God Has a Plan -- STAND!

At age 14, I was a volunteer Candy Striper at a Dallas hospital. The unique title went with the candy cane, red & white-striped pinafores that we wore. In those days, I aspired to become a nurse, so I took flowers and mail to patients, refilled their water jugs, and other incidental duties. But, those plans were dashed when I married my handsome 18-year-old sweetheart when, at 17, I graduated high school. I became an office clerk to help put him through college. The next year, I gave birth to our son. If I had it to do all over again -- I’d do it all over again -- because that was the journey that God destined for us! Looking back through the rear view mirror and living with “if only” thoughts does not serve us well. God always tells us to press on, go forward, rise and shine, and "remember not the former things" (Isaiah 43:18)!

Unexpectedly in our journey of faith, I did become an “unofficial” nurse – not as I had dreamed it to be, but one God called me to at the time. My husband had a severe staph infection that required 8 weeks of antibiotics by I.V. After brief training, I was able to give him the I.V. three times a day. I’ll admit my hesitancy to take on such a critical responsibility that I had only witnessed the "pros" (RN's) perform in the hospital. At first, it seemed overwhelming, with so many sterilizing techniques, flushing the lines, clamping and not clamping, and calculating the drip timing, but I got it down quite well.

The challenges we faced were often daunting, and Nurse Donna continued to be on duty until my sweet man graduated to heaven. But, we never wavered from our STAND of faith. God’s Word was our surest foundation in every turn of the road in our journey. We knew our faith, as well as the prayers and support of friends and family, gave us the tenacity to "STAND" and press on to the finish line. These lyrics of gospel recording artist, Donnie McClurkin, “Stand”, undergirded us. I give these words to you to encourage you in whatever role you may find yourself in -- as someone’s nurse, caregiver, companion, friend, or, even to be the one that is the recipient of the love and care - wherever your journey takes you, today, or in the future, let these words resonate within you and encourage you to keep STANDING!

“STAND”, by Donnie McClurkin
Tell me, what do you give when you've given your all,
And it seems like you can't make it through?
Well you just stand, when there's nothing left to do.
You just stand, watch the Lord see you through.
Yes, after you done all you can, you just stand.
You just stand, and endure,
God has a purpose, yes, God has a plan.

Don't you dare give up through the storm, stand through the rain,
Through the hurt, yes, through the pain,
Don't you bow, and don't bend, don't give up, no, don't give in.
Hold on, just be strong, God will step in and it won't be long.
After you've gone through the storm, after you gone through the rain,
After you done all you can.....you just stand.