Perspective

I find it amazing how much events such as the one which occurred this week can change your perspective on literally, almost everything. I have realized several things over the course of the past few days:

One
We have some really incredible friends and family members. I have always been aware of this fact, but the situation at hand reminded me of it to a greater extent than ever before. The amount of calls, visits, messages, offers for help, and prayers we received were humbling. I don't know if it is quite possible to understand how much people love you until something bad happens.

Two
The gospel is perhaps even more true in suffering than it is in the everyday happenings of life. Or at least, I think about it more during trials. Though this week has been hard, I have constantly been reminded of God's love and how He has blessed us in so many ways. Things could have been much worse, and through Andrew's physical healing, we have both been reminded of the fact that God is in the constant process of redeeming His people and making them more like himself.

Three
Insurance is expensive but so worth it (and money really doesn't matter anyway). I grit my teeth every time we have to shell out hundreds of dollars for a service we hope we never have to use, but when we do need it, I am so thankful for the hundreds and thousands of dollars it saves us in the end. Andrew's trip to the hospital may still be costly, but I would gladly pay any amount of money to make sure my husband is ok.

Four
I spend a large chunk of my days thinking about things which are completely worthless: what I have to do tomorrow or next week, how this shirt or pair of jeans looks on me, the amount of money in our bank account, etc. Over the past few days, I have not had much time to think about such things, and this has been both refreshing and eye-opening. Although I have been stressed, my mind has been more clear than it has been in weeks.

Five
Some things can just wait. As many of you know, I never stop. I am constantly running errands, going for a run, or cleaning the house. I overcommit myself and consequently end up tired and frustrated frequently. Because I was at the hospital and taking care of Andrew this week, I was forced to slow down and basically cancel everything I had planned. To my surprise, the world did not stop spinning. My teacher was not mad that I had to miss student teaching. My classmates were not angry when I missed a meeting on Wednesday. The house did not magically become filthy because I had not cleaned it. I did not lose my ability to run long distances or gain ten pounds because I skipped a couple of runs. And I'm sure there is still a teaching job available for me somewhere, despite the fact that I did not attend a job fair at OU. At the end of the day, the most important things are that I have a husband who loves me and is healthy and serve a God who knows what I need much better than I do.

In Christ alone,
Mary Rachel