatever you do (or don’t do) to celebrate Christmas is OK.  It’s OK, everyone will survive and Christmas will still be joyful if you have to put aside some of the things you normally do, like baking those cookies.  Buy some cookies from the store; put them on a Christmassy plate, and viola!  Easy Christmas cookies everyone will enjoy – regardless of who made them.  Now, if baking cookies brings you joy, bake away!  Love every minute of it!  Let it go, though, if the whole idea brings you more stress.
This is about more than just making cookies too.  While others seem to run from one fun activity to the next, you may need to weed them out.  You know what?  I’m sure you know what I’m going to say.  It’s OK!  It’s OK to say no.  More activities do not mean more Christmas spirit or a better Christmas.  Don’t get me wrong!  There’s nothing wrong with the extras.  I look at the parties, the programs, the baking, and the decorating as fun ways to celebrate Christ, but they aren’t necessities.  I encourage us all to say no to whatever causes more stress or keeps us too busy to make Christmas really matter.

Deep down we know what makes a better Christmas, don’t we?  We know it’s having our hearts centered on Christ.  It’s being and celebrating with our families.  Ezekiel 34:11 tells us, “For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out,’” (NKJV). That’s what Christmas is all about.  Our Savior left His Heavenly throne to find us.  He came to give us rest, restore our souls,  to protect and bless us (Psalm 23), and, ultimately, to save us.  He didn’t come to watch us rush from one activity to the next, wearing ourselves out and too busy to talk with Him.  He tells us, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” (John 10:27, NKJV).  This Christmas, are we listening for our Good Shepherd’s voice?  Are we resting with Him and staying close to His side as we go about our day?  That’s the Christmas spirit, the peacefulness of life with Christ all because of that sacred night so long ago.  While our children’s illness makes us worry and often causes us to “miss out” on the fun, we have an opportunity that others miss in their hustle and bustle.  We’re forced to slow down and even be still.  We’re given the time to listen to our Shepherd’s voice.

I have some resources I’d like to share with you that will help you build up the true Christmas spirit (believe me, some of it’s actually fun!):

In His Love,

Kimberly

kimberly@kimberlyehlers.com

Matthew 7:24-25, New King James Version

     A firm foundation, knowing and standing on God’s Word, will get us through any storm – just like this lighthouse was designed to do.  That’s what Jesus promises us.  A firm foundation is what exactly what you need, Dear One, to get through the storm of your child’s illness.  Jesus wants you to have the kind of faith that will withstand the high winds of fear, the downpour of frightening circumstances, and the high waters of this disease that threaten to drowned you.  He wants you to stand firm believing, trusting, in His promise to never leave you (Joshua 1: 5) and that He is working for your good even now(Romans 8:28).

     So, we know that we are to listen to God’s Word (read the Bible) and live it, but it just isn’t that simple.  How do we make it easy?  How do we firm up our foundation?

     Below, you will find 2 lists.  The first is full of ideas to build that foundation, but it’s not exhausted.  I’m sure you will come up with your own ideas too.  The second list will help you identify things that can cause cracks in your foundation.

     Looking at the Firm Foundation list, do you see things that you know you are lacking?  Notice that I have both Bible Time and Bible Study.  Bible Time is a devotional time that you spend reading God’s Word and thinking about it’s message for you.  Devotions are perfect for this (see “The Faith Challenge” for devotions designed to build your faith through your child’s illness).  Bible Study is a time of using tools like a concordance,  Bible dictionary, or a really good Bible created to give you historical and geographical information (and more).  Bible Study can also been done with a group.

     What if you don’t have a friend you can count on? Please, don’t wait any longer, hoping someone will come through.  Be the first to reach out and nurture a new friendship or a friendship that has grown apart.

     To some of you, Time to Yourself may have stood out.  You may not be comfortable with the idea of “Me Time”.  Doing things that you enjoy is necessary to your mental and spiritual health.  Get in touch with the woman God created you to be.  It can be for 5 minutes every day or one big day a month.  You will come back to your family renewed and more able to weather a storm.

