Through the Shadowlands

C.S. Lewis is an old friend of ours, if only in our minds. His books line our shelves. His texts inhabit our hearts and are used by the Spirit to convict and comfort us.  I am eager to read more of his books. Andrew Peterson is the C.S. Lewis of our song writer collection. His lyrics ring deep and true, at times mingling with Lewis’s familiar words, his invented places, or his rich terminology. Our morning commute left me sweetly haunted by Peterson’s poignant lyrics in his song, Dancing in the Minefields. 

“We bear the light of the Son of Man, so there is nothing left to fear. So I’ll walk with you in the Shadowlands, til the shadows disappear.”

We are all on a pilgrimage through a world of light and shadows, of "alreadys" and "not yets", of joys and sorrows. Ultimately, we are journeying towards a land of fulfilled promises, a city ever-lasting, whose Architect is God, the gracious King. Christ is the Good Shepherd. He is the light on our path here and is equipping us to do His will, that He may work in us what is pleasing to God the Father. We are so thankful for the church and its faithfulness in prayer and love. I am thankful to be walking this path with my best friend. Most of all I am thankful for God’s goodness in providing glimpses of His faithfulness in the uncertainty that surrounds us.

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.   Hebrews 13:20-21

Last Friday Blake accompanied me to the first appointment with my new high risk O.B., Dr. Tabb. Although the office had a different feel to it than the one we had been attending during the first half of the pregnancy, we were pleased to meet Dr. Tabb and his staff. The ultrasound tech performed a long ultrasound, checking Lily’s anatomy and making sure there weren’t any other obvious problems before we met the doctor. When Dr. Tabb came in and introduced himself, he took a few minutes to look at Lily’s heart himself. While several of the defects still appeared problematic, Dr. Tabb was able to identify blood flow through the pulmonary artery and located two of the pulmonary veins that had yet to be identified by any specialists we had seen thus far.

We were both so encouraged to see blood flowing through Lily’s pulmonary artery on the ultrasound! I asked the doctor if that meant that her pulmonary valve was open but he said he didn’t know. He was not very quick to make any new judgments on her condition. Rather, he explained that the problems she has will not be fully understood or identified until she is born. Whatever the cause of this new pulmonary blood flow may be, we are incredibly thankful for it and see it as an answer to so many prayers that have been lifted up in the past few weeks and months.

Thank you, each and every one of you, for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for Lily as she still appears to have several heart problems. God has been so gracious thus far to provide us with so many friends and family members who are praying. He has granted us peace more days than not and allowed us to encourage and strengthen one another with the Word and prayer through the dark moments as they come. We understand that our lives are just small threads in the tapestry that God is creating. Please know that as you pray, we too are praying for you and your families and the various situations that you are facing. May God's light shine in your heart today and bring joy to you wherever you find yourself today. Surely, He is not far from each one of us and He is enough.