Jesus and the Mud Puddle

I received this email from my sister.  It was too precious not to share.  Enjoy!

 

Jesus & the Mud Puddle
(You gotta believe a 6 year old)

Howard County Sheriff Jerry Marr got a disturbing call
one Saturday afternoon a few months ago.
His 6-year-old grandson, Mikey, had been hit by a car
while fishing in Greentown with his dad.

The father and son were near a bridge
by the Kokomo Reservoir
when a woman lost control of her car,
slid off the bridge and hit Mikey
at a rate of about 50 mph.
Sheriff Marr had seen the results of accidents
like this and feared the worst. 
 When he got to Saint Joseph Hospital ,
he rushed through the emergency
room to find Mikey conscious and in fairly good spirits.

'Mikey, what happened?' Sheriff Marr asked.
Mikey replied, 'Well, Papaw, I was fishin' with Dad,
and some lady runned me over,
I flew into a mud puddle,
and broke my fishin' pole and 
I didn't get to catch

no fish!'

As it turned out, the impact 
propelled Mikey about

500 feet,
over a few trees and an embankment and in
to the middle of a mud puddle.

His only injuries were to his right femur bone,
which had broken in two places.
Mikey had surgery to place pins in his leg.
Otherwise the boy is fine.

Since all the boy could talk about was
that his fishing pole was broken,
the Sheriff went out to Wal-Mart
and bought him a new one while he was in surgery
so he could have it when he came out. 
 The next day the Sheriff sat with Mikey
to keep him company in the hospital.
Mikey was enjoying his new fishing pole
and talked about when he could go fishing again
as he cast into the trash can.
When they were alone Mikey, just as matter-of-fact, said,
'Papaw, did you know Jesus is real?'

'Well,' the Sheriff replied, a little startled..

'Yes, Jesus is real to all who believe in him
and love him in their hearts.'
'No,' said Mikey. 'I mean Jesus is REALLY real.'
'What do you mean?' asked the Sheriff.
'I know he's real 'cause I saw him,' said Mikey,
still casting into the trash can.
'You did?' said the Sheriff.
'Yep,' said Mikey. 'When that lady runned me over
and broke my fishing pole,
Jesus caught me in his arms
and laid me down in the mud puddle.'

GIVES YOU GLORY BUMPS, DOESN'T IT?!

GOD WILL DO THE REST
I asked the Lord to bless you
As I prayed for you today
To guide you and protect you
As you go along your way
His love is always with you
His promises are true
And when we give Him all our cares
You know He will see us through
So when the road you're traveling on
Seems difficult at best
Just remember I'm here praying
And God will do the rest.

Women of Faith contest

This blog entry answers the following question:"If you could become a Women of Faith speaker, what would you talk about?"

I would speak about struggling with God's will versus my own.  I had big plans for my life.  I wanted to be a wife and mother since I was a young girl.  I dated many people but no one I really clicked with. I went through times of being despondent and depressed.  I drove my friends and family crazy at times whining about my single condition.  It got really bad when everyone I "hung out" with got married.  I really felt like a third wheel then.  My good friends assured me that I wasn't a burden, but that did little for my attitude.  I would often babysit so others could have date nights.  At least someone benefiting from my single condition, right?  I passed my twenties and was well into my thirties before I realized my big mistake.  My greatest relationship should have been with my Father in heaven.  I had been searching elsewhere for a fulfilling relationship when all I had to do was turn to God.  I began a relationship with Him and my life changed forever.  I began to become comfortable with myself and the fact that it might not be in His will for me to have a mate.  I knew God had a plan for me, but I was not willing to submit to it until this time.  After a couple of years of letting God show me His plan, He whammied me with a man that got my attention in a big way. 
Now yes, I did go to bible college and I did work in the church, but never did I picture myself as a preacher's wife.  I felt unworthy of such a "lofty" title.  Well....preacher's wives are just sinner's and regular people like everyone else.  We have faults (can you imagine??) and warts just like all of the people around us.  I still go through times of doubt when I don't think I'm doing a good job, but God has given me people to encourage me and help me out.  Most of them are preacher's wives too.  I am in awe of them and they are regular people like me.  WOW!  
I keep searching out God's will for me daily.  He has given me my dreams, a wonderful, romantic husband and 2 ornery, fantastic boys that I chase around all the time.  My family is in love with each other and with God.  Did I mention that I didn't find the "perfect for me" man until I was 34 years old?  I had babies at 37 and 39.  I started late but I don't regret a minute of it.  My earlier life prepared me for this life.  It was God's perfect timing not my "I want it now!" will.
The verse that I hold dear is Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (NIV) There is a song that uses this verse and it ends "help us Lord, help us Lord to wait."  And that's the crux of the matter.  We have to wait on His will instead of the "fast food" mentality of wanting everything NOW.  If I hadn't waited on God, I don't believe I would be in a happy relationship.  I can't be sure of that, but I can't imagine a better mate than the one He chose for me.  If this helps any of my friends that are searching, it is well worth my while to write down.

It's been an eventful week!

This week began on Easter morning with church and  lunch with the Bolins.  We serve a might God and I was so glad to celebrate His resurrection this week.  My babies did very well at lunch.  They behaved themselves, unlike Saturday night small group where they lost it towards the end.  Sunday night went well until about 11:30.  Nothing makes a parent move faster than the sound of a kid throwing up.  Noah had a bad belly and he woke up and got sick.  Needless to say, Chris and I were up.  He threw the blankets in the laundry while I soothed a crying baby.  We put him back in his bed with a towel under him.  That was good because he did it again about 1 am.  After that he was fine.  He didn't have any symptoms before or after that.  I don't know if it was allergies or something he ate.  I'm just glad it didn't last long.  Allergies are kicking us in the tail right now.  Nathan's poor eyes get red when it's time for more medication.  Chris is even getting choked up and he doesn't usually get bad allergies.  Well, it's Wednesday and so far everyone is healthy. 
Tonight is church and Shannon is cooking again.  She fills in when no one signs up, which has been often lately.  I feel bad for her but she is an AWESOME cook!  I would offer but it's in the middle of Noah's nap time and he has to nap on Wednesday to keep the nursery workers sane.  Plus....I'm not really sure how to cook for that many people.  I'll give it a go sometime.  Anyway, we are having roasted chicken and I can't wait!  MMMMmmmmmm......you should come to at 6 pm. 
I'm revving up for work this week.  I work 3 out of 4 days over the weekend.  It's weird how Wal*Mart's schedules run.  This schedule just turned out to have days close together this time.  My boys are ready for some Daddy time.  They always do something fun or interesting when I'm gone. **sigh**  That's OK.  Daddy is fun and they all love being together. 
My friend Deb is going to have her little girl on Friday at 11am. (C-section) She's been on bed rest for several weeks because of her blood pressure and the end is near!  This is a miracle baby and she is so excited.  She has another daughter who is going to be an awesome sister.  The whole family is ready.  God is good....He kept the baby safe where it had time to grow and develop before making her debut entrance.  Congratulations Deb and Joe......I hope you're ready for a new baby after all these years.   You can do it!!!