Laura-Lee Was Here: CRAPPY Birthday Reflections

My Birthday always makes me reflective and this one is no different. I've been in the hospital for months with total body paralysis and in 2019 I was also in this same hospital for months with total body paralysis. Today I estimated that approximately 400 different people have seen my innocent, naked Canadian butt and about 3/4 of them were there to wipe it for me.

Did Jesus do this to me? Did Jesus afflict me this way?

ABSOLUTELY❗️

Jesus is LORD of ALL. That means EVERYTHING comes from His hand of divine Providence.

Forty-seven years ago I promised Jesus I would go wherever He sent me. I was only eleven years old but I meant it. He has sent me to some very deep and dark pits but He has always been in them with me and has taught me many amazing things in these pits.

Pits of physical suffering. Pits of grief. Pits of fear. Pits of despair. Pits of isolation and loneliness. Pits of poverty. Pits of addiction.

But it's in these pits that we learn and grow the most. And it is in these pits that we grow intimate with our Lord.

I've learned that "I am the Master of my own Destiny" is not merely an illusion but a total lie.

I have learned that Jesus is not sharing MY suffering but I am sharing HIS.

I have learned to appreciate the blessing of a sense of humor, which God has given to each and every person. (Perhaps this is another example of how we are created in God’s image)

I have learned how to accept anything that Jesus asks of me.

I have learned the power of prayer. Me praying for others and others praying for me.

I've learned that people have a deep, DEEP hunger to know about Jesus and "what's so special about that book [the Bible] that you are reading all the time?".

I have learned the magnificent power of praising the Lord FROM the pit (not only after He gets us out of it).

I've learned that it is still possible to maintain my dignity and testimony for Jesus while somebody is wiping s**t from my butt.

I've learned about the huge influence I have because I have "Street Cred" when it comes to suffering.

It reminds me of what Betsy Ten BOOM said to her sister, Corrie, when they were in the Ravensbruck concentration camp during World War 2,

"There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still. We must tell this to everybody. They will believe us because we have been here."

What are you ready to do for Jesus? If you want a deeper faith you must be ready and willing to pick up your DAILY cross even when your DAILY bread is not being supplied.

And since I came to this hospital because I had not had anything to eat in a month (not by my choice I assure you), I know what I'm talking about.

Jesus told us to "count the cost" (Luke 14:28) before we give ourselves to Him, but I echo the heart of Paul when he says,

"What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:8)

We live in some very dark days, but Jesus has set aside a group of people who will remain true to Him.

Is that you❓️It can be. I am not more holy or extraordinary than the next person, but I am more pathetic than most. The realization of this has led me to Jesus for my strength time and time again and He has been generous in multiplying His gifts to me.

You CAN do it too. The only thing Jesus requires of you is to be willing and available. He does the rest.

You need Jesus in this life and in the next and if you approach Him with a humble heart that cries out to Him,

"God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13)

just watch how quickly He responds.

You were made for "Such a time as this" (Esther 4:14) and there are many others, like you, who have refused to bow to the idols and gods of this age. So be encouraged.

And if that's not encouraging enough, heed the words of Jesus when He said,

"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done." (Revelation 22:12)

I pray this will become a (Born-Again) Birthday for everyone reading the words of this post.

The Truth with Love

Always, Laura-Lee