Mike Edmisten

My older brother who lives in Fredericksburg, VA sent out an email today with the subject line above. With his permission, I’m sharing a large portion of that email here on my blog. For background, my nephew Logan suffers from a rare condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI)– commonly known as “brittle bone” disorder.

With that said, here’s some of my brother’s email.

————————————

I felt compelled to share something with all of you that is on my heart today. Most of you know the last several weeks/months have been a struggle for my family. Logan broke his elbow, and had surgery. Then, while in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Logan slipped on the floor in a hotel pool and broke his left leg below the knee. We finished our vacation and got Logan into a cast. Then just as he got walking OK with a walker in his leg cast, he fell again this past Sunday and broke his left elbow (yes same elbow as the surgery, but not related to the surgery). So now he is sporting two casts.

With school starting again, to get Logan into and out of his modular at school, P.E., upstairs to computer etc, I am spending much of my time at his school. I have noticed a lot of looks and things said to make me understand people are feeling sorry for him and us. I appreciate the compassion, but realized that there are two ways to see this situation.

Most of us, me included, were seeing the glass as half empty. Here is what I saw from that perspective:

-My son is dealing with a lot of pain
-He is dealing with being very different from everyone else in his school, especially with the wheelchair
-I had to realize that I am not quite the strapping young man I once was… it is harder to carry 85 pounds of dead weight up and down steps and in and out of vehicles than it would have been 10 years ago.
-The time I have to give up to be at his school makes everything else I am committed to suffer.
-My daughter gets less attention than she deserves because her brother’s situation demands more of my time
-Everything is much harder to do when you have to accommodate a wheelchair and lift and carry Logan
-I asked God, “Why is this happening this way to us?”
-Financially, much of my family is virtually uninsurable, so we pay for all of this medical treatment ourselves. That hurts.

My wife and I had a discussion a few days ago and I said, “The Bible says to give thanks for all things. I am not sure what to be thankful for here.” God has since shown me how to do this. That doesn’t mean that it is easy or I have this mastered, but God has helped me with this nonetheless. He made me stop and see what I should be thanking him for in this situation:

-My son has brittle bones, but an unbreakable spirit. He handles this so much better than most adults I know, especially me. He is so vibrant and this has not diminished that at all.
-I am not the strapping young man I used to be, but God has still blessed me with the strength and health to be able to lift, carry and help Logan be mobile.
-I am blessed to have a thriving real estate business that gives me the flexibility to be at his school when I need to be.
-My daughter, even though she is dealing with less attention, is learning what commitment to love is all about.
-Yes, everything is much harder to do, but God has given us the means to do plenty.
-Yes we have to pay for the medical treatment, but God has given us the means to pay for it. I realized… once again, it is His money anyway.
-I have a wife who has the inner strength to handle challenges. When one comes, she turns her shoulder into the problem and pushes back. Many would run the other way. I always know where to find her… she is always by my side.
-We have been blessed with the greatest group of friends possible. I never wonder what I would do if…. because I know if I were in need, help is a phone call away. Everything from financial problems, to physical situations, to a ear to talk to, our friends are among our greatest blessings.
-They are seldom called upon, but our families in Ohio and Georgia are tough and supportive. If I need help, they love us and will respond.
-I feel everyday the prayers that are lifted to God on our behalf. There is strength in that.
-And one more thing: God is sovereign. There are many more things that I don’t see that God does see and manage.

So, thank you all for your prayers and help me give thanks to our God for ALL he is doing in our lives. He brought you into our lives and he definitely brought this little boy into our lives.

Jeff Edmisten

Well, sort of. After being sidelined for a couple of days with some pretty nasty sinus/headache/equilibrium issues, I’m back to work today…although I’m still moving pretty slow.

I didn’t have time to get sick this week. (I know, there’s never a good time to get sick.) But I didn’t have any say in the matter. Actually, it’s been a pretty good reminder of how much I am not in control of things. I had my week planned out. I knew what I was going to do and when I was going to do it. Little did I know that two days on the couch would be part of my week.

