A Worthy God

I can't express how much your prayers and well-wishes have meant to us over the past days and weeks. This song popped into my head this afternoon, and this verse was impressed upon my heart:

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.

How wonderful is it to belong to a God who loves us with an unbounded, deep, strong love? I love you, Lord!

Steve went to the clinic with me this morning for a follow-up appointment to my ER visit. The nurse practitioner we saw (and really like) said he was pleased with the progress I've made. He said it may take another week until I'm completely recovered. There was also some bittersweet news. I told him I'd been struggling with panic attacks over my illness and with some depression. He gave me a questionnaire and ran the results while we waited. He diagnosed me with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) with symptoms of anxiety and depression. We decided the best route was to split between medicinal treatment and counseling. I started a mild anti-depressant today (forgot to eat food and wound up nauseated again), and I'm feeling pretty optimistic for the first time in awhile. I attribute that to the seed of hope for resolving so many things I've struggled with over the years, not the medication. I still stand by the fact that scripture and prayer are the best medicines. (That's not an endorsement for faith healings as the only Godly way to deal with an illness!)

If you don't mind continuing in prayer with us, our greatest request is that God leads us to the counselor He wants me to work with, and protects my heart and mind while I work through some stuff, especially if it's a secular counselor/method. Because of insurance reasons, we are most likely required to work with the staff Kaiser Permanente provides. I thank God for humbling me enough to accept the help I've been needing to live my life to the fullest for him and my family. I'm also keeping you in my prayers as the Lord teaches me to be an even stronger woman of faith! I love you guys!