Falling Down

Falling Down
Sunday, June 22, 2014 by pam

Luke 12:6 says, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God." I've also seen it worded, "Not one sparrow will fall to the ground unnoticed." This, of course, means God sees the death of even something as insignificant as a bird.

But there are different kinds of "falls."

In our house, we have lots of falls. If Anna is standing when a seizure hits, she falls down. Sometimes, we're close enough to catch her. Most of the time, we're not. She has bruises on her arms and legs from flailing and hitting things, as the most important thing is to protect her head. I often cry out to God, wondering why He didn't catch her. Or stop the seizure. Or alert me beforehand. Sometimes, I wonder if He cares, as it seems the seizures keep right on coming and Anna keeps falling down.

I haven't received an answer except for the one I got years ago when I was praying for Anna's seizures to stop. "I am able to heal your daughter. But if I choose not to, will you still love Me?" And my answer then and still is yes.

But almost 2 weeks ago, God caught one of His furry creatures and kept him from falling until the perfect time. On Tuesday, June 10th, Mary and I were preparing to leave for my niece's HS graduation in North Carolina. Daryl was staying home with Anna. I called for the cats to come for breakfast. Only Cosmo showed up. Mary's cat, Hemmy, was nowhere to be found. This was unusual, but we had to get on the road, so I texted Daryl to tell him we couldn't find Hemmy and that he would be hungry by the time Daryl got home. And off we went.

We were gone three days. Daryl searched. The neighbors searched. The mail lady searched. Daryl called the shelter and animal control. No Hemmy. When we got home on Thursday, still no Hemmy. By then, I was sure he was gone. We hadn't seen him since that Monday night. Still, Mary called and called. Until midnight. And I wept through my prayers, begging God to somehow bring Hemmy home.

Friday morning, while I waited for Anna's bus, I felt the need to go outside and call one more time. I came down from the porch and stood on the sidewalk and called. I almost stopped breathing when Hemmy came stumbling out from under the neighbor's porch! And I fell to my knees. He was in bad shape, but he was alive. I ran into the house, shrieking for Mary to wake up.

After Anna went to her day program, Mary and I took Hemmy to our vet's other office in Hopewell, which was about half an hour away, because he wasn't due to be in Pennsville until the afternoon. He took us right in. Poor Hemmy had been hit by a car, his jaw broken, the bone exposed and infected. Missing teeth. Concussion. 70% dehydrated. Probable spinal cord damage. We had to put him down.

But here's my point; with all that damage, God could have let Hemmy die alone and under that porch. But He didn't. He kept Hemmy alive and unconscious for days until we got home and until it was the right time to hear me calling. Hemmy knew Mary, was happy to see her. She was able to hold him and comfort him until the end. Even going to the vet's office in Hopewell was perfect, as Daryl works in Hopewell. He had no classes that day, so was able to leave and be with us.

In this huge act of kindness, God showed us He doesn't forget His creation, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant in the grand scheme of things. He might not always say "yes" to our prayers. Anna may still have seizures and fall down. There will be wars and violence. Rich and poor. Hungry and well fed. But God is still in control, and He showed us, in a real and overwhelming way, that He loves us ... and Hemmy.

Be encouraged, friends! God is still on the throne. Glory and amen!