I’ve been blessed to witness many miracles in my life. I am, however, probably the only person on
earth who would feel grateful for the miracle I was given last week.
For nearly two months I have been a worried mom. Ok, I admit I’ve been a worried mom for
nearly 25 years because I am that kind of mom, but this was a different kind of
worry.
Really, what mom wouldn’t worry
when her 7 year old began developing unexplained blisters?
It started out as small red bumps. They looked like bug bites and she had been
playing outside. No big deal, a little
itchy redness and then gone in a day or two.
Then we had a few more.
Then they turned into blisters. Not
tiny blisters but usually about 1/4 inch in diameter and sometimes
nearly 1/4 inch tall. They hurt and
itched. Sometimes they would pop up
randomly and sometimes in a line, curved line, or even a small cluster. Not on her face thankfully but nearly
everywhere else.
The weather turned colder and she stopped playing outside
but the bumps and blisters continued to appear.
Worried Mom wondered:
Were they contagious? Not likely
since no one else in the family had them or anything like them. No friends or classmates were
complaining. The blisters continued
popping up.
Worried Mom wondered:
Did we have a mysterious bug?
Maybe even bedbugs? Again, no one
else had these bumps. Internet research
provided scary options. Rooms were
cleaned, bedding washed and inspected, insect killer sprayed. The blisters continued showing up.
Worried Mom considered maybe the itchy dog and the blistery
kid were related: Does the dog have
fleas? Flea bites on humans might make
the bumps but internet research showed no blisters. Doggie was checked thoroughly, no fleas
spotted. Vet was called and said new
meds Doggie was taking may cause dry skin and itching – give a supplement. Dog continued scratching and kid continued
blistering.
Worried Mom and somewhat worried school nurse discussed: What could this be? Allergies considered but worried mom didn’t
think so and had been experimenting with that anyway.
Worried Mom thinks:
Is this a virus? Is this the sign
of something terrible and deadly? What is
this and how do I fix my kid?
Worried Mom becomes more worried as blisters suddenly become
worse. As a test, Blister Girl begins
taking Benadryl which doesn’t solve the problem but helps. Bumps continue to appear but fewer turn into
blisters and they go away faster.
Worried Mom and Blister Girl visit the doctor: After 90 minutes of various doctors stopping
in and doctors trying to research, a decision is reached. They have no idea what is going on with
Blister Girl. Try a cream and keep up the Benadryl. Follow up in ten days. Big help. Not.
That night Worried Mom prays. And wonders why she didn’t think to pray
about this before. Worried Mom prays. A
lot. Worried Mom and Blister Girl pray
together each morning and evening. They
pray for others but neither has thought to pray about this. Worried Mom knows everyone is perplexed by
this mystery but God knows all and has told us twice in the Gospels that if we
only have faith the size of a mustard seed we can perform great works (Matthew
17:20 & Luke 17:16). So she prays
that night. Worried Mom prays for a
miracle. She prays that something will
help her find out what is plaguing her little girl. She prays with faith. Maybe faith only the size of
a mustard seed, but with faith. She
prays until she falls asleep.
The next morning Worried Mom is gently applying cream to her
daughter’s blisters when she sees something small on her daughter’s leg. A bug?
She runs to the garage, grabs clear packing tape, and runs back. Spot is still there so she applies the
tape. Yep. Definitely a bug. She has torn this house apart looking for
bugs and never sees one until now, after a night of prayer.
Was this the answer?
Did God send a bug as the answer to a prayer? Worried Mom didn’t recognize the bug and
although fleas have been suspected but not found this bug didn’t act like a
flea. It didn't move or hop. Since Doggie had a vet visit scheduled that day Worried Mom brings along the tape with the bug sample. Sure enough, fleas.
That is the only flea that was ever seen. Worried Mom never did find one on Doggie or
anywhere in the house but flea treating Doggie and having the house treated
solved the problem.
Mystery solved with a prayer answered by something as small
as a flea. Apparently Blister Girl is hyper-allergic
to flea bites. Her reaction to them is
highly unusual which is why it never turned up on an internet search and the
doctors were stumped.
God knew the answer all along. All I needed to do was trust Him and have
faith that he would show me the answer if I asked and believed with faith the
size of a mustard seed.
So yes, Worried Mom is likely the only person on the face of
the earth to be grateful to know that there are fleas in her home and most
certainly the only person to experience a miracle by seeing a flea.
God’s ways are mysterious but this is one mom who knows that
He listens and answers our prayers
