Suffering and Comfort, Loving Others

 1 Corinthians 1:3-7 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. But whether we are afflicted, it is for your comfort or salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is working in your perseverance in the same sufferings which we also suffer. And our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort."

In the passage above, Paul explains that we suffer and find comfort through Christ, which helps us grow in perseverance and benefits others. As the body of Christ, we work together and share both our sufferings and our comfort. Our church, Grace Bible Church, has the following mission statement: "Loving People To Life In Christ." This statement reflects what God has called us to do. We are to love God with all our heart, will, and soul, and love our neighbors as ourselves. Loving people to life involves two main aspects: first, sharing the gospel so they can have eternal life, and second, discipling them so they can experience an abundant life in Christ. We are Christ's ambassadors to everyone we meet—whether at school, church, home, grocery shopping, traveling, at the doctor's office, or the post office. As Christ's ambassadors, our words, actions, and attitudes should overflow with God's love and grace from within us into the lives of others. I recently finished reading "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change" by Paul David Tripp. This book offers practical advice for anyone who feels better equipped to practice the 'one another' commands we are called to follow. Maintaining a consistent, meaningful prayer life and quiet time with God is essential for our spiritual growth and the growth of those around us. The author urges us to love, know, speak, and do.

"Love" emphasizes the importance of relationships in the transformation process. "Know" involves becoming familiar with the people God sends our way. "Speak" means sharing God's truth with this person in this situation. "Do" is about helping them apply what they have learned—using the insights God has given them in their daily life and relationships.   

1 John 4:10-14 

"In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this, we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit. We have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." 

Some questions I have for myself are: 

• Do my words, actions, and attitudes reflect Christ's love? 
• Do those I encounter know I am Christ's child? Are they encouraged by God's work within me overflowing into them, or am I hindering the Spirit by leaning on my own strength and wisdom? 
• What have I said "No" to that I should have said "Yes" and vice versa? What have I prioritized over my relationship and fellowship with God? 

What is Next?

This road has been challenging, and every time I feel we're making progress, something else seems to set us back. We are currently a month behind on our mortgage payments. Scott needs to transfer his assets to me and be removed from the title of our car and home—yet I don’t have enough income myself to cover these payments, nor do I have good enough credit since all credit cards were in my name to protect his credit history. Scott had a fusion of his L5/S1 vertebrae 3 weeks ago and may require surgery on his left shoulder soon after that. He is still recovering from that - he is not to twist or bend from the waist, and is to use his walker or wheelchair at all times for at least 9 more weeks, and he is complaining that it is taking too long. He tires easily and takes a 3- to 5-hour nap almost every day; on the days he doesn't, he sleeps 10 to 12 hours that night.  It is hard as he is still also recovering from the two cataract surgeries and Cardiac Catheterization Labs he underwent in March and April this year. His memory and cognitive abilities seem to be progressively declining, though when we are out and about with others, he appears okay; it just exhausts him physically, mentally, and emotionally. For example, during his long-term care assessment, he performed very well—better than he had at the doctor's office, actually. But he had to lie down for a three-and-a-half-hour nap before that person had even left our driveway. He loves to greet people at church, and he did so at the Fireworks Concert, but it took three and a half days for him to recover to the point that we couldn’t go to church, nor was he able to attend his cardiac rehab or physical therapy the following Monday. 

So, where do we go from here? First, I turn to God, leaning heavily on His Truth and grace. I rest in His peace, provision, and love. Second, I must trust and share the truth of our situation with others, and as difficult as it is, accept that no one is obligated or required to help. We got ourselves into this situation, and it is our fault for not properly preparing for the future. Third, I must take care of myself—spiritually, mentally, and physically — so I can better care for and help Scott finish well.  

2 Peter 1:2-8 

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For is these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."    

In the Midst of Waiting

 I can not share all that has happened since our last update other than that we are waiting for the root cause(s) of all or some of Scott's symptoms to be seen and identified so we can best care for and help him finish well.  The last 3 years have been confusing as some things have been identified and treated but were not the root causes to our biggest concern. Scott has become confused, and his short-term memory lapses seem to have bigger gaps than we knew.  he sometimes refers to himself as an elementary student, afraid of his father's reaction of losing a fight defending a friend. The next scene is one happy for his baby sister's graduation from high school and moving into her own apartment.  The gap is 17 years between the two people and 30 years from her graduation. 

We are now waiting. Waiting for his symptoms to be more clearly observed by everyone on his care team and others. Waiting for the root cause(s) to be identified to help us care for and help him finish well. Waiting for help so the daily accusations that our actions are not enough will stop. Waiting for rest and peace, for others to see the big picture so that those living it daily can breathe. 