     Where do you begin?  Start with prayer, seeking God’s guidance for where He would like you to begin firming up your foundation.  He may want you to heal or end a relationship that is draining you.  He may want you to spend some time focused on your husband.  Whatever you do, resist the urge to do it all.  Lay one brick at a time, fix one crack at a time.

     If you have any questions about the lists above or would like to share what you’ve added to them, please do!  You can share below in the comment box.

In His Love,

Kimberly

On Sunday, we were blessed to hear Terry Mortenson, PhD, MDiv from Answers in Genesis speak on the topic “Creation vs. Evolution: Why it Matters”.  I wanted to share something he said that was a healing salve to my soul ~ and I pray it will be the same for you.

To understand the healing, I think we need to uncover the hurt first.  I want to share these details of my struggle in the hopes that it may help you to see your own feelings more clearly and allow you to receive healing too.

When Seth was first born, he was given a diagnosis that terrified me.  He would have multiple open-heart surgeries leaving him with 1/2 a functioning heart.  My soul cried against it and my mouth argued with the doctors who insisted on giving it!  It didn’t sit well with me because it did not fit with my desires for my son or with who I believed God to be – a good, loving, healing God.  It wasn’t right.

Two realities were clashing inside and around me – the reality of the medical world and my reality of my God and what should happen in His world.  As the years went on and this battle of two worlds continued, I was often very confused.  In fact, it caused me to feel that I had to be doing something wrong.  Maybe I wasn’t accepting God’s will and He was angry.  Maybe I wasn’t praying/believing/thinking right.  That began a journey on “The Road to Self-Destruction”.  (Those of you who were part of my teleseminar “The Messy Motives of a Worried Mom” will recognize that phrase.  Those you who weren’t there will be able to read more about it in the e-book of the same name that I’m currently writing.)  I’d use the Bible to beat myself up.  After all, if I was a good Christian and really had faith, wouldn’t I be OK, peaceful even, with whatever might happen?

This is what Dr. Mortenson shared yesterday.  He asked, if we are animals and death is natural, why do we cry when our four month old dies?  Why do we cry when someone when love dies?  This is a rough quote, but what he said next both healed my old hurt and brought peace.  He said, “We should cry because it isn’t right.  Our soul knows it.”

According to Genesis, God created His world to be good.  Sickness and death are not good, but they entered our world with the original sin.  God never intended for children (or anyone) to get sick and die.  That sin opened the flood gates of Hell and separated us from God.  Thank God, that through Christ, we can be fully reconciled to Him, and the enemy has no real power over us or our eternal souls.  The fact remains, though, that sin and the enemy run rampet over the earth and we still suffer their consequences.  The Holy Spirit in us cries to the Father, in pain, “This isn’t right!  This isn’t what we wanted the world to be like!”

So, now I have peace.  My spirit fought against Seth’s diagnosis because it isn’t right for a child of God.  I’m so grateful for a Father who will walk us each down the road of our unique journeys.  To some, He will give peace to accept a diagnosis; others will be stirred up against it.  Praise God that He doesn’t leave us to suffer the consequences of sin on our own. 

Romans 8:26-28
Amplified Bible (AMP)

Thank God for the Holy Spirit who also guides us to Him.  Not only that, the Spirit urges us to pray and even prays for us.  He is certainly our Helper (John 14:16).  May the truth that the Helper is with you always and that God is working for your good give you hope, Dear One.  I pray you will also find peace knowing that the illness your child suffers does not please the LORD, it is not right to Him either, and He will not let you face it alone.

In His Love,

Kimberly

I’m blessed to be taking an excellent class given by, my sweet friend, Beth Jones of www.bethjones.net.  During our first class she encouraged us to do a Bible study of all the verses that contain the words “but God”.

I have to tell you that I’ve only read 7 of these verses so far, and all of them are in Genesis.  But, oh, has it been powerful reading! (I did my search at www.biblegateway.com.)

