Strep Be-Gone!!

Please allow me to share a recent miracle with you. Last month some of you may have seen me post concerning an onslaught of illnesses that seemed never-ending and unstoppable. Shortly after that posting, Monica (my wife) came down with strep for the third consecutive time in a two month span. After yet another round of doctor's visits and another round of more powerful antibiotics, we were hopeful that it was finally over. The other four of us had been declared strep-free, so we knew none of us were carrying it and passing it to Monica. Every time she came down with strep, it presented in the same manner. Her right tonsil would become inflamed and swollen and then, within several hours, the rest of the symptoms would start presenting again. She would then go to the doctor, go through the ten day round of antibiotics, and be fine for about five days after discontinuing. This third round of antibiotics had taken effect much more quickly than before, so we were pretty sure it was finally over. About five days after finishing the drugs, she started feeling that familiar discomfort. It was devastating. We had already been forced to cancel our family vacation after the last wave struck. She was tired. We were financially exhausted. We were not even remotely prepared for a repeat. We knew that the next doctor's visit would yield a referral to a specialist who would inevitably want to remove Monica's tonsils, which is not nearly as pleasant for an adult as it is for a kid who just gets to relax and eat ice cream for a few days.
I decided we were going to beat this with prayer. I prayed for God to spare Monica from having to endure this yet again. It was a hopeful prayer, but I really was praying without strong conviction. Logic was telling me that it was too little too late. I called a few other people and asked them to pray for the same thing. Even though they all agreed to, I could tell that they were feeling the same thing I was, and most likely, their prayers would end up more like asking for us to have the strength to endure while going through rather than it being avoided entirely. So even though I knew I was lacking in faith, I firmly insisted that the prayers be specifically for the strep not to happen again.
I don't know how many people ended up praying for her, but although I expected to wake up dealing with another nightmare, the next morning brought exactly the opposite. No strep! Almost another week has gone by since, and Monica is still healthy. It would have been so easy to just keep moving along, gratefully but without outward acknowledgement of what had transpired. I can't let that happen. Sometimes the remembrance of these "small" miracles provides the encouragement to stand up against the larger struggles and to pray with faith, knowing that God can and does answer prayers!