Reflections on Rachel's Surgery Part 4

I woke up early Wednesday morning as if I had just slept for 10 hours. The sunrise was never more glorious and the new day was filled to overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to the Great Physician, the Faithful One, the One who did what only He could do!

Rachel and Mr. Incredible were still sleeping soundly while I got ready for the day. When I was finished getting dressed, I grabbed my favorite devotional book, "Streams in the Desert." I couldn't wait to spend time with the Lord. I had so much that I wanted to tell him, so much that I wanted to thank Him for, and so much He wanted to share with me.

The devotion for November 25th was about Jehoash, the king of Israel, who was told to "take the arrows....strike the ground. He struck the ground three times and stopped. The man of God (Elisha) was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times" (2 Kings 13:18-19). The devotion continued, "To him (Jehoash) it seemed to be an extraordinary act of his faith, but the Lord and the prophet Elisha were deeply disappointed, because he had stopped halfway. Yes, he did receive something; in fact, he received a great deal--exactly what he had believed God for, in the final analysis. Yet Jehoash did not receive everything that Elisha mean for him to have or that the Lord wanted to bestow on him. He missed much of the meaning of the promise, and the fullness of the blessing. He did receive more than any human could have offered, but he did not receive God's best." Wow! The devotion continued by encouraging us to claim the fullness of His promises and the possibilities that believing prayer offers. And then it gave one of my favorite verses....one that is so timely to Rachel's story:

"To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory." (Ephesians 3:20-21). The last words for that day said, "In no other place does the apostle Paul use these seemingly redundant words: "immeasurably more than all." Each word is packed with God's infinite love and power "to do" for His praying believers. Yet there is the following limitation: "according to His power that is at work within us." He will only do as much for us as we will allow Him to do in us. The same power that saved us, washed us with His blood, filled us with the power of His Holy Spirit, and protected us through numerous temptations will work for us to meet every emergency, every crisis, every circumstance, and every adversary." Hallelujah! Praise, You, Father!

I felt like I had already asked the Lord for the moon and back again for our daughter, but once again I bowed my head and asked for even more. I remember telling the Lord that we were to expect a very painful day for Rachel but even that pain had to bow at His feet. He was over it all. I asked Him to continue to do for Rachel what only He could do. To minimize the pain, to heal her completely, for no infections, no fever, no complications..... I didn't want the Lord to be displeased with me because I didn't believe for more....I wanted Rachel to receive the full blessing, everything God intended for her to have. He had just moved a tremendous mountain for her...and there was so much more to be done. Oh, I believed that nothing was too difficult for Him...and I once again reminded Him that one of our prayers from the beginning of Rachel's journey would be that He would be setting the stage to show His absolute glory in all of this....and it was as if I saw His magnificent robe unfold and fill every corner of that hospital room...and we saw and continue to see His glory!

It wasn't long before Hannah, Granny, Grandpa, Nonnie, Poppie, and Aunt Sissie arrived. They were all amazed at how well Rachel was doing. She seemed to enjoy sitting up better and she told us that she was hungry. Jennifer, the nurse, told us that there were no dietary restrictions, so Aunt Sissie and Hannah went downstairs and bought Rachel some pumpkin bread and a Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte for me from Starbucks. Rachel ate every bite of that pumpkin bread and did not get sick one time!

The nurse switched Rachel over to oral pain medications and then an hour later they disconnected her IV. I helped Rachel get into her favorite pajamas and then she sat on the bench that was in her room....and we all rejoiced at how well she was doing. We even went for a walk around the hospital floor...she was doing so well...God was answering prayer after prayer after prayer...and it was amazing to see.

We had all noticed the cool jerseys that the nurses were wearing around the hospital. We were told that the jerseys were to celebrate the fact that "Cook Children's Hospital was one of the Top 100 Places to Work in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2009. Cook Children’s earned its place amongst the best as number 23 overall. To make this distinction even more special, Cook Children’s is the only health care employer listed in the top 40, the top ranked Fort Worth-based company, and the highest ranked not-for-profit on the list." They had special jerseys made to celebrate their incredible ranking.

My dad saw the jerseys and set out to get one for Rachel. He was on a mission to get one for his granddaughter. He spoke to many nurses, the chaplain, and then the DON on the surgical floor, Orlando. My dad told Orlando Rachel's story and asked if he could find a jersey for her. Orlando responded by saying that Rachel could have his.

It wasn't long before my dad came in Rachel's hospital room with a special delivery:

He was all smiles...and we were too! Later on I heard some nurses talking about another nurse's jersey...the didn't have theirs yet and they wanted to know where to get one. I just smiled and giggled to myself. Rachel Ann, you are dearly loved!

There were other special deliveries that day too:

The gift shop is run by a wonderful lady who gives all of the profits back to the hospital (I know this because my dad asked her about the jerseys too). We heard that they had fun putting together gift baskets and balloons for Rachel (even Rachel's favorite balloon thank you Poppie-Sleeping Beauty or Sleepin in the Booty as she use to call her when she was little), as they mainly put together special deliveries for younger children. The flowers, balloons, and gift baskets were so bright and cheery and permeated the room with their beautiful scents.

It wasn't long before Rachel was hungry for lunch. Mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese with roasted chicken from Boston Market sounded so good to her, so Grandpa to the rescue! She ate so well, rested a little bit, and then went for another walk.

Dr. Roberts was so pleased to see her sitting on the bench when he came to visit. This was where he told her the story about her surgery and it was so good to hear the story once more.

He told her that she was doing so well, that she just might be able to go home the next day!

.... And I thought to myself, it's too early!

There is still so much of God's great works to be shared. Please, check back tomorrow for Part 5.