I spoke before of how I continually put God into a box. After Jillian walked for the first time the day after surgery due to the removal of the bones and scar tissue affecting her balance, God busted out of that box and looked me full in the face. That’s the problem with these boxes I build. Not only does it limit what I think He can do, but sometimes it makes Him nearly impossible to see. But even after I saw Him in His majesty that day, I picked up the hammer and nails of fear and doubt and started constructing a new box. Bigger, but confining all the same.

You met Seth not long ago. The story of his little life and the tragedy and triumph of his family have changed every single life it touches. It was because of their heartache and the testimony through their trials that I felt such an urgency to ensure Seth would one day hear.

I didn’t even hear the creaking of the nails as they began to loosen...

Then, I received an email that a check for $20,000 was in the mail to Rhyan’s Hope to cover Seth’s insurance expenses from the same family that donated for Jillian. In just a few short months, Seth will not only have one cochlear implant, he’ll have two. He won’t just be able to see the love in his Mommy’s eyes. He’ll hear it in her voice.

And that box is sawdust at my feet...

We are nearing the end of our journey and I can't describe what I'm feeling. Overwhelmed, overjoyed, just plain over. I've told several loved ones that this has been harder than anything we've been through to date. It has been sad, frustrating, lonely, emotionally torturous, and gut-wrenching.

And then... Monday, I told Rhyan I loved her without her looking at my mouth to read my lips and she said immediately, "I love you, too". It was a turning point that I desperately needed. It has just been over the last few days that she's been responding more and more and I feel so comforted.

This coming Monday, she'll get her old ear back and have the old and new ears 'synchronized' She will hear with both ears for the first time in her life. I heard this song today and I feel like I've had a chance to catch my breath. I have felt these words sometimes every second of every day over the last month. But He has given us the promise of a lifetime. So, in case you've ever felt the same. Remember His promises.

* Kutless - Promise of a Lifetime *

I have fallen to my knees
As I sing a lullaby of pain
I'm feeling broken in my melody
As I sing to help the tears go away
Then I remember the pledge you made to me

I know you're always there
To hear my every prayer inside
I'm clinging to the promise of a lifetime
I hear the words you say
To never walk away from me and leave behind
The promise of a lifetime

Will you help me fall apart
Pick me up, take me in your arms
Find my way back from the storm
And you show me how to grow
Through the change

I still remember the pledge you made to me
I am holding on to the hope I have inside
With you I will stay through every day
Putting my understanding aside
And I am comforted

Vacation Bible School had proven to be pretty difficult for Rhyan. Yesterday, she just couldn't handle the noise. Today she went in with Evynn and did great. There were only two other little ones in there with two teachers. She was a helper and she was able to concentrate and focus.

I've noticed since yesterday afternoon that she is responding quite a bit to things that are being said where she can't see the person's face. Whether it's Matt reading a book with her by his side, or if I'm in the kitchen answering a question to her on the couch. I've been very excited to see the strides she's made so quickly. It gives me so much hope for the coming days. We have less than two weeks before she has both ears turned on. I'm just excited for her to have her old ear back. The thought that things will not only return to her normal, but be even better, feels like a huge reward for all that we've been through the last few weeks.