Celebrate | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Celebrate | Previous Challenge Entry
By Norma-Anne Hough
10/09/14
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Celebrate.

Spring is one of my favourites season. It brings the promise of renewal and joy.
This morning just before dawn I was once again awakened by the joyful singing of the birds outside in the garden. The words of that beautiful old worship song came to mind immediately.

“Celebrate Jesus celebrate
He is risen
He is risen
And He lives forevermore”

How those words resonated with my spirit!

I could most certainly celebrate. Four months ago, lying on my sick bed I wasn’t too sure if I could face another day.

As a young child I suffered with bad colds and bronchitis. Growing up I was always aware of the fact that I had a problem with my chest. Various treatments helped for a period, but then if I didn’t take care, I would land up with a bad bout of bronchitis, even at one stage bordering on pneumonia.

The years passed by. Moving into my “twilight zone years” I was even more susceptible to catching flu and bronchitis. I seemed to have a permanent cough.

Many prayers had been offered yet there seemed to be a permanent “thorn in my side”
At the beginning of last year, I began to have problems with walking too far without being breathless. I saw my doctor, who the heart checked up only to find all was well in that area. My daughters urged me to seek a second opinion. But I ignored their requests as I trusted my doctor completely. After all I had been a patient of hers for the past fifteen years and had survived!

At this time my best friend Noelene was told that her husband had cancer. We knew he had a problem with his kidneys and was on dialysis, but were shocked to find out he had cancer. He went to be with the Lord, ten days after being told he had cancer. Needless to say it was a major shock, as they both were very deeply involved with us as a family and much loved by all. As I grieved with Noelene, I ignored the fact that I wasn’t feeling at my best. I was slowly but surely sinking into a deep depression. Everything I had previously enjoyed doing, I began to ignore. My writing being one of the first things I let slip. Soon my interest in cooking went out the door, and I found more and more excuses not to go to meetings but to stay at home or be with Noelene.

My family were deeply concerned but couldn’t get through to me. Finally in April this year, after a bad fall, I began to let go completely. I was in constant agony with my back, surgery was not an option and the pain killers soon caused problems of their own! I only would see one or two very close friends and made feeble excuses for the rest. My husband had bowed to pressure from the three girls and had taken me to another doctor, and he was determined to get me right.

In June I caught a bad dose of flu which quickly turned into double pneumonia, as well as a bacterial bug, which bred in conditions such as I had. The doctor treated me at home, as he said I was better off here than in the local hospital. My weight was dropping daily, and soon they suspected Tuberculosis or worse!

My daughters had arrived from Cape Town and the UK for our fortieth anniversary and were shocked to see my condition. They were happy though with the treatment and tests that were being done, as they could see at last that I had a doctor who wouldn’t give up.

One night in August I called out to the Lord to end it all. I just wanted to give up. Lying weeping in bed, I all of a sudden felt His presence in the room. He took me to Psalm 116, which turned my life around.

“For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
I will walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.”

Slowly my strength returned. My doctor was truly fantastic. He often didn’t charge me for a consultation, just gave me words of encouragement.

Today as I sat on my bed, I quietly thanked God that I could celebrate new life which He has given me.

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