Trying to See Past My Belly

I’ve been so self-focused these last few weeks (okay, months). I can’t really seem to think of anyone but myself and how much discomfort I’m in. It’s pretty pathetic. I need to be thankful and think of others and their needs. That always seems to be the cure to self-pity. If I put others’ concerns first in my thought and prayers, then, my own concerns become minimized. That’s why I wanted to lift up a few people who are in need of your prayers. So as you go about your day, please remember my church friend MaryEllen. She has an aggressive tumor that is growing on the backside of her neck, attached to her spine. She has undergone two surgeries and several chemo treatments, and the doctors haven’t given her very good odds for going into remission. She needs your prayers, dear brothers and sisters. She has decided to forgo chemo because it is taking every last bit of strength she has left. Without God, her healing looks slim. With God, all things are possible.

There are also several people in our church who are currently or soon-to-be unemployed, and they desperately need employment; please pray that God will provide jobs for them amidst this slumped economy. With God, all things are possible.

Another friend you can pray for is one who almost lost her son. She is a blogging friend I met recently, and her little boy Charlie lies in a hospital bed right now, on the mend. Little Charlie's story is gripping, and if you have time, go and read it; it has several parts, so be sure to read the whole story. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to her and her family during this brush with death. Little Charlie also still needs our prayers for recovery and the rest of his treatment during his stay. He’s afraid of the blood tests (the “vampires”) and the bandage changes. Charlies' story is pure evidence that with God, all things are possible.

I’m trying to see past the end of my belly. With God, all things are possible.