Update on Josh...A Word about Faith
Josh finally got his Botox treatment this past week! It will take a couple of weeks for it to kick in but when it does it will help calm the muscle spasticity. That will allow us to do more effective range of motion therapy and muscle memory work. Thanks for the prayers!
We will start hyperbaric chamber treatment next week. These treatments will saturate his body with oxygen which is supposed to help his nerves continue to heal. There is a catch, I will have to lay on the gurney and enter the chamber with Josh to help monitor him during the procedure. The chamber was only built for one so it will be a tight squeeze!!
In our last post I mentioned getting him up in the standing frame. Just a few days later Kelly and I had him back up in the frame and were monitoring his blood pressure and heart rate. All of a sudden we realized he was shifting his weight and trying to move his legs. We were so excited! Please continue to pray for:
Continued forward progress.
That we both will be able to fit in the hyperbaric chamber.
The trial of the man who hit Josh has been postponed yet again. The situation is very trying on our family. Pray for patience and peace.
Several of you have shared prayer requests with our family (AllinforJosh@gmail.com) and it has been a pleasure to pray with you. Some of you have shared stories and asked questions. One of the things that has come up recently is the topic of Faith. I hope you will indulge me and allow me to share a brief story of how I cam to understand Faith.
Years ago I was sitting on a dock in the early morning hours with a guy named Jerry Leachman. Jerry was the speaker for a weekend family camp I had organized. As we talked the conversation eventually found its way to the subject of Faith. Little did I know Jerry was about to impart some wisdom I desperately needed. He started by recounting the story of Jesus and His disciples out on a boat at night. Jesus was asleep in the bow of the boat when a violent storm arose. Even though some of the disciples were seasoned fishermen who had weathered many storms, they all became afraid. In desperation they went to Jesus and woke Him saying, "Don't you care that we die?" You know the rest of the story...Jesus calms the storm. When all the wind had died and waves subsided, it was now quite... Jesus asks THE question, "Where is your Faith?"
Jerry looked over at me and said, "Mike, what do you think Faith would look like in that moment...What should the disciples have done?" I paused, it's not the sort of question you want to get wrong and I was anxious to show my theological prowess. In a snap I responded and said if the disciples had Faith, they would have been able to calm the storms themselves. No sooner had I replied than a little buzzer went off in the back of my head...wrong answer. I didn't have an answer. Jerry then took his time and walked me back up into the bow of the boat and told me to lie down and go to sleep. In that moment Faith became crystal clear.
We have all found ourselves at the place in life where we look at God and scream, "Are you listening...Do you even care?" I can promise you, He is and He does.
I am reminded of the Police Chief's words to me after Josh's accident, "God's got this!" He does indeed!
All in for Josh!
Mike