"I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a future and a hope. . . ."

Earlier this week I asked the Lord to give hope to our granddaughter. She was down, depressed, felt as if her life was meaningless and she had no future. I prayed for a surprise, anything that would help her see that even with bipolar, she could have a meaningful life. I also said that we felt so helpless. We cannot force her to do things, take treatments, even take some of the jobs available to her. We want the best, but she has to do her part.

Yesterday was like waking up from a bad dream. The dream clings, but it isn’t real. I’m still shaking my head and wondering if I am awake.

Our local university hospital has a walk-in psychiatric clinic. She decided she wanted to go. It was a scarey thing, so I offered to drive her. We arrived around 9 a.m. There were no other patients in line. She filled out an 8-page form. The therapist introduced himself and gave her some time to have breakfast. After she ate, she spent about an hour with him. He looked like a soccer player, with a sense of humor. After a short break, he took her to see a psychiatrist. She later said that they asked her a lot of questions about her medical history. After another hour, she came back to the waiting room. She sat down beside me, her face relaxed yet she looked both puzzled and surprised.

“They told me that the medication I was on while in Toronto was almost certainly the cause of my manic episode, and that I must stop taking lithium. I’m not bipolar.”

It was my turn to be both puzzled and surprised, but something inside of me was shouting, “Yes!”

She told me they could not be 100% about their conclusion, but that the former medication had a reputation for doing to people what had happened to her. It was far too strong and not the right one for her needs. The doctor gave her a prescription for a mild anti-depressant, invited her to participate in an 18-week treatment program, and asked her to get an MRI because they can verify her depression with it. She was immediately given both hope and action steps. She said, “This is a life-changing experience.”

Life-changing indeed. Instead of being tied to a life of mental illness, she can see a future, a hope. The Bible says God can do “exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or imagine.” To my request for a surprise, we got this amazing ‘exceedingly abundantly above’ answer!