Through the Waters

A few days ago, we were talking about the death of Muhammad Ali. Fred asked if I knew that he died of septic shock, and reminded me that I had septic shock at least three times in 2014, coming very close to death. That was a part of my journey that was filled with dangerous mile markers, some of which I was not even aware of at the time.

Fred lived it fully while I was out of it. He knows better than anyone what a danger-filled year it was. The reality is that such times are a part of live. Some of them, we survive. And that’s what happened to me in 2014. I survived the raging waters that took me near to the end of my life. I survived the fiery nights of difficulty when my temperature climbed to ominous levels.

I survived it all, and today, I feel healthy and strong on most days. For that, I am eternally grateful to God who brought me through and to Fred, who never tired on that journey. When I remember those days, this scripture always comes to mind:
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.   (Isaiah 43:2 NIV)