“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character; hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5: )
I took a step backwards emotionally when I became frustrated that my body wasn’t recovering more quickly from a respiratory infection. I was angered and sad because I was going to miss my daughter’s school play. I decided to try one last thing to see if I could attend. I prayed and then took a nap.
When I awoke, I decided to go at intermission. I said a prayer, entered the auditorium and found two chairs, one to sit on and one to elevate my feet–which is something I need to do to stabilize my labile blood pressure. I was freezing even though I was dressed in a warm jacket–a sign that my body was having trouble stabilizing. Please, God, help me,” I prayed. I made it through the next sixty minutes and watched my beautiful eighth grader perform her lines. It was joyous, wonderful, and perfect.
Driving home I said a prayer of thanksgiving and then marveled at the fact I had enough stamina to watch the production. I’ve missed many things during this two-year illness. It is depressing at times but this time I persevered and had sixty minutes of joy–and I’m going to grab on to that and hold tight.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for allowing me the strength and wisdom to deal with the challenges presented to me. Thank You for always being by my side, even when I don’t realize it. Amen.
About the author:
Laura Seil Ruszczyk lives in New York with her husband and three kids. She recently retired from her job as an elementary school counselor. She is writing a book about her struggles with dysautonomia–a neurological condition in which the autonomic nervous system breaks, affected such things as blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and temperature regulation.
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Are there times when you feel hopeless and are tempted to not even try to participate in an event, but somehow persevere and things work out well for you? How does your faith play a role in your success?
Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 