Please Pray for Joanne and Check Out her Blog

I've wanted to share this with you for a while now.  A little over 2 weeks ago, I found out about a blog called The Simple Wife.  The author is 38 year old Joanne, who is a talented, witty writer with posts full of warmth, transparency and significance. 

The whole reason I discovered her blog was that another blogger I follow mentioned Joanne and how much she needed prayer.  Around 20 days ago, she suffered a major stroke.  Her ten year old daughter found her on the floor, in the middle of what sounds like a seizure.  She has been through so much since that day.  She is now conscious and can recognize her family and friends and perform some small motor skills, but she and her family have a very long road ahead of them.

I have been so blessed by her husband's attitude and testimony throughout this ordeal.  He's been keeping everyone updated on Joanne's blog.  You can tell that this is so hard for him and his two daughters, yet he is fully trusting the Lord in everything.  I only pray that my family and I would respond in the same way if something similar happened to us.

Events like this are always a wake-up call.  It's so easy to go through life thinking we have all the time in the world.  But the truth is, none of us knows how much time we actually have.  We should every day be prepared to meet our Creator.  Joanne was just 38.  That's only 9 years older than I am.  She was young and healthy and full of life, and yet she is now suffering the results of a very serious stroke. 

I always think of strokes as happening to people in their 60s or 70s...maybe their 50s at the earliest.  But there is no guarantee.  And then I thought, if something was to happen to me today, what would I be remembered for? 

Would my husband recall that I was a loving wife who respected and encouraged him?  Or would he remember how I complained about the things that frustrate me about our house, or my whining about how aggravating the kids were that day? 

What about my daughters?  Would they remember a mom who wasn't perfect, but still took time out of her busy day to play with them and listen to them?  Or would they remember the cranky lady who snapped at them in anger when they messed up, and didn't have time for them because she was too busy with more "important" things?  Would they be able to recall verses I taught them from God's Word, giving them something to cling to in such a trying time, or would the Bible not even enter their mind?

It's so easy to get our priorities all mixed up in this world we live in.  Everyone is going at such a fast pace.  We drop kids off here, run some errands there, work on the house, fix meals, surf the Web, watch movies or play the Wii...we're always busy.  Always rushing here and there.  In our busyness, many times we shut God out of our lives.  How silly, when He's the one who gave us our lives to begin with. 

My prayer is that I would live every day to its fullest, with eternity in mind.  In the long run, it won't matter whether or not my house was perfect, or whether or not I got through my "to do" list every day, or even whether or not I reached all of my goals with this blog.  None of these are bad things, as long as they don't take first place in my life.  But I want to be remembered as the mom who lived a life pleasing to the Lord, despite her faults and failings.  A mom who loved her kids, respected and cherished her husband, and relied on the Lord's strength, not her own, to get her through each day.

If any of you have questions or comments, I'd love to hear them.  You can comment below or email me (just click the "Contact Me" tab at the top of the blog).  I'd love to talk to you about my Jesus.  And please be sure to check out Joanne's blog and keep her in your prayers.