Several weeks ago, a single phone call turned a quiet Saturday morning into a flurry of panic. Blair, my medically complex daughter, had participated in a routine sleep study the night before. My husband returned home with her, exhausted after sleeping on a hospital-room pullout. He had barely untied his shoes when my phone rang.
The concerned doctor on the other end urged us to take Blair to the emergency room. Fear, anger, and sadness welled up in my heart as he explained the severity of the sleep-study results. As I restocked her hospital bag, I caught a glimpse of God’s invitation to view Blair’s life with fresh eyes—to see her circumstances through the lens of His sovereignty.
Blair’s life has become a picture of something I too easily forget: dependence isn’t a problem to solve but part of God’s good design. Just as Blair relies on me, I am utterly dependent on my heavenly Father for everything I need.
Our Every Breath
Breathing doesn’t come easily to my daughter, but we’ve grown accustomed to her rattling respirations and the palpable stillness in the air between breaths. I’ve studied these movements closely, patiently waiting at times for her deep gray-blue lips to blush once more. However, one thing remains true in these familiar moments—I cannot supply a single breath to her lungs.
If I know Blair’s breathing so intimately, how much more does my heavenly Father know me and faithfully supply my every breath?
Our first breath was a gift from our Creator, reminding us that our very lives depend on Him. Genesis 2:7 tells us “the LORD God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” We see a display of man’s full dependence upon his Creator.
Not only does He breathe physical life into our lungs, but He also delights to breathe spiritual, eternal life into every corner of our lives. Each time we inhale, it’s a reminder of our utter dependence on the Source and Sustainer of life.
The Lord continues to teach me this lesson through my daughter. After the sleep study, doctors prescribed a CPAP machine to support her airway while sleeping. Through the skill and care of others, God provided what Blair needed, giving me another glimpse of His compassionate provision.
Adorned in Beauty
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenged the crowd to “observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these” (Matt. 6:28–29). Rooted in the ground, the wildflowers fully rely on something outside of themselves for water and sunlight. Their dependence results in beautifully crafted petals of yellows, purples, and pinks.
How do you respond when a situation scratches away the veneer to reveal your dependence? Do you grasp for control, wishing you could meet every need on your own? I feel challenged as I watch Blair—like a carefree wildflower—live so peacefully in her dependent reality. When I grow frustrated and angry, she patiently rests. In her waiting, I see God’s loving provision and care displayed in countless ways.
I have witnessed this through the kindness of complete strangers who transported adaptive equipment across the country to my doorstep. I’ve seen Him working through the wisdom of therapists who navigated the insurance system in record time. He provided relief through a surgical procedure that stopped her chronic vomiting and through the expertise of physicians who used medications to drastically reduce seizure activity and support cognitive development. Through each provision, God has shown His faithfulness to meet Blair’s needs.
The Father Who Provides
Blair’s life gives me another picture of what it means to depend on the Father. She does not experience hunger, nor can she eat by mouth. Four times a day, I prepare a precise mixture, connect a tube to her stomach, and syringe-feed her a puréed blend of chicken and vegetables.
The supplies for these daily feedings arrive on our doorstep each month, and Blair never grows anxious for her next meal—a tangible expression of Luke 12: “Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? . . . But seek his kingdom, and these things will be provided for you” (vv. 24–31). That monthly delivery reminds me that my heavenly Father knows what I need and is faithful to provide it. How much more can I trust Him to sustain my soul?
Our Great Intercessor
As I’ve come to learn the detailed intricacies of the way God designed Blair’s body and mind, I often recognize needs she cannot communicate. Because I know and love her so deeply, I can help give words to what she can’t express.
How much more fully does Christ know me? He knows my heart and mind, and He continually intercedes for me before the Father. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.”
Blair’s life reminds me that dependence is not a deficiency to overcome but an invitation to rest in the God who gives me life, provides for my needs, and faithfully sustains me. Every breath, every need, and every provision invites me to rest in the One who gives me life, faithfully cares for me, and intercedes for me. The psalmist’s words give voice to this truth:
My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God. (Psalm 62:7)
Oh Lord, help us learn from Blair a beautiful dependence on You.
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