Battle

Today was a busy day, but in spite of the activity or actually because of it God gave me a living example of what's really important. I'm used to a variety of those life lessons coming through children. Most of the time they are mine. But today was different today, I met Katie.

I had left my house at 10:00 this morning dropping one boy off to farm with Kent. 3 kids to Grandma at the lake and 1 was with my dad helping to assist in the moving day at my parent's house. That left me with two and we made tracks.

Around 2:30 this afternoon after we had been to Muskegon for 1 appointment and made a mad dash for Grand Rapids for another. We had been at Isaiah's hemotologist appointment for an hour and a half. Isaiah and I  were escorted to the play room while we waited for his blood results and some other papers to link his health care providers together. I was playing with Isaiah when a little girl came bounding up to us.

"Hi," she blurted out, "my name is Katie!"

Katie was dressed in a pink plaid dress, pink tights, and for added flair she had a multi colored tu-tu around her waist and was sporting a pair of those plastic, dress up shoes that clip-clop when you walk.

"Hi, Katie," I grinned at her, "I loooovvvveee your shoes, they are so sparkly."

"Thank you," she beemed. "How old is he?" she inquired as she looked at Isaiah.

"He's 5" I replied, "How old are you?"

"I'm 4, " was her swift reply.  "Can I play with him?"

"Sure, that would be so great, wouldn't it Isaiah?" they both smiled at each other.

Katie sat down and then she looked at me with her beautiful brown eyes, framed by her sweet curls and she stopped my breath with her next statment.

"I am done with my chemo for today?" she said so happily.

"Wow, Katie, that's great, how did it go?" I asked as I wanted to cry.

"It went great." as she looked down concentrating on the game she and Isaiah were playing.

Katie's mom entered the play room  and was occupied with getting her things together, I imagined it had been a long day for them. She got out Katie's real shoes and asked her to put them on. Katie put up a bit of a fuss.

"But, mom I just started to play with Isaiah." she pleaded.

Another health care provider entered the room and was talking with Katie's mom and said she was sorry, but she didn't have Katie's count yet.

Katie quipped from the floor, "What's a count?"

The two women kept talking and Isaiah and Katie kept playing. I was an observer trying to understand this scene in front of me.

I was struck by Katie's amazing, little personality that I had known for like 5 minutes. But I was sure delighted with this creature, she had spunk, a beautiful spirit and amazing fashion sense!

I prayed for Katie and her mom as they finished getting ready and left the play room. I prayed that they knew Jesus and that if they did they were both able to display the joyful, peace they had because of all that He was giving to them at this difficult time.

On the way home in the car, I heard the song by Chris August, called Battle.

There's a battle between good and evil
And it's raging inside of me
There's a struggle, it's God and the devil
It's love against the enemy

Oh no, I'm not giving up now, Oh

Life's a fight of wrong and right that's tearing me apart
Oh but what the cross has done
Yeah the world will try to battle for my heart
But the war is already won

There's a snake that's hiding in the garden
There's a beautiful apple tree
There is trouble on the horizon
But I'm claiming victory

Oh no, I'm not giving in now, Oh
Life's a fight of wrong and right
That's tearing me apart
Oh but what the cross has done
Yeah the world will try to battle for my heart
But the war is already won

Won
Won
Mmmmm
Woooahhhhh
I'm not giving up now
Woooahhhhh
I'm not giving in

Life's a fight of wrong and right that's tearing me apart
Oh but what the cross has done
Yeah the world will try to battle for my heart
But the war is already won
Won
Won

I was reminded that although my heart longs for peace, this world is in a battle. But because of the cross the war is already won!!  I prayed for Katie again that she would keep fighting, that God would use that girl for His Kingdom and that she would know she was created not just for this world, but for another, that is far greater and to be enjoyed for so much longer.

 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Ephesians 6:12

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

So grateful today, for a girl named Katie, for the picture she was to me of joy in suffering, (she didn't have any idea she was suffering). I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who listens to my questions and wonderings and shows me flashes of heaven here on earth!

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
― C.S. Lewis