COVERING YOU!

Have you ever had an MRI?

In case you haven’t let me tell you about it. They lie you on a table, give you some earplugs, and tell you not to move, not to breathe too heavily, not to talk, not to do anything or the scan will not work. They put an escape pull in your hand. If you get too stressed, you squeeze it and they will stop the scan. However, they warn you if you do they might have to completely start the scan over. Then they slide you into a tiny (I mean super tiny) tube.

Suddenly the loudest noises start coming from the machine surrounding you. I don’t even have the words to describe the noises. They are loud. They vibrate your whole body. The noises move around the machine in no particular order. You never know where the noise is going to come from. The earplugs help, but the sound is so loud it makes you feel slightly crazy. If you keep your eyes open, the tube seems to get smaller and smaller. The only way to deal with it is to close your eyes and pretend you are somewhere else.

You have to tell yourself not to move, not to cry, not to breathe too deeply. . .because you don’t want to start over. You think of squeezing the escape pull several times since the tube is closing in, but you know that will just make the process longer.

It’s a long 40 minutes, and you are so grateful when it is over.

That was my day yesterday. Yes, I had an actual MRI. But even more, that was my mind yesterday.

You see, Sunday was a day full of faith and purpose, but Monday was a struggle. The fear in my mind seemed louder than my faith all day.

I worried. I felt like I was in a tube that was collapsing around me. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t say (or hear) anything that would make it better. The thoughts in my mind were surrounding me. They were loud. They shook me to my core. They were in no particular order, I never knew where they were going to come from. Some thoughts weren’t even rational. I wanted to push the stop button, but I knew I couldn’t. My thoughts made me feel crazy, and my world seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.

Why is this happening?

Am I being punished?

Are we handling this the right way?

What if I get Coronavirus?

What if the Coronavirus gets worse and they cancel my surgery on Thursday?

This is the worst timing, I need to be taking care of my family.

Am I going to lose both breasts?

What if it has spread through my body?

What if I die? I’m probably going to die.

What if I die before I clean the toilets? (I know, irrational. It is what it is.)

I know I should be thankful. Other people have it so much worse. I must be a terrible person to think so much of myself.

What if my kids lose their faith in God over this? Nothing would be worse than that.

Everyone else is home with thier kids. I can’t even do schoolwork I’m so busy with appointments. They are probably going to fail school.

What if they find it other places?

Do we have enough food at home?

Why is this happening?

And the list went on and on and on and on and on. . . .

I KNOW all the right scriptures to quote. I tried to take the thoughts captive. I tried to think of what is good, lovely, and holy. I cried. My husband so sweetly prayed over me, and yet the thoughts would not stop bombarding my mind.

Last night, we got the MRI report back. They called and told us the cancer is totally contained and it does not appear to have spread. Of course, I was thankful. (It’s truly such a praise report.) And yet, my mind kept racing and would not stop.

Out of nowhere, a friend sent me an old song called Cover Me by Mark Condon. It says, “Cover me when I am hurting. Cover me when I’m not strong. Cover me when I am going through the storm. . .Cover me when all seems hopeless. Cover me when my faith is gone. Let the peace that passes all I understand Cover me.”

WHILE I was listening to the song, weeping with my hands raised at the kitchen table, another friend texted me and said two words, :”COVERING YOU!” in all caps at the exact same time!

In that moment everything changed. Without a doubt, HE was covering me. Covering my health. Covering my mind. Covering my children. Covering my marriage. Covering my home. Covering my body. Covering my direction. HE wasn’t just covering me, HE was my covering!

Here is what you need to know in this. HE isn’t just covering me. HE is no respecter of person. What HE will do for me, HE will do for you…because HE is faithful and good.

“He who takes refuge in the shelter of the Most High will be safe in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

HIS shadow will cover you if you will take refuge in HIM.

HE will cover you during the fears of this world. HE will cover your mind. HE will cover your worry. HE will cover your marriage. HE will cover your home. HE will cover your children. HE will cover you through this virus. HE will cover you in your sickness. HE will cover you.

Your faith can be louder than anything the enemy tries to throw at you. I’m praying that you will find peace because HE is covering you, and that will silence the enemy!

HE is “COVERING YOU!”