Grumble or Sing Praise?

Recently, our pastor preached on giving praise in hard times.  How when we are miserable, down trodden, in trials and pain the best thing we can do - what we should do - is sing praises to God.

Not my natural response.

Hearing how Paul and Silas sang a song of praise after being beaten and shackled and put in jail amazed me.  I had never before fully thought through their situation.  They had open, bleeding, wounds; they had been falsely accused, so their punishment was unwarranted; their fate was most likely death in the near future.  Despite their circumstances, when it would have been easy to weep, to complain, to grumble, and cry out to God and anyone else listening, they sang.  They had been dealt with unjustly.  How would we have reacted?  I know my tendency - I would have vented, cried, possibly even had a little self pity party or grown up temper tantrum.

In light of that, I began thinking of our medical situations.  We do seem to be 'genetic medical mutants' these days.

Our eldest, before he was 16, had major spinal fusion for Scheuermann's Kyphosis.  His younger brother also has kyphosis that is being monitored.  We won't really know if it's the same type until he hits his prepubescent growth spurt.  Our 7 yr old daughter, she has mild scoliosis.  But, if research proves correct, it could become significant given she has so much growing left to do.  In the last few days, we learned our oldest daughter appears to have some mild scoliotic tendencies as well.  Again, since she's just hitting puberty, we need to monitor it closely to see what direction it might go.  Given our family history, the doctors don't want to mess around.  This in addition to her weird auto immune swelling episodes she is so prone to experience.

A part of me feels overwhelmed by it all.  I wonder why?  Why so many of our kiddos?  Why crooked backs?

Having gone through spinal fusion surgery with one child already, I can attest to the fact - quite confidently - I'd prefer NOT to go through that again.  It was hard.  Scary.  Heart wrenching.

At the same time, I acknowledge how blessed we are.  Our children are quite healthy overall.  Crooked backs, although not easy or fun, are also not generally life threatening.  Thank the Lord.

So, I'm going to give thanks.  I'm going to praise God. I'm going to sing Psalms and songs of praise for being given this opportunity.  God's plans are not my plans. His are so much bigger.

I recall the wonderful witness Jacob was to the staff at Cincinnati Children's Hospital during his surgery and recovery.  I'm certain he'll touch even more lives as time moves on.  God's plan - not ours.

I'm excited to see how these circumstances; how our 'medical mutant' status; how curvy spines and all that goes with them will enable us to touch others lives.

I will sing praises to God.

Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.