It has been a rough week. I have been smelling sweet, pungent smoke – all the time!!! It began intermittently , then gradually became more and more frequent. I wake up several times at night gagging. I smell it in the grocery store, in the car, at friends’ houses, in church. Then, yesterday my left eye began to act up.
I’ve spent two days being shuffled from specialist to specialist – trying to come up with some diagnosis other than the two elephants in the room – TUMOR or STROKE. So after much prodding and discussion, the consensus has come back – it is time for the brain MRI early next week whenever they can get my measly insurance policy to approve it. I am very phobic about them, the way some people are about needles. Truly – my blood pressure rose 20 points when they told me.
In the meantime this intermittently half fuzzed-out and gagging from the phantom stench writer is trying to get work done, earn a living and keep from asking God why? Warriors have been praying. Still, for the past two days questions have kept surfacing as if in a Magic 8 Ball- Will this get worse? What if I go blind, or have to stop writing? Please God, no. Take a leg, take this cup, but don’t take my writing. Okay- thy will be done. What window will crack open if this door shuts? (I have a Bible study on that by the way. The radio interview with the Christian Authors Show airs on Dec 19th. I’ll share the link then when it is live.)
God in His sweet timing brought to me three gifts. God always has a way of doing things in threes for me. Three is an important number for me personally so it is an added touch of His grace – like a bow on the present.
The first was an email from Truth Media’s Editor Claire for a website “Power to Change -Christian Women Today” that I write for on a weekly basis –
Good morning Julie,
As I was going through emails this morning I was delighted to see that someone had written in specifically to praise one of your devos. Here’s what she said:
I was reading this on my phone so the screen was small and I had expanded text for legibility. As I read I thought, “Wow! This is really well written.” Curious I scrolled up to the top to see who had written it. Of course! Julie Cosgrove! What a gift she is to all who are lucky enough to discover her writings.
As soon as I read it I knew that you needed to see it too… So be encouraged, God is using the work of your hands for His good purposes.
Thank you for all the work you do month after month. You are very much appreciated!
Claire
Then I got five copies of The Journey Jan-Apr 2013 edition in the mail- with a month’s worth of my devos accepted in it for April, 2013.
Third- I got a letter from the couple I stayed with in England. I had donated several of my books and she said everyone there in the village has been reading them and love them.
They were My Sweet Lord’s reassurance that no matter what, and it is probably a lot of fuss and money over something that will turn out to be as simple as a nasty sinus infection, three things are true –
He is by my side,
He has been glorified through my work for Him, and
He is pleased.
Three reminders that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength (Phil 4:13) Even endure an MRI – again.
Where Did You Find God Today? 