As I read my “but God” verses, I had two things jump out at me – the impure plans of mankind and how they contrasted against God’s good plans.  Praise God that He still wants our very best and we can take these promises from His Holy Word and hold tightly to them during our child’s illness.

While I certainly encourage you to do your own study on “but God” verses, I wanted to share a few that reveal something you need to know – God truly is love.  That love is demonstrated through His plans for us.  If you’re a regular reader of mine, you have probably heard me share Jeremiah 29:11 many times, so today I’ll share a different version, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,’” (NIV).  There’s also a beautiful “but God” verse that expresses the same idea a little differently,“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive,” (Genesis 50:20, NKJV).

We tend to view the Old Testament as the book of law and the New Testament as the book of God’s grace and love.  It can be hard to see His love through all the bloodshed found in the Old Testament – but it’s there and these “but God” verses help us to see it.  Not only do these verses show God’s love, but they give us guidance on how to weather the storm of multiple decisions we have to make for our child’s care.  No, God doesn’t give us “one size fits all” answers to our problems.  He didn’t make us, or the plans for our lives, with a cookie cutter.  These verses do show us the one thing we all have to do…

Remember the story of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, and Hagar?  (If not, you can find it in the book of Genesis.)  Sarah demanded that Hagar and her son be cast out.  Abraham hated the idea.  “But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.  Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed,’” (Genesis 21:12-13, NKJV).  Sarah’s plan was to lash out and hurt.  God’s plan was to bring peace and prosperity.

Sometimes, like Abraham, we are called to go along with man’s plan, trusting that God will make what we perceive as wicked, glorious.  To make the good that only God can see (for now, anyway) happen, we have to listen and do that hard thing we don’t want to do.  I couldn’t imagine any good coming from my son suffering through another open-heart surgery, but we listened, went along with the doctor’s plan, and now our son is fully healed.

But, there are certain times when God does not want us to follow a man’s plan, or our own.  In Genesis 31, we read about Jacob taking his wives and fleeing their father, Laban.  Laban pursued them, intending to punish Jacob. “Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.  But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad,’” (Genesis 31:23-24, NKJV).  Laban’s plan was to harm.  God’s plan was to protect.  Laban listened to God and obeyed.

We are called to go through such hard things as we walk the journey of our child’s illness.  We didn’t ask for their sickness.  We don’t want to see them suffer.  We don’t want to risk their lives through a surgery or anything else.  We just want our child to be OK.  Listen to Jacob’s dying words.  “Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers,’” (Genesis 48:21, NKJV).  Israel knew he had to go.  We know our child’s health will take us through dark days, but God’s plan is the same for us as it was for Joseph.  He will stay with us (even when others abandon us) through it all.  He will also protect us and provide a way out of the darkness.

Did you notice all the words I underlined that describe God’s plan for good?  This is the “good” He has planned for you.  He wants peace and prosperity for you; to protect and provide your needs.  He wants to stay by your side.  Do you feel His great love for you?

But how do you know when you are to follow man’s (the doctor’s) plans or not?  Did you catch the thing that our verses had in common?  The people listened and did according to God’s plan.  Listening to God can be so hard in this noisy world.  We will not hear Him unless we take the time to be quiet before Him.  Our concerns can consume us, making it easy for our prayers to be cluttered with our own words and thoughts.  When we need God the most, we need to be the most quiet.  Of course, give Him your concerns, but allow time to sit silently at His feet.  His plan may come to you there in the quiet, but it may come right at the moment you need it most.  You may experience God’s gentle peace that tells you, “It will be OK.  Follow the doctor’s plan – I’ll be here every step of the way, and I have something very good planned.”  It may also be the feeling that everything in you is saying, “No!  Don’t do this!”  God can make His “yes” and His “no” very clear if we prepare our hearts to listen. 

We’ve all experienced things not going according to plan.  Can you look back now and see God’s plan instead?  With our children’s illnesses, we are blessed to see the good results of God changing our plans, though, sometimes we don’t always see those results right away.  What has your “but God” experience been?  What good came from it?

In His Love,
Kimberly