Quieten The Room

As caregivers we have so many things that hit us all the time and we can't always nail these things down by ourselves. Who helps you what does that look like I'm Peter Rosenberg and I wanted to you about a program but a part of. Now for almost 10 years.

That's legal shield for less than $30 a month. I have access to a full law firm that can handle all kinds of things. If I get a contract put in front of me if I get of dispute was something doesn't matter, I've got full law firm that can help me navigate through all the sticky wicket is that we as caregivers have to deal with power of attorney medical power of attorney will every bit of it as a caregiver. We need someone who advocates for us and that's why I use legal shield to go to caregiver legal.com look on the left-hand side versus legal shield to selected turns purple this pick a plan to give you some options if you don't need to do those no selected checkout and be protected. Starting today that caregiver legal.com look back to hope for the caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger. I'm glad that you with this. I wanted to circle back to something I was recently discussing. It's about our decision-making as caregivers. A lot of times when making decisions out of despair and desperation hit we make those decisions out of strategic thinking in the middle of our stuff and let's face a lot of us live with desperate circumstances and anything that promises even an iota of relief. We often grasp it all right. I'm saying we I do that I don't know if you do that you tell me is that something you struggle with coming because if I'm in the wrong ballpark. Let me know.

I'm just speaking for myself, this is been the temptation for me. This is been a struggle for me to just like okay maybe if I do this, then okay, dishabille, better, or if I do this and this will help or okay you have the art discuss problems and this is get this great product or service. Are you saying that these particular vitamin pills will help you. And if I'm the only one please let me know and hopefully caregiver.com just what the gist of your message hey Peter, you're the only one shut up. But if I'm not the only one indulge me for a moment, because I think this is a problem for us as caregivers in that we are often find ourselves making decisions out of desperation and that is no way to run a railroad and in light of that if you bear with me and wanted tell you story well over 30 years ago.

Gracie was struggling with the reality of what happened to her lower limbs.

Both of her legs took the brunt of this terrible record 83. So here we are back in 1990 and 91, and she's tried so many different surgeries to say that right leg particular, which for all intents and purposes was amputated at the time of the wreck with a ribald graphic back surgeon said we done everything possible to say this leg and all that's left is amputation. When you're ready will have that conversation. Everybody in Gracie's life, including me.

Embarrassed to say had an opinion about this and Gracie understandably was struggling mightily during this time, and to try to be respectful of of everyone else that wanted a way in which was very gracious of her but unnecessary because really it had only to do with her and I guess, by extension, me, but mostly just her.

There was two ladies that came up to we really know them.

That will but they felt the need to jump into our lives and they told Gracie that she was in rebellion if she went ahead with this amputation and they prophesied. Can you see the air quotes that I'm using on that prophesied in air quotes.

Can you see that they prophesied that God would heal her leg in June and this was in February. Okay, so they're taking this 25-year-old woman who struggling with one of the hardest decisions. Anybody could have to make in their telling her that you are in rebellion to God. If you do this, that he could heal you and you surgery was scheduled for March.

This was in February well imagine how it had made her feel at the time I wasn't adept at dealing with that name and claimant crap and bad theology creates confusion and it can often lead to shame, guilt, and no small amount of resentment appropriately responding to people who spiritually bludgeoned the suffering that's what they're doing well due to appropriately respond to them. It takes a lot of practice time and and quite frankly takes sale theology, but I was na�ve and inexperienced and it left Gracie me to flounder a bit while we were searching for solid footing, so to speak, and in the clamor of all the. The opinions and the pronouncements from the prophesying folks combined with our self-doubts in our fears and it created a wall of noise. It felt like a stack of marshaling ups at a Van Halen concert if you can picture that now that is a December spiritual, but some of you know with that and Gracie found yourself sadly in storm of speculation by family and friends again. She was 25, with the toddler in her young heart was heavy under the awful dread of having a looker surgeon in the eye, instructed to amputate her right leg. She set an appointment with our pastor at the time his name was Bob. She lived into his office on her mangled right foot. She had a cane that her dad made force acetic you still have that came today. It's a little shorter. That's part of it. Let me explain, and she became a AA PT.

She wanted to be taller so she's taught her that she with this before.

So they came was too short. But we kept it just sitting the reasons she also wanted a size 7 foot so she can get a better selection of shoes. That's a separate story all right this just just leave that alone, but she lifted his office and you are left leg was carried the brunt of her damage right leg and the seat she made in their she sit quietly there in the study, and he looked over her recent Gracie that she told me all this laid out on their Gracie. He looked over recent Gracie. This room is off limits to every other voice telling you what to do with him say my job is to help client in the noise so that you can hear your heart and God's leading and Gracie sat there for more than an hour while Pastor Bob said it is desk. No words passed between.

They just sat there quietly were now. Finally she looked up at him with tear filled eyes. She said I'm terrified of doing this, she whispered, gaining strength, she continued, but I can't live this way any longer. It's got to come off nodding her somberly.

He assured Gracie he be with her through the ordeal and he kept his word.

In fact, just before she went into surgery.

We were all praying in the room and they were there. We left to go down the hall and the last person to speak to her before she went through those doors into surgery was Bob. He rushed to her gurney. Sorry, I get a little choked up what I think about it.

I've never seen this he rushed and he whispered something in her ear and she just nodded.

The tears went down her cheek. I never asked her what it was that he said that's between the two with and then she went into surgery. Sometimes the greatest gift that we can give to those who struggle with brutal decisions is to clear the room quiet, the noise just sit with Scripture affirms that while God's explanations are rare. He doesn't feel this compelling need to explain himself. He's got all by himself. His explanations may be rare, but is presence is constant and I think about that with pastor Bob you he he allowed Gracie to stillness in time to be alone with her thoughts, but God goes even further than that. He assures us that even in our lonely thoughts and our lonely hearts. He's always with us more than 100 years ago a guy that you may have never heard of his name was Pastor Cleveland McAfee and he was rocked by the death of both of his nieces, his brothers, little girls. They died within one week of each other in the same week same time. Basically, of diphtheria, and he had to preach that sunning this little community was absolutely rocked over this that he struggled to come up with the sermon, and as he was doing this he started writing out a lyric and he wrote this hymn that has become one of the most beloved hymns in the world and that Saturday evening before the service. That next morning they went over to his brothers house and the choir of the church gathered outside on the lawn.

They sang this hymn on my CD songs for the caregiver.

I put this song on their first because I love it so much on the plate for just a little bit here. There is a place of quiet rest near the heart of God. The place where sin cannot molest dear and then the church sing this rambling loose both River and Mac to get up, preach next Sunday morning thinking of his brother and sister-in-law. The terrible loss. The this hymn is gone on to become one of the most beloved hymns in the and maybe it's important to you.

Maybe you have special memories of this I know that I do and I love this hymn, and I love to play it when my heart is heavy and sometimes we have to simply quiet in the room so that we can so that we can just so we can just be still coming. You understand how you understand this in Ken molest, how many of you understand how deafening the noise can be from everyone else's opinion from everyone else telling you what you should do what you should buyer what you should think or how you should be be the caregiver you should be doing all these things and it's just forms a wall and you can even hearing something. That's why love this hymn, and that's why I appreciate so much with that pastor different Gracie. He helped clear the room.

Maybe you and I together can help each other. Clear the just client so that we can hear not only our own thoughts. But here God's leading in that assurance that he provides in the midst of terrible things we have to bear calling our spirits down to the rest the story come back. This is Peter Rosenberg� Over the care we write back so as this is Peter Rosenberg. That is Gracie and her friends Springs get passed away last year, just an amazing singer and I wrote that song with a friend of mine's name is Hank Martin he's been on this program for Gracie and Scott just did an amazing job on this. Never forget it. Gracie that's on her CD, resilient not to hope for the caregiver.com. Look under a music tab you see how to get that CD it's a it's a powerful performance of the two of them gave in diskette was just one of the best session singers in Nashville and had his own group and his daughters. Amazing singer just wonderful, wonderful man love the Lord and that song is heaven is not the reason is that the reason a fold out on my knees streets of gold cannot compare to what Jesus did for me a million angels sing can outshine Calvary.

Jesus is all the heaven. I need and I base that what I wrote that song. I base that on two things. What a mess. I got kinda tired of people always talking about winning people to Christ so they can go to heaven and to me that seemed a little bit like fire insurance, you know, it seemed a little bit disingenuous and I thought is that is that it I go back to scripturally look at what Thomas did when Jesus revealed himself to topmast a member. Thomas was not there with the disciples. Jesus appeared after his resurrection to the disciples you ever Thomas was missing. I said I'm not you believe this until I touch. Aside such as hands, with my own eyes I want to see this anybody. I think unfairly because of doubting Thomas.

But I can't say that I would be just like so I think is little bit unfair to: doubting Thomas. But regardless, what did Thomas say when Jesus did appear to go to John chapter 20 that passes errors and things 24 through 29 and when he did see the nail prints.

We did see the wound on the side, said my Lord and my God he didn't talk about heaven. He didn't talk about all streets, a golden big mansion on the hilltop we just saw Jesus said, my Lord, my God, and that's why I wrote that song heaven is not the reason fall down on my knees because I was thinking, imagining, if you will like Thomas must've felt in and try to imagine.

So anyway that's if you like solids out there on Gracie CD and you can think you may be able to download that it it Amazon and some from other places, but for sure you get the CD if you want to go back to what were to buy the last segment here to let you little bit on a cliffhanger with client in the room when this this this concept of been thinking about for some time and I wanted to tell you what happened after that it'll our pastor Bob modeled what that hymn of firms in there is a place of quiet rest you know that fear that guilt and shame and confusion that just molest us.

That's what sin does sin molest you and he modeled that there is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God, where sin cannot molest regardless of the poor theology on display by those those two women who said that Gracie was in rebellion if she went ahead with the surgery rebellion isn't scheduling surgery to remove a limb that's beyond repair rebellion demands that it plays out. According to my wishes, and rejects God's provision.

That's what rebellious what will happen my way, my way and Gracie chose to go a different path, and she later stated I didn't know what was on the other side of that operating room door. But I knew who was what he think that confidence came from.

I believe that resolved that confidence came in no small part to that time, she said quietly near to the heart of God. She repeated that same scenario four years later, Bobbitt already going on, but Gracie went through this process.

Four years later, when she relinquished her remaining lack and I watched the nurses push her from recovery to the ICU. They always put Gracie in ICU.

Following any kind of major surgery to simple because it's so difficult to manage her postoperatively. She is just so many challenges so this industry to ICU. Now they suspect are nippy � they send you home that day, though, I'm just getting but I watched the nurses pushing her from recovery to the ICU.

She woke up and recovery than the they make sure she was stabled and they came to the doors I was there when the they brought to the stores she's lying on the gurney, still somewhat anesthetized, but her hands were lifted up his laying there flat on her back, one leg is healed of it is been amputated for four years.

The other one had a new fresh bandage and tubes and so forth on it and her hands were lifted in the air and she was singing the doxology praise God from whom all blessings flow extraordinary pictures as believers, our responsibility and our privilege is to help widen the room for others who bear terrible challenges and heartaches. It's in those client places near the heart of God that we gain the strength and the resolve to trust him with the anguish while praising him in the unimaginable, that picture of Gracie singing the doxology praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above, ye heavenly host praise father son and Holy Ghost.

Now what do you suppose equipped Gracie to sink that after becoming a double amputee dispose could give her that presence of mind when she's halfway sedated ECR spirit recognizes these things our bodies may be undergoing terrible things. There's all consist of swirling around us in this world there's a lot of noise and confusion, chaos and recovery there's beeps and everything else going on because machines of people talking to people moaning and screaming their bring out the door. The door slam open in the hospital corridors. You can even cut up. Imagine that Katie outsells with hospital doors open up and it all that confusion and all that clamor and all of that going on with the freshly amputated limb. She raises her hand and sinks the doxology is been one of the most remarkable things I've ever witnessed in my life and it's a testament to what were talking about here today on this program right now that there is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God.

A place where sin cannot molest even if it's on a gurney with a freshly amputated leg. He hear me as a caregiver.

There is a place of quiet rest for you and me no matter what is going on around us. Do you understand this, can you receive this kid you hang on to this from one caregiver to another. I am 37 years into this now and I'm telling you there is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God. A place where sin cannot molest near to the heart of God. A pastor friend. I want to visit Peter you need to take a Sabbath rest, and I looked up as I don't know what that means I don't get a day off. I get hours off and what red horse.

Sometimes I get him some will be but I don't get a day off. I either am working on my business, taking care, Gracie, both of which are full-time jobs. Oh by the way I do music down for the church that I'm writing all the time but I I have discovered what rest looks like to be an arrest is not sleep but I may have to do a whole program on this rest is not sleep. I don't a lot of people get much sleep, but they're not rest you and I's caregivers must in order to endure this. Learn to rest. How do we do that, but we are a flurry of activities for me. I have found that the more I focus on these things that you would talk about today. It literally strengthens me.

It equips me it animates me. It pushes me to an energy level that I know I had. Yes, I get tired I get physically tired and I have to stop, take a break. Just be quiet for a moment, but when I do that if I can go practice this principle quiet in the room and allow my brain and my spirit in my heart, my body all to reboot if you will, thinking on these things of God than what Gracie did on the gurney singing his praises is also available to me and is also available to you this is why I do this program because these things are what strengthen us and equip us.

Guess we'll talk about caregiving things on this program tips in dealing with all the stuff we do that, but that's not what keeps me talking with the ceiling fan look like that's not what keeps me agitated. That's not what caused that fear that Trent in those moments I have to quiet in the room and be still. Knowing that there is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God. Thank you so much for your time today. This hopefully caregiver, hopefully caregiver that conviction that we can live, healthier, and dare I say it even more joyful life serving as a character on Peter Rosenberg what the hopefully caregiver.com Cimino to hear from you will see that