Author: Polly

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Go Ahead…Tell It

Tell it

Tell it again

Tell of the night our redemption began

 

Sing it

Sing it again

There’s joy now and hope for all men

Tell it again

 

Those are the words to the chorus of a song we recently sang in my church’s annual Christmas cantata.

It seems this time of year is one that lends itself to keeping secrets as we try to surprise our loved ones with just the right gift. I will never forget answering the phone one December to hear these words, “This is Sears. Your ping pong table is in.” Well, there went that surprise! At age 10, I was both excited and devastated by this phone call. I gave the message to my mom, minus some detail, and put on a pretty good act when the ping pong table was unveiled on Christmas morning. That very same ping pong table now resides in my basement. I find that it makes for a wonderful place to wrap gifts!

Unlike the ping pong table, there is a gift that isn’t meant to be kept secret. This is not just any gift, it’s the Ultimate Gift—Jesus.

And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21 NLT

The angel’s words to Joseph were fulfilled in a stable of all places. God gifted us with His Son when Mary gave birth to the long-awaited Messiah. That night changed everything for it WAS the night our redemption began.

I found myself getting choked up every time I sang the words…

Tell it

Tell it again

Tell of the night our redemption began

 

Because of that night there IS joy and hope for all men (and women and children too)! There are a whole lot of people in our midst who are struggling right now. As Pastor Chris often says, “Everybody is dealing with something.” Does someone you know need to hear (or be reminded of) this Good News? Go ahead—tell it. Tell it again and again. Keep telling it. Sing it if you wish, but PLEASE don’t keep this a secret! There is a hurting world that needs to know that Jesus is our joy and our hope, the Savior of the world.

Have you heard?

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17 NLT

Have a Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

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The Constant

Just recently I taught my algebra students a new term as we began our study of polynomials—constant. If you care to know, it’s the plain old number, the term with a degree of 0. Why is it called the constant? Because, since there is no variable attached to it, its value never changes. In the dictionary, when used as a noun, constant is defined as a situation or state of affairs that does not change.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Change is the Only Constant?” That’s pretty accurate, but not completely. Jesus is constant!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”                  Hebrews 13:8 NLT

 I’ve come to the conclusion that life is a series of transitions. My daughter experienced quite a run of them a few months ago, and, indirectly, so did her dad and I. Though her coursework towards her OTD degree started online in June, it didn’t get real until August when we moved Hillary (and her cat) to FL for the start of the fall semester. That was quite an adventure! We were able to hang around for a week and help her get settled before having to head back to PA so I could begin my own fall semester. I shed tears on and off the whole way home. One thought kept running through my mind, “We just left our baby 1000+ miles away from home with nothing familiar but her cat.” That thought was followed up by the question, “What was I thinking when I encouraged this?” I can laugh about it now that I’ve watched her seamlessly transition to all things new and different, but I wasn’t laughing in August! It seems Hillary has caught onto this “adulting” thing fairly quickly. She may not be a big fan of it (I think she especially misses going to the cafeteria when she’s hungry), but she has proven herself capable.

Hillary had some pretty dramatic life changes thrust on her all at once. Though change to that degree is not an everyday occurrence (thankfully), I think we all experience some level of change in our lives on a daily basis. So, what should we do when the sand shifts beneath our feet and we’re struggling to keep our balance? Seek the One who is even more constant than change—Jesus, our Rock!

“He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.”                                                                                         Psalms 62:6 NLT

He will help us find our footing in the midst of the unsteadiness that comes with change if we just seek Him. And while He’s at it, He’ll clear the path and walk it with us!

“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”                                                                                                                        Proverbs 3:6 NLT

Whatever changes you are currently experiencing in your life, no matter how big or small, I pray you will find comfort, hope and peace in the One who will NEVER change as you cling to, and rest in, His promises.

 

 

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The Young and Influential

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”

1 Timothy 4:12 NLT

If you read my most recent post last week, you’ll remember that my emotions were running high in anticipation of my daughter’s upcoming college graduation on Sunday. This would be true for any parent, but as I said last week, due to Hillary’s battle against CDH, each milestone achieved is magnified a hundred times over. Well, she did it! And by the number of cords draped around her neck in addition to the medallion, she did it quite well. I was about to pop on Sunday! There were many who didn’t think she’d last at Thiel because she was quite apprehensive about the whole college experience in general. After all, she had a pretty good thing going at home! Following a rocky beginning, she immersed herself into both academic and student life at Thiel. She not only survived her 4 years there, she thrived. And I might add, she didn’t feel well for three of those four years. We will be forever grateful that Hillary found the right fit for her when she chose Thiel College.

