Surreal

Learners Dictionary describes surreal as being “very strange or unusual : having the quality of a dream.”  There  have been very few times in my life when I had a surreal moment.  I remember holding my newborn babies close to me, loosening the swaddling and pulling out their tiny hands and feet. I don’t know if it is the responsibility, the life changes or how much you love them, but it was a surreal moment with each child.

When our daughter was two she had her first asthma attack.  By the time she was five the wheezing was constant and the attacks were day and night.  We knew this was not a disease she would out grow and according to the specialist, she made the top ten list for the worst asthma cases in Oklahoma. Worse asthma is not the top ten list you want your name on!

The fall of 2010 I had a surreal moment.  This time like the previous I was at the hospital.  But instead of looking at my baby I was looking at my adult daughter on life support.  She had had an asthma attack, this attack hit fast and furious.  As I was standing over her I could hear the Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. of the ventilator.  My mind was blank except for the words “My grace is sufficient, My grace is sufficient, My grace is sufficient.“  Over and over, “My grace is sufficient.”

The next morning I was in the ICU waiting room when I received a call from my son in law; the ventilator had been removed and my daughter was breathing on her own.  As I sat with her, in a low raspy voice she told me what she saw and why she came back.  (It’s a story for another day.)  She was released the following day. 

There is really no medical reason she is alive or that she has lived this long.  It is only by God’s unmerited favor, which is His grace and it is always sufficient.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV