MIRACLE # 6 -- WHEN I REPENT... HE RESTORES.

 This photo was taken 8 months after miracle occurred.

This involved Steve again, but the income and outgo was truly aimed at me.  He was used by the Lord to open my heart towards Him and trust Him even more.  I definitely was not a "Father" lover, yet ...  a basic Father follower, obeying when instructed. I tried to stay out of trouble as much as possible.  That was my goal.

God had, of course, stepped into my life very strongly a number of times  since my day of salvation, but, pushing nine more years, I was still never sure whether I was truly cared for and loved; instead, I felt I was put up with.  Since I was raised  with a "watching for exits" mentality, this New Life  hadn't broken into my heart on a regular basis.
 

February 12, 1975, I had a day off work.  My job had begun at an office in early January and, after my first paycheck, I had left my friend Susie's home and moved into an apartment. It was all coming together beautifully.  BUT I needed time to go to the utilities company and run some apartment-related errands and that was the first day I could, since the locations were open only during the business days and our “normal” work hours.

The night before, my son, Steve, who had just turned 2 on January 17th,  began whining and pulling his ear.  I refused to take it seriously, because I had chores to do and places to go and I couldn't risk losing that time.  I, basically, ignored him.

In the morning, I took him to Karen, the babysitter, told her his ear seemed to bother him and I'd be back when I was done running around.

I arrived at Karen's about 4:00.  She said he seemed to have a pretty high fever, but she didn't have a thermometer.  I touched him and he did feel hot, so I called a doctor's office.  I told the receptionist my son had a fever and he needed to be checked.   The receptionist, sounding annoyed, said, basically, it was OK to bring him in, but to get there as soon as possible, because they closed at 5:00.

I hurried.  When I walked in, a nurse had me take him to a room, and she took his temperature.  IMMEDIATELY, she started tearing his clothes off, hollered at another nurse, and they piled ice into a children's bathing tub, and forced him in, spreading the ice all over his body, him screaming, of course.  I was wide-eyed and didn't know exactly what was going on.  Finally, one of them said that his temperature was 105 degrees. They were anxious and working hard; I was horrified and felt that the "awful mom" had surfaced.  After about half an hour they were able to dress him ... he had been one unhappy boy! ... and the doctor gave me very clear instructions and, at the end, said that if I did everything carefully and correctly he would probably have the temperature drop much closer to the normal range in 24 hours.

When I got home, about 5:30, I put him in his pjs and laid him on the couch.  I hugged him and knelt down and cried and told the Lord I was so sorry I hadn't paid attention to Steve and hadn't tried to take care of him the way I should have, that I had put my errands first and ignored him.

Then I went to the kitchen, just a few feet away, and started cooking dinner.  I'd glance at him every few seconds, and he was sleeping.

An hour after coming home, having  been given a thermometer when leaving the doctor’s office,  I took his temperature.   I looked at it.  I took it again.

It was normal.  98.6.  NORMAL!

My life changed.  YES, Steve had been healed of allergies and iron deficiency the previous August, only a few months earlier, but neither of the consequences while going through that phase had been “my fault”.  It was simply life.  This one, to a significant “degree”, WAS my fault.  And, yet, God ... my FATHER ... stepped in to bless my heart, to let me know that I WAS His daughter, that He cared for ME.

I honestly don't know if Steve even recalls or knows this story.  But I have never forgotten a detail.  Why?  Because my heart began to be healed from fear of a Father -– any father -- and then taught how to rely on and love Him.  It didn't happen overnight, during that one short time, but the seed was planted deeply and solidly into my heart ... and, as stated before, MY LIFE CHANGED.

Since then I have grown to love -- and trust, and appreciate, and respect -- my Heavenly Father so much I can hardly wait to see Him!