Do not fear, for I am
with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
During the
advent season, many are looking forward to time shared with family and friends,
however, others of us may find that this time of year has more challenges than
pleasures. Gatherings present various
issues for me. The biggest challenge is
food. I have to navigate what is
available so that I eat enough without getting so sick that I can’t enjoy
myself. Clothing is another challenge as
I am very sensitive to both fabrics and temperature. What may work one day may not on
another. An additional hurdle is a
heightened “flight or fight” response.
Consequently, my physical response to uncomfortable social situations
and personality differences are often exacerbated. While I will enjoy those with whom I celebrate,
there are many others that I wish the celebrations would include, but will not;
they will be sorely missed. There are
also uncertainties in our life making this holiday season less than
carefree. I am not alone in any of this
as I recognize that many will find it difficult to enjoy the holidays this year
due to their own health issues, the rigors of travel, the loss of loved ones,
family conflicts, etc. Yet in our
trials, we should still seek to experience the peace, hope, and joy that our
Savior provides.
With all of
the activities of this year, I am already spent so I must admit that I am less
than enthused with respect to any more activities that make significant demands
of me. However, I realize that
celebrating the incarnation of Christ and the time spent with family will have
benefits both spiritually and emotionally.
I believe our ever gracious Savior understands my weakness and placed
Isaiah 41:10 before me in light of the advent season as a reminder of my true
source of peace, hope and joy.
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My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
Yet again I
find myself failing. I have done what I
can to pace myself, but my body is weak and does not seem to be up to the task
these days, therefore, this will be brief.
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Wait for the Lord; be
strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14
This spring I was finally diagnosed after a 27 year
wait. A fresh perspective, advances in
technology, and a better understanding of the human body have come together
provide the relevant information for a conclusive finding. During that time there was much angst,
frustration, concern and of course much prayer on our behalf. I regularly went to the Lord throughout that
time, however, the tone and nature of my prayers changed as God used my poor
health to mature my perspective. At
first I prayed that God would relieve my pain.
After some time, I began to ask for His grace to endure this
illness. Having given up my career and
studying the matter in earnest, I began to request that God would instruct
me. I have now come to the point that I
beseech our Father in Heaven to use my trials to allow me to be a minister of
His mercy to others. While I make no
claims to being the best student or a perfect model of godliness, I am grateful
that God has matured my faith and has kept me looking to Him for solace and
direction. To be sure waiting on God can
be difficult. Scripture is full of
examples of those that tried to hurry things along rather than wait on God. Yet, in order to patiently and graciously
wait on God we must keep in mind that He will hear us, He is our hope, and He
will be good to us.
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We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. James 5:11
Yesterday was a beautiful day so I went for a run. While I managed to endure to the end, it wasn’t
easy for several reasons. In addition to my normal health concerns, a couple of
weeks ago, I had a respiratory infection that has left me with a nagging cough.
I have asthma and forgot to use my
inhaler before the run. I also have a
knee that isn’t always the most cooperative as well as a wart being treated on
one foot that can be uncomfortable. I
could go on, but you get the idea…there were obstacles that had to be endured
to finish running the course. Today it turned
cold and rainy causing my body to ache significantly. Further, it was one of those days when fatigue
and lethargy set in. Today’s form of
endurance had a different nature, but was endurance nonetheless. In fact, every day seems to require a fair
amount of patient endurance. I must
accept undesired changes in my lifestyle and abilities as my body often seems to
be my worst enemy. It can be rather
trying at times. However, each day I do
my best to: stand, run the race, endure with grace, and to live well. Some days that goes fairly well while others
see limited, if any, success. I struggle
daily to endure because of God’s involvement in my life. From my perspective, here are three of the
many encouragements to endure.
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Cast your burden upon
the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be
shaken. Psalm 55:22
As I was going into the groomer’s shop this week to pick up
our dog, our groomer was going to her car and looked at me but didn’t acknowledge
me. Later when she came back into the
shop, she apologized for making me wait and stated that she thought I was a
teenager using one of their parking spots and admitted that she was frustrated
that a non-customer might be using their allotted parking space. Given my age, salt and pepper hair, and a few
extra pounds, the thought of me looking more than 40 years younger was
laughable, but I took the “win”. In her
defense, I had on a hat, sun glasses and gym clothes making her quick glance
less than informative. Similar
misconceptions may arise for those of us with invisible illnesses. It can be challenging when people make
assumptions regarding our health based on how we look. When we make the effort to attend events and
do our best to look good, others often fail to understand how ill we are, how difficult
daily tasks can be, or how challenging it is for us to engage in social
activities. Those struggling with grief
or various trials may face some of the same challenges with respect to the
understanding or expectations of others as their struggle is not readily
visible. Even those with visible disorders
may be challenged by the expectations and assumptions of others if they strive
to present a strong demeanor. Consequently,
the phrase “you look good” can quickly crush our spirits. This was certainly true for me for many years
until I was shown a more biblical perspective that involves the impact of God’s
sustaining grace.
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Reading God’s Word and meditating on its truth will have a purifying effect upon your mind and heart, and will be demonstrated in your life. Let nothing take the place of this daily privilege.
The Spirit Himself
testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs
also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him
so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:16-17
As I continue to facilitate another support group, I have
the benefit of being reminded of (or in some cases, relearning) past lessons regarding
the roll of suffering in faith and in my relationship with God. I’ve been going to church since I was born
and I’ve been a Christian most of my life.
Much of my childhood was spent being instructed in or listening to the
finer points of faith being discussed or debated. As an adult, I’ve participated in many such
discussions and led a few. These are the
things of religion. While I have had a
relationship with God since my youth and recognize periods of significant
spiritual growth throughout my life, that relationship has been significantly altered
by my illness. In that regard, my
suffering has been my greatest blessing in that has matured my faith and pushed
me to a deeper relationship with our Lord.
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We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
Merriam-Webster defines encumbered as impeded, hampered or
hindered with respect to functions or activities. A reality of my life and the lives of others
dealing with chronic illness and pain is that we are encumbered in everything
we do. Those of us are encumbered with
respect to our ability to function are also, by definition, encumbered in our
activities. Often it’s not just the
physical issues but also the mental ones.
It takes so much energy to accept and manage our physical problems and
limitations that we are also mentally encumbered. Further, the problem is not limited to those
with physical or mental problems, but also extends to those who are grieving,
have relationship problems or are enduring some other trial. These may also find themselves encumbered as
they attempt to accomplish the tasks set before them. Despite our struggles, God still calls us to
complete tasks for Him. It is not ours
to question or deny but rather to complete with aide of our Heavenly Father.
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If we do anything to further the kingdom of God, we may expect to find what Christ found on that road – abuse, indifference, injustice, misunderstanding, trouble of some kind. Take it. Why not? To that you were called. In Latin America someone who feels sorry for himself is said to look like a donkey in a downpour. If we think of the glorious fact that we are on the same path with Jesus, we might see a rainbow.
If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you. If you do not expect, you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith.