Who Am I

 I have been studying the book of Ephesians, "The Armor of God" by Priscilla Shirer, and "Victory in Spiritual Warfare" by Tony Evans. I have become more aware that many days I lose sight of who I am in Christ.  And on those days, I am struggling and caving into my strongholds and sin patterns.  As I read, read again, and read yet again the book of Ephesians I noticed that Satan uses my focus on self to distract me to not focus on God and all that He has done for me.  I have watched and rewatched War Room and Overcomer as they have helped me see the application in practice. 

As I continue to learn and grow I want to share Who I am in Christ as found in Ephesians 1 and 2.

I am -->

• Blessed 1:3
• Chosen 1:4
• Redeemed 1:7,14
• Sealed 1:13
• Adopted 1:5
• Forgiven 1:7
• Loved 2:4
• Saved 2:5,8
• God's Child 1:2
• Holy 1:4
• Blameless 1:4
• Heir 1:11
• Created by God 2:10

Ephesians 1:2-14 

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us in all wisdom and insight He made known to us mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness things in the heavens and things on the earth in Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predesttined according to His purpose who works all things after tge counsel of His will, to the end tt we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory in Him, you also, after listenng to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvtion - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the rdemprtion of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."

New Year, ReNewed Focus

It is a wonderful year!  Yes, it did just start and things may look bleak, however, God is in control and is not surprised by any of the things we are currently facing.  How amazing and reassuring it is to have that knowledge and depend on it through prayer and living out His will without fear.

Isaiah 40:28 "Do you not know? Have you not heard?  The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable."   NASB

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go/" NASB

There are so many things that we could let cause us to fear, seeing the collapse of Damar Hamlin right after a good tackle, the unknown threats to our schools, the media's push to cause panic with travel woes, and another surge of pandemic - yet we have the Truth within us and God is not a God of fear but of life.  He provides and protects, He shelters and feeds, and He heals and comforts. 

May this year be one of renewed focus on the Truth, weighing our worries and decisions to what God has said in the Bible, and strengthening our relationship with Our father and one another.  May we be a body that lifts up each other in prayer, encourages one another, and pushes each other to spiritual growth. 

Proverbs 3:3-6 "Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." NASB

Waiting

It is all in God's timing - sometimes when I heard those words I would cringe because my thought process was they were saying that due to having nothing else to say or to excuse putting things off.  But that was not the case, God works all things for His good - timing included.  

Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." 

In September 2021 Scott and I felt pressed to serve God in a meaningful way but not how that would look and earnestly started praying for guidance.  We also asked others to pray for wisdom and discernment for God's timing and place to be evident as we knew that would most likely mean I would be leaving my career at Walmart and possibly the workforce altogether.  As we prayed and read and discussed what might look like we began to get involved in new opportunities God placed before us.  Scott and I joined the Gideon's in February of this year, just a week after returning from our fifth short-term mission trip in the Dominican. We also became more involved in LINK, our Sunday night youth program, as well as helping during different things behind the scenes.  Neither one of us felt pressured to rush through a decision though knew God would lead us through when and how it would look.  In late August it became clear that this fall would be the end of my career at Walmart and I gave my notice.  We are still leaning on God for direction in what the upcoming days will look like and are excited for the downtime with family and friends.  It has been nice to be available to support those who have supported us throughout the years and serve in new ways. 

Psalm 119:114 & 147-149 "You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word. Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; revive me, O LORD, according to Your ordinances."

As we wait for God's leading into our next stage we have been at peace and are thankful to be surrounded by a supportive church family that has been an encouragement to us, lifting us up in prayer, and talking us through some of the possibilities God may have in store for us.   

A song that has resonated with me as we wait is "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller -https://youtu.be/YQZrLkTjwgM  

Our True Hope

 This past year has been a roller coaster for sure, for my personal life, our family, our church, our nation, and the world.   We have heard that the pandemic was winding down, it is ramping up, wear a mask you will be safe, a mask will not protect you, get the vaccine, don't get the vaccine, stay home, get together with those you love.  With so many contradicting statements and breaking news where is our hope?  We have one source of true hope - Jesus.  He is our hope.  He has defeated death for all - everyone - and gives eternal life to those who chose to believe.  

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in HIm shall not perish but have eternal life." NASB 

What wonderful news!  God loves us, unconditionally, so much so that He sent His Son to pay the price of death for our sins.  God provides us with the means to eternal life through His grace by our choosing to believe in Him.  We can not work our way there, we must choose to believe.  There is no measuring stick of how good or bad - we would all fail - it is a matter of belief. 

John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."NASB

When will we see our hope? 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord HImself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." NASB

Keep pressing on, spending time with God in your quiet time and in prayer asking for your focus to be kept on Him.  This is meant more as a reminder for myself and maybe encouragement to others.