NO WAIVER NEEDED, GOD IS IN CONTROL     By Peggy Bryan

There are some things that happen to you that increase your faith and make you a stronger person, things that you know you must share with others as a means of encouragement for them as well as yourself.

In the past year there have been many events that have happened in our family, some good and some not so good, but they make you appreciate the good times and praise the Lord for the strength He gives you to get through the rough times.  Jesus gave us a promise in Hebrews 13:5 that He would never fail nor forsake us.  It is up to us to keep the faith and Jesus will deliver on His promises. 

On July 15, 2010, I received a notice from Medicaid that they intended to drop Kimberly from their program because she had too many resources.  It was not the benefits of the insurance or prescriptions that concerned me.  It was the fact that she would lose her Music Therapy and Respite Care.  She so loves music and the Respite Care is a blessing that gives me a few hours to do errands, etc., since Kimberly is home full time now.  That was a journey that began on 07/15/10 and did not end until 10/15/10.  It was an ordeal that took 93 days.  It was an ordeal that tested me and my faith.  It was an ordeal in which the Lord showed me He was in control of things and we must be patient and acknowledge that His timetable is always best.  It took countless hours on the phone with case managers and supervisors.  It took many hours of copying records and filling out forms and faxing them to different offices.  The last resort was that we had to appear before a Medicaid Judge.  We were given a date and time to appear before the judge; that date was 10/15/10. I had sent them all of my information that they had requested and now there was just the waiting for that date to come. Those of you who know me, know I am not the most patient person.  There is a need to discipline ourselves to be patient, and that is not always joyful. Hebrews 12:11 tells us, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. “ 

The case manager that I had been talking with told me that she would send me a packet of information that would be necessary for me to take to the hearing that gave the reasons why Medicaid felt that Kimberly should no longer be receiving benefits. This was important to have because the only way for the judge to grant a Waiver was to know the charges Medicaid had filed.  Before the packet arrived I got a call from the case manager stating that it would not be necessary for Kimberly and me to appear before the judge; that she had gotten things straightened out and it was all a misunderstanding.  Needless to say, I was very relieved and thanked the Lord that this ordeal was over, or so I thought.  This all took place about a week before we were to go before the judge. I was thrilled and did not think anymore about the packet I was suppose to receive. 

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October 15^th arrived and I was so glad I was not going to have to see that judge.  Little did I know, everything was about to change. Two hours before the scheduled time of the hearing, I received a call letting me know that the judge had stated that I had to be there, with Kimberly, and all of my information or Kimberly’s Medicaid would be denied.  Frustration and panic set in.  I immediately began making copies of all of Kimberly’s information and bills, etc., since I had not received the packet of information from the case worker and the judge needed the information.   At that time James 1:2-4 came to mind, “Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  I was not happy with what I was going through, but I was joyful in the fact that I knew the Lord would take care of the situation and we would be able to handle the outcome. 

I was still frustrated with the fact that I did not receive the packet from the case manager which she stated was important for the judge to have so that a Waiver could be granted.  Here is where I applied one of my favorite verses, Philippians 4:6.  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” 

By a strange twist of fate, because I had no packet, and the judge had no packet, the case was dismissed by the judge. She also wrote a letter stating that Kimberly should not have to go through the process again of having to appear before a judge to keep her Medicaid benefits.  Hence, no Waiver was needed or will be needed in the future.  It was another growing experience in which God showed me He is in control and He is my strength and I must depend on Him and not myself. Where all I expected was a Waiver, He did so much more.

We were not promised that we would not have troubles in life.  But, God can lift us up and allow us to grow through those troubles to spiritual heights we did not know was possible.  Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” 

When things seem difficult and the Lord seems far away, I ask myself who has changed, me or God?  The answer is the same, ME.  Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

I share this experience with you in hopes that it will encourage others to share their experiences and the scriptures that have helped them as 1 Thessalonians 4:18 says, “Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”