Peace and Trust, Joy and Hope in the Midst of Sickness

Oct 25, 2018 | Betinna Carlos, Parenting

Have you ever prayed to be more joyful, patient and understanding or bond better with your child but received it in a situation called sickness? This happened to me two weeks ago, during Holy Week, before Gummy and I set out for our first, just-us-two vacation

Though it was not the ideal condition to be on vacation, it was definitely the answer to my prayer and a stage for God to manifest and make miracles.

The day before we left for Siargao, Wednesday, Gummy was feverish and was complaining about her throat. She was weak and would take one-hour naps up to eight times that day.

Meanwhile, would non-stop wipe her body with a wet cloth to cool her down and check her temp, lenient to give her the food she wanted and allow her to watch some movies on Netflix till she falls back into sleep. I prayed fervently for God to heal her overnight so we can enjoy sunny Siargao.

Looking back at our adventure, I know it was exactly how God wanted it to be so that He will be glorified.

The following day came –Thursday and she was barely well. Though she was happy and elated about our trip, she didn’t have the energy to sustain her excitement. She was still feverish. I noticed some spots starting to appear on her hands. I feared it might be another episode of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD), where blisters form in the hands, throat, and soles of the feet. So I prayed more, “Lord please do not let it be HFMD, she won’t be able to walk. She won’t be able to enjoy the sand in her feet. Please, Lord.”

When we arrived in Nay Palad, Siargao she was much happier upon seeing the pool. It was not too sunny and the water was quite warm so I allowed her to swim for an hour. Her temp was starting to normalize. We had a flower bath after that and a massage.

That same night, her temperature shot up to 38.8. I panicked and asked for the nurse and a paracetamol. We noticed that her rashes have spread throughout her chest and arms.

Suspecting it might be German Measles, I sent photos to her pediatrician Cricket Chen and she said it may be scarlet fever because of the sore throat. Checked “Mr. Google” and the symptoms matched. Immediately, the resort sent a personnel to town to purchase antibiotics.

Unfortunately, at 8 p.m. the pharmacies were already closed. Having a baby with high fever and with no medicine, nor guarantee that such medicine will be bought on the island, I was unable to sleep—possibly just barely two hours. I confess to playing in my head all the worst cases, seizures among others, that may happen for having no meds for my daughter’s illness.

I fought the paranoia with prayers—recognizing that God is the healer and He is Our Father, The Provider and who loves my child the most. I prayed that the generic brand would be available in the morning. I prayed fervently the whole night.

Morning came and so did the medicine. Praise God for providing though it was Good Friday and most stores were closed. Upon administering the antibiotics, Gummy started feeling better, in fact, she asked for potato chips. That was a good sign for me. Her appetite was coming back too.

Once better, she asked if she could swim in the afternoon and I said if she has no more fever then I would allow her. But God knew better. God knew she needed to rest more so He sent the rain! Before Gummy opened her eyes from her afternoon nap, it started to pour. And boy it did until 9 a.m. the following day—our 3rd day. She was quite sad seeing the rain but I enlightened her saying God knows more than Mummy does. And He is making her rest a full day so she is perfectly well for our last day!

Saturday came—our last day and it was gloomy and still raining until we were having breakfast. But I woke up with hope in my heart—knowing God will stop the rain and let us play that day.

Praying unceasingly knowing that the Lord is in perfect control of all creation, weather included, I begged my Gracious Father to give us even a few hours to enjoy the outdoors. I asked Him to give us just the right amount of sun—because too much will aggravate Gummy’s rashes. And oh, what faithful Father we have—from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. we enjoyed swimming, paddle boarding, snorkeling, shell-picking, rolling in the sand and waves non-stop till our stomachs growled.

I was in awe and gratitude for how God graciously gave us the perfect weather to enjoy our last day on the island.

Looking back at our adventure, I know it was exactly how God wanted it to be so that He will be glorified. I am not saying God made Gummy sick, definitely not. But it became an instrument to bring us two closer, and me even closer and clingier to Him.

Only with the Presence of The Lord can we have such joy, peace, trust and hope in health and sickness.

Bettinna Carlos or Mummy Bite [Bee-té] or Bites is a modern, single, Christian, working mom. Everything she does is for the Lord and her 5-year-old gummy bear, Amanda [or Gummy]. She starts her day with prayer and devotionals which she shares on Instagram, with the hopes of bringing more people to Jesus.

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