Happy Birthday, Lydia

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The other day Lydia made a card for Ian. A few of the things she wanted to say to him were, “Ian is a good friend and my brother. We dance together. He has a scratchy face. I miss him. Mama misses him. Daddy misses him. Derissa (larissa) misses him.”

Lydia turned 3 years old today. Please pray that her biggest brother comes home soon so that they can get back to dancing and playing together.

How Could I Stand

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Ian’s grandparents visited him last night, and they said at one point they were sure that Ian was going to say something. Even his nurse seemed to be expecting him to say something. I guess he was groaning and moving his mouth in a way that was just so clear that he was trying to talk. We know that it must be very hard for him to even try, because his mouth is still really sore. It was looking better earlier this week but seems to have become really sore again, particularly his tongue.

Please pray that God would heal Ian’s mouth. It is clearly uncomfortable for him. And like the rest of us, if one part of your body is hurting, the rest seems debilitated too. Ian’s mouth needs to be feeling better before he can fully participate in therapy.

if it wasn’t for your mercy
if it wasn’t for your love
if it wasn’t for your kindness
how could i stand?
if it wasn’t for your cleansing
if it wasn’t for your blood
if it wasn’t for your goodness
how could i stand?
-Matt Redman

We are nothing apart from Christ.

-Larissa

Romans 8:35-39

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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hope does not disappoint us

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Today, I noticed for the first time that Ian’s right eye appears completely normal. Up to this point, it’s been a crazy eye. The pupil would wander and wouldn’t always be in sync with his left eye, and it would never completely close. I noticed today that none of that is true anymore. He looked at me with both eyes in sync, and when he closed them they were both completely closed. He also uses his left hand fairly consistently to stroke his beard and feel his face and neck. Small things like this show progress and are encouraging.

I’ve been wrestling with a Scripture passage from Romans 5. It says, “…we…rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” I’ve been wrestling, because, quite honestly, I don’t want to rejoice in my sufferings (or difficulties). I don’t like them. I don’t like what’s happened to Ian.

In a message by Dave Harvey that made an impact on me, he said that faith looks up (to God) and faith looks back (to His faithfulness). It occurred to me that hope looks up to God, too (the source of the gift of a bright future), but hope looks forward (to the day when we’ll be with Him). It looks forward so that earth’s pleasures and difficulties pale, and their hold on me decreases. These difficulties have definitely produced in me a greater focus on the day when I’ll be with Christ in heaven, and I trust the same has happened for Ian if he’s aware of what’s happening to him.

Lord, help us (especially Ian) to rejoice in these difficulties, because they sharpen our focus on the Day that matters most. That hope does not disappoint us.

Steve

The Sweetest Sacrifice

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Ian had a great speech therapy session today. He was making big movements with his head and face, pulling away from the “annoying” stimuli. His mouth, while not completely healed, is looking much much better. Every time I asked him to rest his head back in his chair, he did it. And he responded to the speech therapist when she asked him to close his eyes.

“Be encouraged to cheerfully offer intercessory prayer, by remembering that such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears…Thus while petitions for ourselves will be accepted, our pleading for others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit- more love, more faith, more brotherly kindness- will be, through the precious merits of Jesus, the sweetest sacrifice that we can offer to God. Remember, again, that intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has accomplished.”
-Charles Spurgeon

Thank you, each of you, who has been diligently praying for Ian. Especially now while progress seems to be slower than it was a few months ago, thank you that you continue to plead on his behalf. As quoted above, it is the sweetest sacrifice that we can offer God.

-Larissa

Never Cease to Love

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“Think of how His grace has been sufficient for you in all your troubles- how His blood has been a pardon to you in all your sins- how His rod and His staff have comforted you. When you have then reflected upon the love of the Lord, let faith survey His love in the future, for remember that Christ’s covenant and blood have something more in them than the past. He who has loved you and pardoned you will never cease to love and pardon.”
-Spurgeon

I was trying to remind Ian of these truths today- remind him that God’s love for him will never cease. Because this is God’s sovereign plan, we know that somehow, in some way, this affliction is better for Ian right now than starting his career, writing scripts for movies or getting married would be. I definitely don’t understand how, but I believe that it’s true. And I believe that God will never cease to love and pardon Ian, and the Murphys, and myself, and everyone else impacted by this trial.

