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.
Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Reasonableness is a common thread of our culture. In law, the reasonable man is used as a
starting point to determine negligence and liability. In accounting, a reasonableness test is used to
evaluate the various line items of the financial statements to determine how
much needs to be reviewed or tested. In
culture, we use “average behaviors” to determine what is reasonable. Christ tells us to lay all of our concerns
before our Lord and Paul adds that we should come boldly before God. While our church culture or past experiences
may encourage us to be reasonable or polite in our prayers, scripture dictates
both by instruction and example that we should, in fact, take a bold approach.
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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.
How blessed is he who
considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. The Lord will protect him and keep him alive,
and he shall be called blessed upon the earth; and do not give him over to the
desire of his enemies. The Lord will
sustain him upon his sickbed; in his illness, You restore him to health. Psalm 41:1-3
Last week I stayed at the Holiday Inn at Cleveland Clinic while
I was seeing doctors and having tests done. (You
can read more about that in last week’s post here.) While I have stayed in
many hotels with varying levels of service, I’ve not been in one like this
before and I really didn’t notice how different it was for at least a day. As I was sitting at dinner in the café on the
second evening, I noticed that the din which typically surrounds the restaurant
and bar areas was missing. In fact, it
was rather quiet. I also noticed that
there were more families taking the time to thank God for their food. It then occurred to me that the vast
majority, if not all, of the patrons were either ill, caregivers or some
combination of the two. As I sat there
taking this in, I further realized that the staff was different as well as they
were more engaged that I’m used to. With
this realization came an awareness, an opportunity and a blessing.
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The thankful heart sees the best part of every situation. It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities, struggles as refining tools, and sinners as saints in progress.
“Blessed be the Lord,
for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.” Psalm 31:21
For those of you that follow my blog closely, you may have noticed that my Monday quotes and the verse of the day have dropped off. Life has been a bit challenging and I’ve had to surrender a bit to maintain my sanity. Life with chronic illness is a battle against both known and unknown factors. It is a battle of the mind and soul as well as the body which often leaves one feeling besieged.
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