Grounded by God

I remember when I was younger being grounded until my parents felt that I had learned my lesson, until what they were telling me “sunk in”.  Oh how frustrating that was, and they always seemed to know rather I honestly had or not.  There was no pulling anything over on them, I either had or I hadn’t, and they always seemed to know which it was.  Maybe it was by my demeanor and my actions I don’t know.  I think I recently was somewhat grounded by God.  Have you ever felt like he just knew you really weren’t where he was trying to get you to?  That he just wouldn’t let you “go” until you got there.  A few weeks ago my daughter, Alexa, was in the psychiatric hospital for self harm.  She was released after a week and then 2 days later I got a call from school stating that they were sending her back by ambulance and I needed to leave work right away and head that way.  Oh what a mix of emotions that goes through a parents head after a call like that. I have to say I was sad, scared and angry all at the same time.  I honestly didn’t know what to feel and I must say God heard more than his fair share of anger on that 30 minute drive headed down south to the hospital they were sending her too.  I wasn’t only mad at him, I was mad at Alexa, at myself and generally mad at life itself!  When I arrived, the ambulance had yet to get there so I went in to start the admission paperwork but was told that they would not even be able to see Alexa until about midnight.  Mind you this was about 11:00 am.  I had to reroute the ambulance to a hospital up north, 40 minutes from the hospital I was currently at.  This certainly did not help my anger any!  I called  Alexa’s youth pastor and he prayed with me.  As I headed out to meet the ambulance up north I turned the radio to KLOVE Christian radio and I talked to God the entire way.  I’m assuming I didn’t get all that I was suppose to out of that 40 minute conversation with him because when I got there I was told she had not arrived yet.  I was completely confused as to how this could be possible that they hadn’t made it down south when they were rerouted and yet I was already there.  So now, not only am I already frustrated but  I can’t even find Alexa let alone know what is going on with her.  There was a lady who was walking out the entrance who saw my cross necklace and frustration on my face and she stopped me and said, “honey, I see you are a Christian can I pray with you”.  Although I certainly was not in a spiritual place at the moment I said, “yes please” and she did.  I was then showed to the waiting room.  When I walked in there was an elderly lady sitting by herself watching a Christian channel.  She mentioned I could change it if I like that she was just waiting for her class to start.  I asked her to leave it and told her I probably need it more right now than anything else.  You see, God wasn’t done talking to me yet, I hadn’t realized yet what he wanted me to realize.  The channel she was watching was showing a sermon from Greenwood Christian Church.  I found that odd only because the pastor preaching happened to be the very same pastor that had given the Sunday morning sermon at the hospital my daughter was in the week before.  He was preaching on the Holy Spirit and how Jesus has offered his spirit to help us.  I sat there for a good 30 minutes talking with this lady and watching the sermon.  She was a very kind lady and I finally broke down talking to her and listening to the sermon.  The sermon was ending and it was time for her class to begin and as she left the room she turned and said to me, “I happen to be the night nurse on the adolescent unit, I want you to know I will be praying over your daughter every night.”  Finally I felt a sense of peace come over me.  Not that the situation was okay, but that God did in fact have it under his control and that yes he is even there when you least feel it or for me refuse to let yourself feel it.  I felt kind of stupid that he had to do everything but set off an explosion for me to realize it but I finally did and that’s what matters!  The secretary then came to let me know that they were extremely sorry but Alexa had been there the entire time the computer just did not reflect it at first.  I smiled knowing that’s because I hadn’t listened to God yet.  I asked him to calm me down and he did.  He would not let me go until I did and thank God for his persistence because it would not have been good for me to see Alexa at first.  The compassion I needed to have, to help her, was not in me until God calmed me down.  My anger and doubts of God at that moment had blind sighted me.  I really do not find it coincidence that in a non-Christian atmosphere I find two Christian woman to help me, or even more so they found me, and a Sermon on the strength he provides for us.  I do not find it coincidence that for almost 2 hours I could not see Alexa after I first received the call.  No, not coincidence at all…God had grounded me until I listened to what he was saying.

“and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” Philippians 4:7

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” Ephesians 1:13