Maybe I Need To Slow Down?

Apparently, God has decided that I need a little Sabbatical. I have been stretching myself a bit too far. I Knew it. Refused to change it. Neglected the warnings of my body, not to mention the voice of my Lord and now........

I'm on Sabbatical.

At the hospital.

Since Wednesday.

Seriously.


I've had this bronchial thing since the end of September. You may remember me whining about missing the Joyce Meyer conference? Yea. Well, I went to the ER a couple of times between September and December, they put me on some steroids and finally by Christmas I was feeling pretty good again. However, I don't think I ever bounced back 100%. BUT.......life is life and it really doesn't slow down just because one (such as me) doesn't feel good. So, I have just kept pushing through. Ignoring the warning signs. Ahem.

After an exhausting weekend at Dare2Share with the teens (more about that awesome time later:) and a long 8 hour day at church on Sunday, I had planned to spend Monday evening relaxing. However, something came up that I had been putting off and with that time slot open, I quickly filled the space. By Tuesday evening, I could feel my body begin to give way to what seemed like a little cold. My body was achy, my head was hurting, I had some chills, and my lungs were a little tight. Since I am a seasoned pro in the Asthma arena, I decided to do a Nebulizer treatment as a precaution. I was hoping to break up anything that may have decided to lurk deep within. But....nothing. My cough was dry, no breathing problems. Seemed as though bed was the best option.

I woke up on Wednesday feeling lousy. My lungs were hurting a bit, but nothing major. I took a quick puff of my albuterol inhaler, called the boss to let him know I would be in around noon (thinking I would feel better then), and went back to sleep until about 8:30am. When I woke then.....I knew there was a problem. I wasn't breathing well. I did a Nebulizer treatment. Relief.....for about 10 mins. Took a shower. Did another treatment back to back. Nothing. Called the doc.

My appt was at 11:15am on Wednesday. By the time I reached the docs office, my oxygen level was 85. He looked at me for about 3.2 seconds before sending me to the ER. I remained there until approximately 3pm when they admitted me to ICU.

Where I am currently residing.

Still.

I had a lot of activities scheduled this week that I was really looking forward to. Wednesday night was our Experiential Worship Night with the youth and I was anxious to spend that time with them since returning from Dare2Share. My girls were singing Friday night at church, we were introducing our new Sunday School curriculum (that we picked up at Dare2Share) to the Jr/Sr High teens, and Sunday night was the Winter Wonder Jam with Tobey Mac, Brandon Heath, and Hawke Nelson. And guess what!?

I missed it.

All of it.

I even tried to get a 'furlow' to leave the hospital for a few hours on Friday night. Nope. Didn't work.

What began as an overnight observation has turned into a lesson in being still. It's not a new lesson. As a matter of fact, I believe God and I were just working on this together over the summer. However, as He knows and I have always said....I am a slow learner.

My girlfriend dropped of a book she felt 'led' to give me to read. It's called "Be Anxious for Nothing" by Joyce Meyer. I chuckled when she handed it to me because she knew how much I wanted to be 'on the go' this week. Last night, I took a little turn for the worse and began to feel very frustrated. My friend, Connie, sent me a text to let me know she was praying for me. I expressed my frustration to which she simply texted back 'Phil 4 7'. She was not aware of the book.

Yea. He's funny.


Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7