Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
Since September, when we received the test results that Lyme was still in Ryan's system, a heaviness has settled in my heart. It's not a depression and it's not oppression. It's not smothering heavy and it's not unbearable heavy, but it is a constant heavy- something that I am aware of most minutes of each day and something that I can't shake.
'Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds...'
To be honest, if I don't cling to the Lord, His presence and His promises, the heaviness and the reality of Ryan's Lyme can make me angry. I can shake my head and purse my lips and think to myself...'REALLY! Are you kidding me Lord!....WHY!!?' As a parent, watching your child suffer or struggle is, I believe, one of the most difficult things we can experience. When you can't 'fix' what they are going through is so hard.
James answers the 'WHY' question:
'because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance....'
Perseverance: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
Each day, as I 'feel' the unshakable heaviness in my heart, I am reminded that it is in the trials, the hard times, the heavy times that our faith has the chance to grow. It's in times like these that we get to know for ourselves what God's comfort and peace feels like- We also have the chance to share with others the peace that the Lord is comforting us with. My whole family has the opportunity to feel God's presence and constant peace filling our hearts. We get to experience a peace that passes all understanding and the joy of knowing that the trial set before us is under the Lords complete authority and control. He promises purpose and a plan to all that we experience during our life here on earth. We also have the opportunity to persevere, in God's strength and through Him.
'Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.'
'Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.'
perseverance is no easy task.
nope
it's hard and, even at times, feels heavy
but the promised reward of Jesus Christ, our great victor, having an eternal purpose to each trial He allows us to go through is worth pressing on towards. He gives us hope when circumstances are heavy....Amen!
May God Bless and keep you in whatever season you find yourself in and may we all press on and persevere knowing that our Heavenly Father has a plan and purpose both here and into eternity!
P.S. We leave for Germany in three weeks. Ryan's Lyme symptoms are virtually non existent at this point. I wish this meant the Lyme was gone but it doesn't....it means that the antibiotics Ryan was taking up until 8 weeks ago were able to knock it into a remission of sorts. Our (and many others) prayer has been that Ryan will not be sick with his Lyme symptoms when we go to Germany- That the Lyme would stay in remission just as it is now. It makes traveling so much easier and it makes the transition of everyday life from here to there easier too. We have learned with Ryan's Lyme that it is a day by day thing...one day he could be doing just fine and the next his symptoms reappear and start taking over. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.
nope
it's hard and, even at times, feels heavy
but the promised reward of Jesus Christ, our great victor, having an eternal purpose to each trial He allows us to go through is worth pressing on towards. He gives us hope when circumstances are heavy....Amen!
May God Bless and keep you in whatever season you find yourself in and may we all press on and persevere knowing that our Heavenly Father has a plan and purpose both here and into eternity!
P.S. We leave for Germany in three weeks. Ryan's Lyme symptoms are virtually non existent at this point. I wish this meant the Lyme was gone but it doesn't....it means that the antibiotics Ryan was taking up until 8 weeks ago were able to knock it into a remission of sorts. Our (and many others) prayer has been that Ryan will not be sick with his Lyme symptoms when we go to Germany- That the Lyme would stay in remission just as it is now. It makes traveling so much easier and it makes the transition of everyday life from here to there easier too. We have learned with Ryan's Lyme that it is a day by day thing...one day he could be doing just fine and the next his symptoms reappear and start taking over. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.
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| Schwabisch Hall, Germany |
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