Battlefield

Ephesians 6:10-13

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God,so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground"

I have no doubts that we are constantly surrounded by a super natural battle field around us. I know that may seem weird and creepy to some, but how can we deny it? We hear it so often & can feel it time to time, but many times we don't acknowledge or grasp what is truly taking place. If we don't acknowledge it, then we won't have the power to fight properly against it. 

I can personally say, most recently, that we have definitely been right in the center of an intense battle. Although I may feel weary, even as I write this, I know in the end that we have the upper hand and will come out victorious through this all through Christ. From our last blog, you know that Daniel was put on the DL for a labrum tear. That was mid May and actually happened the day I flew out from California. Although it wasn't the greeting I was hoping for, I was thankful to have been there for Daniel when it happened.

Even before that first injury, Daniel was having a slow start baseball wise just getting into a groove & getting over some mental aspects of the game. That was the first tough thing we had to face. Every baseball player wants to do well. He finally started getting into the swing of things again going 4 for 7 in the game that he got hurt the first time. Although we felt discouraged initially, we both felt an unexplainable peace in the midst of it. Little did we know how much God would use it and move through that situation. Like Daniel shared in the last blog, the Lord's really been taking us on a journey with Him. Through that first injury, we saw multiple miracles take place. We saw potentially life threatening spots disappear on a liver after praying. We saw a guy that just got out of jail who had a broken hand be healed and give his life to the Lord. We saw Daniel experience accelerated healing in his labrum...we were seeing things and the power of God moving in a way we have never experienced in our Christian walks before. Our faith was being strengthened.

Daniel was re-activated back on the roster a couple weeks ago and has been doing really well on the field. He was seeing and hitting the ball real good and really getting into his groove again. We thought all was good and that we were back on track to getting things going in baseball again. Then our faith would be put to the test again. Daniel had been feeling some pain in his left wrist the past week and was diagnosed with some tendinitis. The trainer had been taking good care of it and Daniel was on some meds to help with the pain. We thought it'd only be a minor thing that would go away in time and would be something he could play through. Well last night, as Daniel swung during an at bat he started feeling extreme pain right away. He had to be taken out of the game and at that point, I knew something was wrong. I could see the disappointment in his face as he was sitting in the dugout with his hand on his wrist. We went to doctors today and have found out that it is a broken hamate bone and Daniel will need surgery in the coming week. It is a common injury amongst baseball players and the recovery process is 4 to 6 weeks.

It breaks my heart more then anything for Daniel. Even after seeing God work in such big ways thru that first injury, I feel like my faith doesn't feel as strong this time around. I honestly feel drained spiritually and emotionally. I know Daniel just wants to be playing. I want to see his dreams come true for him. This is Daniel's 9th time going on the DL since starting pro ball in 2007. Never in our wildest thoughts would we have thought this journey to the big leagues would be such a roller coaster. I can truly say though that we have always seen God's provision through each and everyone of those setbacks. And I want to believe that He has a bigger plan in it all. Although I don't fully understand these setbacks, I do believe it is spiritual warfare and I don't want to give the enemy any type of victory in this. I know it will be a journey of emotions as we rehab now, but I will counteract this battle and fight back as best as I can- and that is through prayer. Please join me in praying. I want to see God glorified through this.