I was so amped up after the big day that, even though exhausted, I had great difficulty sleeping Sunday night. Eventually I gave up trying and got up and started pouring through the pictures I had taken. It was when I cropped the one above that I was completely overcome with emotion. This picture represents the two young people who have had the most profound impact on my life. I have my arm wrapped around my precious miracle named Hillary Jayne and if you look closely you’ll see I have “Alec” pinned to my heart where he remains whether I am wearing the pin or not. For those who never had the pleasure of knowing Alec, he was my beloved nephew who was much like a second son to me. We shared a deep passion for sports among other things. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at Age 14 and fought back with everything he had for two years before God called him home on July 28, 2007. He demonstrated an extraordinary amount of courage and faith for one so young and touched so many with his faithful witness throughout his battle.

The Hillegass family has experienced two very different outcomes with these two precious children. I don’t understand why and I don’t believe that I will on this side of heaven. In the middle of my high on Sunday, my heart ached deeply for Alec’s parents because I was acutely aware of the milestones they would never have the opportunity to witness with him. Yet they were there cheering on Hillary.

When we don’t understand, we have to cling to His promises. There are so many that we can lean into during times of uncertainty. Perhaps my favorite is Romans 8:28—

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

So, though we may not understand, we can trust that He will bring good from even the worst of circumstances. There were lives far beyond family members that were impacted by Alec and his faithful witness as he bravely fought back against cancer. He certainly made the most of his dash. I believe Jesus used Alec and his story to change lives for eternity. There is no age limit to which God can use us for His purposes!

In closing, I’d like to return to Hillary for a moment. Obviously, God isn’t done with her yet. If you are reading this, He’s not done with you yet either. There’s still work to be done, lives to be changed, etc. Ask Him what plans He’s got for you today and listen for what that assignment might be. I thought I was going to continue preparations for a new semester today, but God handed me some writing material this morning and here I sit. Be flexible for you never know when those divine interruptions may occur!

I was asked to write a letter to Hillary to be placed in her sorority scrapbook to put a cap on her senior year at Thiel. Well, that was quite a daunting task. Much like my failed first blog attempt last week, I didn’t know where to start or where to end. Eventually, the way I ended it applies to each and every one of us. We each have a unique story based on our life experiences. I have no idea why she’s been through everything that she has, but I do know this—-every single part of her story came with a purpose. I told her that her story has not been wasted. Neither was Alec’s. God uses the circumstances of our lives to mold us and shape us and make us look more like Jesus. Of course, it goes more smoothly if we cooperate! What has God been up to in your life? What is YOUR story? You know, stories were meant to be told. Who needs to hear yours?

 

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The Journey

On Sunday we will celebrate another big milestone in our daughter’s journey through life. These occasions always cause me to be reflective and highly emotional. As part of my therapy, I had determined to share part of that journey with you through my writing. I found that was easier said than done yesterday. I didn’t know where to start and where to stop. After many hours and countless words, I scrapped the whole thing and went to bed late last night. The truth is, I cannot condense what we’ve been through with Hillary in her 21+ years to a blog post. It deserves a book! Maybe someday….

For those unfamiliar with her story, Hillary Jayne is our miracle baby. You’ll have to wait for the book to fill in the gaps, but I’ll paint the big picture now. She was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in the womb. The hole in the left side of her diaphragm allowed her abdominal organs to come up into her chest cavity and take up the space where her left lung was to be developing. She was given a 50% chance of surviving IF she was born in the right place at the right time. By the grace of God, she was. She came out fighting and has been fighting ever since! Hillary had her hernia repair surgery when she was 6 days old and spent the first 88 days of her life in intensive care at Allegheny General Hospital. I remember the neonatologist describing Hillary’s hospital stay as a series of three steps forward and two steps backwards. That’s a net gain of one, right? We’ll take it! Even with the medical advances today, 50% of babies born with CDH do not survive.

CDH isn’t just a hernia. The 50% that do survive live with the threat of complications of it for the rest of their lives, including the very real possibility of reherniation. So, as they say at CHERUBS, the CDH Support Group, “Just because the hole is fixed, doesn’t mean the battle is over.” For instance, Hillary recently spent a whole year on three high-powered antibiotics to rid her good lung of a serious mycobacterial infection that was indirectly related to her CDH. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Hillary. Far from it! I guess that’s what makes each milestone that much sweeter!

I believe God has lessons for us in each of our life experiences. Nothing comes to us without a purpose. Without question, Hillary’s story is the experience that has had the greatest impact on my life. I look at life differently now because I realize just how precious it is. Each day is a gift from God, not to be taken for granted. In the words of Jesus:

I have come so they can have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way.”  

John 10:10b NIRV

Jesus went to the greatest of lengths to give us life. It would behoove us to make the most of it. Let’s not squander today, for tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. Live life….enjoy it…celebrate it…and give God thanks for it!

On Sunday we will celebrate the college graduation of our precious daughter. This milestone, like every other one before it, will be magnified times one hundred because of the journey that brought her here. I couldn’t be more proud. She has overcome so much adversity in her 21+ years and has excelled in spite of it all. Or perhaps BECAUSE of it all. When they call Hillary Jayne Leipold on Sunday and she crosses the stage with numerous cords and medallions draped around her neck to collect her diploma, her devoted fan base will be there leading the cheering. That is, all except her mother who will be too choked up to muster a WooHoo!