I had a whole other blog written out for this update, but sometimes things happen to  compel me to change what I share.

This week has been another tough one, but yesterday I was truly humbled by one of the mom’s here at the care-home. Since I can remember, I’ve had pain in my back that flares up from time to time, and this week it has been very bad. Probably enflamed because of the many times I physically had to carry Hudson into his room when he was defying me. At the end of the night yesterday, the mom who we will know as Heidi, was walking back to the home with me, and I told her my hope to lay down for a bit for my back to relax. She asked me, “You want massage?” I had heard that some of the mom’s used to do “spa” nights on a regular basis, so I agreed to an exchange. Afterward, she saw my feet (which also have been very dry for years) and within a minute she disappeared into her room returning with a very special cream, saying “I give to you,” and then “I put on your feet.” I shrugged the proposal and not wanting anyone to have to touch my feet, responded no, no, no…I can put it on myself. She then looked at me very seriously and confidently said, “No. No, I do. Just like Jesus!”

A humiliated breath exited my m
outh.

I stopped my protests, and accepted the gift being offered. Here she was offering something special of hers, because she wanted to bless me. Who was I to stop her from doing something that would bring her joy? It took everything within me to not jump out of my skin in embarrassment when she took my foot in her hands, but she massaged my dry feet with her lotion and it was wonderful. My feet look brand new. It was one of the most humbling gifts someone could have offered me.

Even though she has shared just a little with me, this is a woman who has had a very difficult life, and is currently trying to raise her daughter the best way she can. She is trying to live a life following Christ an
d this was something she felt was a way to do as He would have done.

I was then reminded of the verse I’ve been studying this week, Luke 22:27 where Jesus says to his disciples that He has come as one who serves. He came as a servant! God in the flesh, came to serve us?? How could this be!? We should be humbled and falling at His feet and yet he says that He came to serve, and show us how to serve. What a great God we serve!

Please keep praying for us. Hudson has been both a terror and a joy this week in his stubbornness. He blessed me also this week with a few seemingly random hugs. The first one seriously made my jaw drop open. There are glimpses. Glimmers of hope. It’s there. It’s going to take a while, but God is faithful to us, and throughout my day I am trying, trying, trying to be faithful to Him and bring these things to the Lord. He is the ONLY one who can make any real progress. Both in the kids AND in my own prideful heart.

I also was blessed to be able to take a walk to this tree I’ve been looking at for a few weeks. The sun was just perfect, so I took this photo and added the verse for a friends’ birthday who needed to remember God’s faithfulness to her. We all need this!