What Do You See?
It is amazing what we see in our current circumstances. Right now there is a virus spreading through our country. It is something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime yet, here we are and the number of people testing positive keeps growing. I have had first hand reports that what we are seeing on TV in New York is not only devastating, it is real. It is much worse than what we are seeing on our TVs. It is heartbreaking to hear about all of the lives that are lost every day.
A couple of weeks ago, it was recommended that I work from home. The drug that I am taking makes my immune system compromised so I have to be cautious. This virus seems to be a threat to the opportunity for a stem cell transplant to reboot my immune system.
I have to remind myself that this is in God's hands and that He has opened many doors to get me to this point. I have to trust that it will all work out. All of this social distancing, limited travel, and no mass gatherings (so no church) makes for a depressing week. It also makes it harder because no matter how it has interrupted our lives, we don't have a definitive end date.
When you look at what is currently going on in your life, what do you see? Do you see sadness, financial loss, job loss, an interruption in your regular routine, or absent church gatherings? With all the bad news it can be easy to look at what a dreadful situation this has become.
2 Corinthians 12:9- But he said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
When Jesus was being beaten and crucified, that definitely seemed to be a dreadful situation. Jesus knew this is what needed to be done. In order to defeat sin and bridge the separation between us and God, He had to die. Jesus was able to see the good that would come as a result of Him dying on the cross for our sins. His love for us is what compelled Him to die for us. We see a cruel death. Jesus sees many souls reconciled and being with Him for eternity. We can see all of the bad that is happening, but we can also see how much more time we get to see our family. We can stop and take a breathe from the busyness of our daily lives. We can see how important it is to see our Brothers and Sisters when we meet at church. There are certainly reasons to be grateful.
Through the journey with this disease, you can easily see the dreadful consequences as the disease progresses. It may be loss of mobility, brain fog, fatigue, or inability to hold a job. Each day that you wake up and you find another symptom that results as your nervous system is damaged, makes it hard to see the "up side". As I have tried to remain focused on God and rely on Him, I have had a unique experience. God has put me in contact with people that have helped me manage my disease in a healthy way, he has introduced me to people that have experienced God's miracles. I have been able to encourage others that also live with an autoimmune disease or they are in another impossible situation. He has encouraged me to create this blog to encourage other people. This has allowed me to reach people beyond my wildest dreams. This blog has reached people in Denmark, the Netherlands, Brazil, and the UK.
We have to trust that even though everything that is happening doesn't make sense, and it has put a major hold on our lives, God's got this. This week I had an opportunity to talk to one of my co-workers. We talked a little about everything that is going on in the world and he asked how I was doing. I explained to him that I was hoping this virus stuff did not mess up the opportunity for the stem cell transplant. I told him that I had to trust that God was at work and I had to leave it in His hands. As we talked more, he told me about a couple of events that happened in his life that were undeniably a miracle from God. He proceeded by saying that there was no need for me to worry about the transplant. He said that he was confident that it was going to work out and he would continue to pray. The Holy Spirit's presence was undeniable. God is continuing to show up to let me know that everything is okay. It is easy to get caught up in how I feel or the issues that I deal with each day with my health. I have never been closer to God than I have been since my diagnosis in 2016. People do not want bad health or anything horrible to happen but, it is in times like these impossible situations that we can see God at work.
I want to encourage you by asking you again, what do you see? Do you see all the bad or do you see God at work? Are you listening to what He is saying? Are you paying attention to what He is showing you? God will make a way in your impossible situation.
Romans 8:18 ESV
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Until next time my friends! Stay safe.
