Touched

I have a very special family. My wife, Teresa, can handle just about any challenge that life throws at her. Our daughter, Victoria, has been afflicted with Lyme Disease for the past three years and has challenges with pain and exhaustion that I can only imagine. She suffers with great strength and a faith that I marvel at. Our son, Landon, has seen the difficulty of his sister and struggled with understanding all that is going on. But I have been so touched by the ways in which our family is learning to deal with chronic illness of Victoria and how we are still learning to stand together. That has been a lot more difficult than I ever imagined. Families that are caught up in a crisis frequently don't realize just how bad things are - how tough it is to stick together - and begin to take out their frustrations on each other. Too bad it is so hard to love each other the way we want to when we are so tired, so frustrated, so frightened and so worried. Yet, because we are so close to one another (in proximity and in relationships) we show the worst of ourselves instead of the real love that we feel. I'm just thinking -- God has big plans for all of us. He shows us every day that He loves us and that we are making a difference in the lives of others. If we can recognize that, why are we so hard on each other during these times of stress and crisis? Tonight I pray for all of the families that are hurting - because of illness, because of finances, because they don't know how to love. That hurt is a lonely feeling and I pray that God continues to open doors that we might be helpful to those who need His touch - and that we can be His hands to accomplish it.