I’m learning every day what it means to place my hope and trust into God. I can’t see into the future, I can’t see what the end result of this is, I can’t see when Ian will wake. But God can. And in Him is where I want to put my trust.

-Larissa

Hasn’t He Been Good

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I spent just a few hours with Ian tonight and he was wide awake the whole time. We watched the Super Bowl for a little bit and then watched the fish swim around in the fish tank. Ian was moving his left leg and left arm a lot again tonight. A couple of times while I was touching his chest he found my hand with his own.

His nurse tonight said that Ian usually gets around six hours of solid sleep each night, which is really good. Sleeping at night definitely helps him in therapy the next day.

I was reminded today of the goodness we have seen from God over the past four months. What really struck me is the example of mercy to us that God spared Ian’s life on September 30. I can’t imagine how much sadder this time would be if we hadn’t received this mercy. While it is hard seeing Ian have to go through this, I am so thankful for every day that I get to be with him. I want to continue to remember God’s goodness in the past and know that that same goodness will follow us into our futures.

Still praying for more and more miracles. As our pastor said this morning, we must first believe and then we will see miracles.

-Larissa

A Prayer

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Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually! (Psalm 119:117)

“Lord, I won’t have regard for your word unless you hold me up, unless you make me regard your word. I won’t be able to trust you unless you give me the strength to do so. I won’t be safe from fear and worry unless you protect me from that. I will doubt your character unless you hold me up. Hold me up, O God! Give me the strength to do want you want me to!

Thank you, Jesus, for living the perfect life I couldn’t live. Though I fail, you’ve died to take the blame for my failures.

Thanks be to God who is able and who loves to answer these prayers! Amen.”

Change

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Ian is still working his left arm quite a lot. He had a good session of speech therapy today and his therapist was much more encouraged. The sores in his mouth looked much better and he was very awake for their session. His big success of the morning was when he pulled a wet washcloth off of his face. As soon as the therapist put it on his face, he reached his hand up and pulled it off. He did it at least twice. Very exciting because it’s a deliberate movement for him.

The first entry I put on this blog was back in October, two weeks after the accident. It was the first time I had left the hospital and I was amazed at how beautiful the drive home was. I hadn’t been out of the hospital in two weeks and didn’t realize how much the leaves had changed. Everything was red and orange and just beautiful.

Tonight on my drive home, on the same road, I was amazed at how beautiful the snow was, resting on the tree branches and blanketing everyone’s yards. I felt like I was driving in a snowglobe, as all that white stuff hopped around.

We’ve seen the change of two seasons now since Ian’s accident. I’m praying that before we see the change of another one, Ian will be back here with us. The God that controls the changing of seasons is tenderly caring for Ian. Through Him, all things are possible.

“You have calmed greater waters, Higher mountains have come down” -Jars of Clay

-Laris

Botox

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No, not for his face – for his arms. Apparently, Botox works on relaxing the muscles. Tone in a brain injury patient has to do with how tightly they contract their muscles and keep them contracted, and it shows up primarily in the way that their arms contract to their bodies and in the way that their fingers curl (among other ways). Ian’s tone isn’t great, so they want to relax those muscles. He was given shots (three, I think) in his left arm (the one most contracted), and it could take a couple weeks to show the effects. They also have him on a medication designed to address the tone throughout his body. The Botox is supposed to be like a jump start for his arm.

He’s using his left arm now to feel things on his body. He plays with his shirt between his fingers. He feels and scratches his neck. He strokes the hair on his chin. When I put his hand in mine, it’s like a new sensation for him, and he feels my hand with the tips of his fingers. It’s as though he’s trying figure things out through touch.

Please continue to pray for the thrush in his mouth. It continues to be an issue, though the staff are treating it and though it’s getting better little by little.

Paul said in Philippians 4:12 that he had “learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” It occurred to me today that I had always wrongly put the emphasis in the next verse (13) on being able to do all things. The secret Paul had for facing everything, including hunger and need, was looking beyond his difficult circumstances to the God who ruled all his circumstances. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” He rules Ian’s circumstances and ours no matter what those look like, and He is good. I can do all things (though I don’t always feel that I can), because I know He’s in control and because His Spirit is in me kindly confirming to me that God is in control and because He supernaturally strengthens me by His Spirit. I can do all things through him.

Pray for Ian.

Steve