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We can’t always know why some things happen

Our granddaughters and I had just ordered a little Saturday restaurant lunch when the 9-year-old began to cry with stomach pain. I soon realized she was in unusual distress, so we immediately went to Physician’s Care.

The doctor quickly responded to her urine sample with serious instructions to get to the ER, that he would call ahead to tell them we were on the way.

After exam in the ER, the doctor sent her immediately by ambulence to Children’s Hospital in Columbus where she presented as Type I Diabetes, a complete shock to us all.

Within a very few hours, her parents, along with Bill and I, proceeded to learn how to check blood glucose, calculate insulin dosages and give shots. In other words, how to succeed with a new way of life.

Since then, Addison’s sisters have joined her team now adept at finding the carb counts on food labels, where the particular areas are located to administer the insulin to her, and how to keep calm and proceed when readings go up or down.

Soon, her parents will meet with school officials to design a plan for Addison to succeed in her classroom environment.

As much as I have described the seemingly clockwork response of the physical part of this crisis, we cannot omit how God intervened at every step.

For one thing, Addison’s mother was on a plane to Texas that day for a work conference. With the help of our family’s phone networking, she was able to catch an immediate flight back. Plus, her co-worker happened to be a seasoned air traveler. God’s hand.

The connecting return flight was minutes between, and Emily was the very last person to get on that plane. God’s hand again.

The phlebotomist had a special gift for knowing how to find tiny veins while he spoke calmly to a most frightened little girl. God.

When we were at Physician’s Care, there were no other patients waiting. We got right in. God.

As we have since discussed that weekend, there were so many coincidences that could only have been from God.

Once again we experienced 2 Corinthians 12:9 when Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

As we watched little Addison cry over the numerous blood tests, there was no time to anguish over the why of what was happening.

We prayed for those tending her. We prayed that she would not feel the pricks and stings so much. We prayed for her appetite, for her rest, for the very cells in her body to accept the insulin she needed so desperately. We prayed for His peace to surround her.

In the weeks since that Saturday, Addison is doing well with the new routine. Of course, she isn’t the only child living with Type I diabetes. There are a couple other children at her school who share her need for insulin.

I pray that God will use her diabetes to reveal Himself to others through her. I pray for courage and strength to be victorious in pain, committing herself to Jesus Christ, who bore our grief and sorrow on the cross.

We can’t explain all the reasons why God allows us to suffer in this life. We know, though, that Jesus suffered more than any human will ever suffer, so He understands how we feel when we suffer.

We can’t let the bitterness of why me stand in the way of our relationship with God. We must keep praying and asking Him to enable us to trust Him in the suffering. And, we keep acknowledging His presence in the coincidences. They happen every day.

The old saying that we never know what the day will bring is so true. The best we can do is trust our faith in God, that He knows what our days hold, and He is there in every single one of them.

Bonnie Donnelly is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Marietta. Thoughts of Faith is a weekly column written by various ministers and lay people, contact Claire Heiby at 740-373-2121, ext. 537 or cheiby@mariettatimes.com.

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