Walking on two legs

I am still writing the rest of our story and I will continue to post more as it is completed.

In the meantime, I want to share some exciting news - Doug received his new leg and foot!

He was fitted in a temporary leg last week and he got to take his first steps!

This was a redemptive event for our entire family! We all went to the prosthetist to cheer on our Daddy walking with his new leg!

However, today was even more remarkable as Doug got to actually walk out of the office wearing his new foot and leg!

I haven't seen him smiling this big in quite some time!

I'm so thankful for my husband! The Lord has given him such amazing perseverance and patience the past four-and-a-half months. I have seen him endure terrible pain and hardship with such grace and peace that can only come from our Faithful Father. I am very proud to be married to Doug! I am so thankful for how the Lord has grown our faith in Him and how He has strengthened our marriage in so many fruitful ways. Of course, we still argue, disagree on things, and get aggravated with each other, but I can honestly say that I appreciate my husband and his character so much more today than I did five months ago.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

"We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5

Both of these verses bring us great joy and hope, knowing that the Lord is taking us through the "heat", a place that we don't want to go, in order to produce in our lives what we can never achieve on our own. He is working to expose, change, and mature our character. And let's be honest, I need Him to do so! I constantly drift away from trusting Him. I prefer comfort and ease. I get angry and irritated when things aren't going my way. I question God's goodness and battle with why He had to take Doug's leg away. However, I can rest in His great love for me and Doug. He NEVER left us to go through this heat alone! His grace was and is ever-present and always sufficient.