victory in jesus

Sunday mornings are so rushed that I never have time to get on the computer. I am not sure what was different about this morning, (or at least I didn't know at the time), but I woke up before anyone else in my house. I had already had my shower the night before, so I had some extra time. I sat down and powered up my laptop.

I am so thankful I did.

I pulled up my face book page and read something that set the tone for my entire day. My uncle's status update is never displayed on my homepage, but this morning it was front and center. It was about my cousin Jonathan. I have written about Jonathan before on my blog. When he was born, he caught meningitis in the hospital. As a result, he is mentally challenged. He has paralysis on one side of his body and his speech is not always recognizable. Having said that, he is the most BEAUTIFUL person I know. He is so simple. I do not think that he is aware of his impact on those around him, or the way Jesus uses him to love other people.

Every time Jonathan gets sick, he has seizures. Unfortunately, there have been a few episodes recently that have landed him in the hospital. Each time is the same. After the emergency room doctors check him, they send him home. He is fine for a while. Last week he had strep throat. He had his first seizure out in public. My aunt called EMS and he was admitted to the hospital for a two day stay. Jonathan had more than one seizure this time, so they kept him longer to run a few more tests. Thankfully the tests reveled that everything was okay.

The day that they carried him home, he was a little unstable on his feet and a little weak. They put him in the car and headed home. During the drive, Jonathan began singing, "Victory In Jesus" from the backseat! Those of you who have heard Jonathan talk/sing are tearing up right now...

I have literally cried on and off all day long thinking about him singing his precious little heart out on the way home from yet another stay in the hospital. Ironically our sermon this morning at church was titled, "Why Bad Things Happen To Good People." My pastor said one thing that really stuck with me. Don't miss this..

"We can allow our circumstances to determine our belief in God, OR we can let our belief in God reign over our circumstances!"

Life has issued Jonathan more adversity than he even realizes, but he still has a song in his heart. Over the years, God has used this special saint to teach me so much. Today I was reminded that even when life does not turn out exactly like we plan it, we STILL have victory in Jesus!