Definitely reflecting on this Scripture today.

No blogging today. I’m taking a sick day. I’ll save you the gory details. Let’s just say that my sinuses and I aren’t getting along at all today.

Hopefully my head won’t explode today and I’ll be back at it tomorrow.

Today is the first day of school for the students in our area. I was reminded of that this morning when I got stopped behind a school bus. All of the students at the bus stop begrudgingly filed onto the bus, not at all ready to start another school year. All except one little girl.

It was obvious that today was this little lady’s first day of kindergarten. Mom and Dad were both at the bus stop. Mom had a digital camera. Dad had a video camera. This little girl hugged and kissed both Mom and Dad, and then boarded the bus…followed by Mom and Dad. Mom was talking to the bus driver as Dad videoed his girl walking all the way to her seat.

It was probably the longest wait I’ve ever had behind a school bus. I’m sure people in the cars behind me were frustrated with the delay, but not me. I just took it all in. As the entire scene played out right in front of me, I kept thinking about my little boy who was in his car seat right behind me. I kept thinking, “In only two years, this will be me. I’ll be the one with the camera. I’ll be the one letting my little boy go off to his first day of school…in just two short years.”

When the time comes, I’m sure we’ll be fine. Every other parent in the world has made it through this transition. We will too. But today, I’m thankful that Ryan is still little. I’m thankful that hitting a ball off a tee in the backyard is still a thrill for him. I’m thankful that he’s content to sit on my lap and watch cartoons. I’m thankful that he still wants us to read to him.

I know that it won’t last, but today I’m thankful that Ryan is still my little boy.

Man, the buzz from our worship experience yesterday is still rolling! I love it when God’s message connects with so many different people. You just can’t beat that!

I’m all jazzed up about the rest of our Decibels series. Praying that God continues to crank up the volume in our lives!

Scott Hodge has a great post on doubt vs. faith. It’s a must read for anyone who’s ever had doubts in their faith journey. (And by the way, that means this post is for everybody.)

Check it out.

We’re kicking off a new series tomorrow at ACC and I’m pysched!

Can’t wait to crank up the volume of our faith!

I stopped by McDonald’s today for an iced coffee (which, by the way, is really good). While I was waiting in line at the drive-thru, a UPS driver came out with breakfast in hand and climbed into his truck. As he climbed into his truck, I noticed that his brown socks had the UPS logo embroidered on them. (Hey, in his tall truck, his socks were right at my eye level. I wasn’t checking out the guy’s legs. Get off it.)

Truthfully, how many people (other than me) are going to notice the driver’s socks? Probably not many. And yet, UPS cares enough about the details to have their drivers wear these official socks.

So often in the church, we overlook the details.

That light bulb has been out for months. So what?

The stuff hanging on the bulletin board is outdated, but who really looks at that anyway?

If God deserves our best effort, then that means paying attention to the details. Caring about the details is a sign that we value excellence; that we want to give God our very best because he gave us his very best when he gave us his Son.

And on a very practical level, remember that first-time guests notice the details. They’re seeing everything through fresh eyes, therefore they notice what a lot of us old-timers tend to overlook.

Details make a big difference!

Got a great email from a member of our church after sharing some of my struggles in a previous post. Thought I’d share just a portion of it here.

I had no idea of the struggles that you must face being a pastor. I pray for you and your family, as well as our church family. You have been a great pastor to me in the short time I have known you. I can see your hearts desire for the Lord in your enthusiastic music (break another string on Sunday), the preparation of your sermons, how important your family is to you, and speaking the truth in love. Knowing your passion and being able to experience it is an awesome thing.

Thanks for being so real with us and sharing your struggles. It helps me to know how to pray for you and that you as just as human as we are.

That’ll make your day!

Just thought I would take this last opportunity to say the following…

(pause for effect)

(ready???)

I am 29 years old.

Thought I’d say it one last time. If I said it tomorrow, I’d be lying.