Be Strong

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”"

(Joshua 1:9)

When I was a young girl my Dad came home from a business trip with a book about Joan of Arc for me and I instantly had a hero. Oh how I admired her faith, her courage, her bravery! Oh how I wanted to be like her! Many times since I first read that book I have had my own courage tested, although not to the degree that Joan of Arc did.

My courage has been tested in different ways. One way in particular happened when our oldest son Benjamin was only sixteen. He had been out to youth group at the church and somehow twisted his knee while he was there. He came home that night in pain but we figured it was just something he would recover from in a few days. Little did we know then what was in store for all of us over the next few days and in the months to follow.

By the next morning Benjamin's knee was swollen triple the normal size. It was giving him a great deal of pain and we knew it was something more than just a twisted knee. So Brad took him to the outpatients department of the hospital and the doctor on call drained the built up fluid off his knee and sent him home to rest his leg. Less than twenty four hours later Benjamin had a fever and severe pain in his knee. Brad took him back to the outpatients department where a different doctor, drained his knee again, but this time Benjamin wasn't sent home. The fluid from his knee was infected. We were told we had to get him to the Izaak Walton Killiam Children's Hospital in Halifax as soon as possible and that there would be a team waiting for us.

We started on our way to Halifax but only got as far as Liverpool when Benjamin had a seizure in the back seat of the van. We called 911 from the cell phone and he was taken the rest of the way in an ambulance. Once we got to the hospital the doctors and nurses didn't waste any time. Within an hour or so Benjamin was prepped for surgery and had his first of two surgeries to clean out the infection from his knee. It was moving rapidly throughout his body and was attacking the bones of his leg. We were told he contracted a staph infection from the first time his knee was drained. Since it was a hospital born virus it was resistant to normal treatment.

After the first surgery the doctor came and told us that he thought Benjamin would live now that they got the infection cleaned out but that he couldn't promise us he would be able to keep his leg. It took everything I had in me to be strong and courageous. It took all that strength to rely on God to bring us through this ordeal and to hold on to Him. By the next morning Benjamin had to be rushed back into surgery because the infection had started to grow again.

On the third day the head of the Infectious Diseases department came to see us to tell us the good news: she had found a cocktail of antibiotics which had been proven in the lab to kill the virus he had. Another doctor came to put a pick line into Benjamin's arm. What normally usually took a matter of a few minutes took over two hours. At sixteen years old Benjamin was 6'4" so the doctor had been trying to put in an adult sized pick line. She kept saying "I know I'm hurting you. I'm so sorry. Why are you not complaining?" Benjamin laid there on the bed in pain and witnessed to that doctor and the nurses all around about how God was giving him strength and helping him through this. Eventually the doctor inserted a pick line which was usually reserved for infants and it worked! Benjamin could get his medication.

We stayed at the IWK for one month while Benjamin faced one trama after another; at first fighting for his life, then praying he wouldn't lose his leg, going through toxic shock syndrome due to the medication and having all of his skin peel off his body, having blood transfusions and having more reactions and learning to walk again, yes on both of his legs. But through it all we hung on to God's promises like this verse in Joshua 1:9. We knew God would bring him through. We knew it was for a reason.

During that month Benjamin exhibited a Christian character. He witnessed to nurses, doctors and fellow patients. I got to spend a month with my son talking about everything under the sun. I got to see his bravery, his courage, his faith. I got to see what a fine man my son had become and would be. I thanked God for protecting him and bringing him through. I thanked God for letting him keep both of his legs. And I thanked God that never once did Benjamin blame God for anything he was going through. He held on to God and got his strength from Him.

Over the years I have had my courage tested, my faith tested. And each time I have passed the test, not because I am so strong, but because God is. Joan of Arc was just a young girl who had listened and heard from God. She lead the army of France when no one else would. She was brave even when she had to face terrible persecution and a martyr's death. But through it all she relied on God. She drew on His strength and He never failed her. He never let her down.

Many times when we are faced with trials and hardships we turn our back on God and blame Him for what we are going through. We walk away from the One thing that would help us. We walk away from our faith and from God. When we are truly courageous, we will run to God and expect His strength to bring us through and it will. He will bring you through even the worst storms of your life if you will only hold on to His hand. Be strong!