Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Do you know one of the first things that the nurse said to us when our son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes? "You are privileged parents. You get to do something not many parents can do. Each day, you can give your son life!" I remember I thought she was crazy. :) But, it's true, everything we do for him each day, we are choosing to give him life. If we don't change his pump site, it could get infected, it could close up and he wouldn't get the insulin his body needs. If we feed him and don't make sure he takes his insulin, he could die within a day or two. If we choose to ignore his celiac diagnosis and feed him regular food full of gluten, he would eventually die from the damage his body would do to itself. If we choose not to buy his horribly expensive allergy medicine, it would cause so many complications with his other diseases, he could die.

We are living in the "shadow of death" each day, we've just gotten used to it and know what to do. It's like the Fire Swamp. We've learned how to deal with all the dangers, anything else happening would just be a myth. And just like Wesley was wrong, so was I.

We learned a new doctor specialty this week, pediatric nephrology. Apparently, there is a whole sector of doctors out there who only focus on the kidneys. Who knew! Our son is now spilling large amounts of protein in his urine. What does this mean for him? I have no clue. The internet says it could be everything from cancer to kidney stones.

So, once again, we are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We have turned a new corner and new danger awaits us. This could be it. This could be the final danger, but I believe in happy endings. Wesley and Buttercup escaped the Fire Swamp and eventually the evil Prince Humperdink. Frodo and Sam made it through Mordor and back to the Shire. The Psalmist says, even in the Valley, God is with us. God is still leading us even during this time. When the psalmist says, "your rod and your staff, they comfort me" it's a reminder that God is physically with us, guiding down the right path. How does a shepherd guide his sheep? He sometimes gives them a gentle tap to lead them down the right path.

We are a little fearful, we are apprehensive, but we will follow the Good Shepherd all the days of our lives and when those lives end, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I know this is true for our son as he has accepted God's free gift of salvation, so everything else is just my human nature wanting to hold on.