Advent 2022 – Day 25
Wednesday, December 21st
Suffering Turned Joy
By Callie Jubran / Season of life: 34, Mom of 3 Littles
Scripture
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ~ Romans 5:3-5
This time of year may never be the same for me. Last year in mid-October, we
welcomed our third child, George. We were overjoyed with this beautiful blessing, and were enjoying our new normal adjusting to life as a family of five. There were lots of snuggles and kisses from big brother and big sister, and not much sleep.
But twelve days into our life as a family of five, our lives came to a screeching halt when our tiny, 6.5 pound baby boy became very sick and was having trouble breathing. After rushing to the hospital, we watched as the medical team scattered to give him all the support he needed in order to breath, as his body was too sick to do it on its own. They told us George needed to be placed on a ventilator while his body healed from this respiratory virus.
For nine days, George was heavily sedated with a breathing tube down his throat, a feeding tube in his nose, and countless IVs and cords surrounding his tiny body. Nine days… of being unable to hold my newborn baby. Nine days… of begging God to help his body heal. And then, another ten days in the hospital, trying to recover from the huge fight his tiny body had to endure so he could eat, grow, and thrive.
To say this experience stripped me to my core, emotionally, would be putting it lightly. Being given a gift that brings so much joy, and seeing this precious gift almost taken away… It will change a parent forever.
So many people watched and cheered us on from the sidelines. They were blown away by what we went through in his first two months of life. They asked me if I was okay, because they couldn’t imagine how I had made it through on the other side, especially emotionally. This is what I can say – after watching my dad, who I dearly loved, get sick, suffer, and not get better, I was so thankful to be able to watch George get better.
George’s body was healed, he started to thrive, and he got stronger. This is where the joy comes back in – this little boy has grown into one of the most joyful, happy babies you could ever imagine. I don’t know if George knows what he went through, but he has a special way about him that makes us feel like he knows that being alive is something to be thankful for. He truly is joyful to his core. When we are around George, it’s hard to feel sad, because he reminds us every single day of the joy that God gives us through our struggles.
During the hardest times of our lives, we have truly lived this scripture and learned that going through extremely hard circumstances allows you to see and feel joy one hundred times deeper.
Closing Prayer
God, please continue to show me the power of your love as I walk through
difficult times. Remind me that, with you, I can endure anything this earth throws my way, and I will come out stronger each time. Help me share my experiences, and the joy you helped me find, with others who are struggling too. Amen.
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Reflections
In what way have you seen God heal a loved one in your life? Spend a moment praising him for being the God who heals.
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Lord God, may I “repeat the sounding joy” of who You are today!