The Obstacle Is the Way
Jewel Busch 
What if my. perception of the obstacle is what's actually keeping me stuck?
Image credit can be found here.
I'll be perfectly honest....I haven't exactly greeted any of my children's diagnoses with rejoicing and faith.
Instead, there's been a lot of murmuring and crying, each time.
Diabetes is exhausting and unrelenting.
For those of you who live with it in any way, shape, or form, you already know.
For those of you who don't, picture something in your life that takes up your focus, your energy, your attention, and your finances, and try to grapple with the fact that this obstacle will never go away, never resolve, never change.
At best, it can be managed in a way to make it less obtrusive.
At worst, it can result in...well, catastrophe.
When I got the phone call with my youngest son's test results a month ago, I was devastated.
I already felt that I was drowning trying to keep up with his three older siblings' care, and being faced with the reality of financially draining medical devices, one more child to check on in the middle of the night, one more system to figure out--it overwhelmed me.
I cried. A lot.
I yelled at God. A lot.
And, thankfully, I studied my scriptures and prayed a lot, too.
During this time, I was studying the story of Moses and the children of Israel found in the book of Exodus in pretty specific detail, and do you know what I noticed?
God provided the children of Israel with quite a few miracles during that time.
Not just "tender mercy" type of miracles where a favorite song comes on the radio, but huge, nation-changing miracles.
Burning bushes (Ex. 3: 2)
Rods becoming serpents (Ex. 4:3)
Leprosy healing (Ex. 4:6-7)
10 separate plagues, ending in the death of all the firstborns and miraculous preservation of Israel's children on the night of the Passover (Ex. 8-12)
The Lord Himself attending the Children of Israel as a Pillar of Fire (Ex. 13:21-22)
The parting of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:16-22)
The healing of the bitter waters of Marah (Ex. 15:25)
Flocks of quails coming to feed hungry Israel (Ex. 16:13)
Manna feeding them daily for 40 years (Ex. 16:14-18)
Water coming from the rock at Horeb (Ex. 17:5-6)
....and I could go on, but I won't, because I already worry that this article might be getting too long (but I invite you to read the account yourself. It's pretty remarkable).
As I've been studying these incredible stories, still shared as examples of God's power, love, and protection throughout the ages thousands of years later, do you know what I've noticed?
Not a single miracle happened until after an obstacle was noted and faced.
Not one.
Whether the obstacle was Pharaoh's hard heart, Moses's self-doubt, or the practicality of what 600,000 people in the wilderness could eat and drink, miracles were always God's response to pressing difficulties, obstacles, dangers, and concerns.
My children's experiences with diabetes (and my experiences caring for them) have led me to some of the most incredible miracles I could have ever imagined.
Being woken up in the middle of the night out of deep sleep with the clear direction to check on a child whose blood sugars were dipping dangerously low. Often.
Having juuuuust enough insulin to last us through the vacation that we were sure we'd brought extra for.
Following a prompting to go check on a child who needed emergent care and being able to take him to the hospital when my initial plans had me across town all day.
The peace that comes with covenant promises that everything will be okay--even if I don't get to decide what "okay" looks like.
And smaller miracles--like the miracles of advancing technology that allows for my children's difficulties and dangers to be more easily and naturally managed with insulin pumps, CGMs, and phones.
The most incredible miracle of all, however, has been my relationship with God itself.
God has been my best friend for a long time.
But that doesn't mean I've always trusted or known Him the way I know He wants me to.
Diabetes in all of its iterations has given me an incredible gift: the opportunity to come to know God personally and intimately, the way He wants to be known by all of His children.
The way He was known by Moses, who saw Him face to face (Mos. 7:4).
None of these miracles would have happened without the obstacles diabetes has offered my family and I.
Would I still be grateful if a miraculous cure was discovered tomorrow?
Oh, absolutely.
Would I ever wish diabetes on my worst enemy?
Definitely not.
But can I honestly say I'm grateful to have 4 children with diabetes?
Yes.
Because I know that God has "seen (my) affliction....and heard (my) cry," and that He has "come down to deliver (me)." (Ex. 3:7-8).
God is good.
And I praise Him.
