#11 The Smile

Everyday of Brooke's life had its challenges. One thing we didn't do however was worry. We always thought of the scripture that said take no thought for tomorrow for sufficient is the evil in the day thereof. We knew Brooke would get sick and have to go to the hospital but if we woke up and she was well, then it was a wonderful day, if we woke up and she was sick we just went to the hospital, stayed about a week hung out together until she got better. That was basically our life but it was an awesome one.  Brooklynn spent 85% of her life in the hospital which included some Christmas's, birthdays and other holidays but she never complained. She taught me so much about what it meant to have the faith as a child. Did I think she would ever die? No! That wasn't even an option for us, the thought never ever even crossed our minds. Sure she would get pretty sick but I would always tell her that God didn't teach her to swim to let her drown. He who began a good work in her would be faithful to complete it until the end. We had some close calls tho.
Brooklynn had some major stomach issues. She  had a hiatal hernia along with severe acid reflux disease. It would cause projectile vomiting which we were very use to until the day came when her excessive vomiting turned to blood. She would vomit up 3 or 4 times a day pure blood. She was hospitalized over and over with no clear answers as to why this was occurring. I'll never forget one day when we were here at the hospital they called a local ENT to come and check her. He walked in, pushed her head back, sprayed some numbing med down her throat and then ran a light into her nose. I stood in the corner and cried. Not because I was sad but because I was angry. He had'nt told her anything that was going on, never even spoke to her and there she was looking at me like, "what is going on." I would love to say that God miraculously healed her stomach but that didn't happen. She was hospitalized again and again for the same thing. But one thing I never forgot was this. When I would lay with her in the bed holding her head up while she would vomit bucket fulls of blood she would look over at me as sick as she was and smile.She didn't say, "mommy why me, why is God doing this to me, I don't deserve this." She simply just smiled.
 That smile showed me more things than any Pastor, Teacher of Prophet could have ever told me. She showed me no matter what I faced or had faced God would bring me through. She made me realize that just because life wasn't the way I wanted it to be I could still have the joy and peace of God that surpasses all understanding. But most of all it showed me that if I kept my eyes on him I would be a winner every time.
This week has been a hectic week, full of bad news but we don't have to look at the bad. God never promised us a perfect life, even Paul spoke many times about the thorn in his flesh but he also said whatever state I find myself in I maketh  myself content. My challenge for you this week is to take the magnifying glass off of your problems and began to magnify him. Don't look at any of the circumstances but keep your eyes on God and he will put that same smile on your face that  hell and all of its forces could never wipe off.