October 8th is a date I will always remember. Usually, as soon as the month of October begins, I start thinking about the significance of this month 9 years ago. Wow, I can't believe it's been 9 years. My baby girl, middle daughter, sensitive spirit child Anna was born 9 years ago in July of 2007. On October 8, 2007 she had open heart surgery. A day many in my family will never forget and a day I am commanded to never forget because it was a day of the Lord's faithfulness shown to me.
Just as Joshua commanded the Israelites to pick up stones from the middle of the Jordan River as they crossed through it, so am I commanded to pick up stones along my journey. Especially in times where the Lord parted the waters so I could walk on dry ground. As I tell my story, Anna's story, as I remember the faithfulness of God that is written on my stones, I tell the next generation of His mighty power. "When your children ask their fathers in times to come, 'What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know, 'Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground....so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.'" Joshua 4: 21, 24.
There is definitely a stone in my life marked October 8, 2007. Even a few inscribed with the dates leading up to this day and many, many in the multitude of dates since. When faced with an event as significant as your 10 week old baby having open heart surgery, there has to be some walking on dry ground in the midst of a raging river. I often think back to that day, watching my baby be wheeled off on the stretcher, sending her special little pink bunny with her, sitting in her room for a few minutes after they had taken her and praying with my husband. I can remember the peace I felt. I can vividly recall the presence of God I felt in my soul and on my body. I thought I would be that screaming mom we see on tv, falling to pieces and crying all over the place, because that to me would be a normal reaction. However, I was the complete opposite and the only explanation of the peace I felt was that the Mighty God was in that room with me and He was holding my hand as we walked on dry ground through the roaring river.
The reason I believe so strongly that God's presence was so great in my life that day is because of the prayers of our family, friends, and strangers across the country. I cannot remember this day without giving thanks to the Lord for all the people He invoked to pray for our family as Anna was in surgery. Whether they spent a few minutes praying, several hours, or the entire length of surgery, their petitions to God on our behalf gave us strength in supernatural ways. The prayers of our family and friends held the waters back and allowed us to walk on the dry ground and not be flooded with worry, anxiety, and fear. Every prayer a person offers in petition for another person is part of the victory, it's part of our story.
There will always be Jordan Rivers in our lives that we have to cross. The dry ground is always at the bottom of the river. We have to take hold of the Maker's hand as we step into the river. We have to call out to others and ask them to intercede on our behalf. We have to take it one step at a time, reaching our toes to find the dry ground, pleading with our Mighty God to prepare the path ahead of us. As He goes before you and parts that raging river, don't forget to bend down and pick up a stone. Write on it, inscribe it with the faithfulness of God and the step He allowed you to take. And when you get to the other side, celebrate the victory and tell others of the greatness of our God.
October 8, 2007 My God walked through the Jordan with me as Anna had open heart surgery at 10 weeks old. Today, she is a healthy, quiet, sensitive, and snuggly 9 year old. Her heart beats in perfect rhythm and the scar on her chest is a reminder that God personally touched her heart. My prayer for her is that her heart will sing no other name than Jesus. That one day, my stones will become her stones and she will continue telling her testimony of how the Lord carried her through the river on dry ground and He has been faithful to her ever since.
