The furnace of illness.

Nothing like the furnace of illness, when the body moves fully into exhausted self-preservation, to test the quality of our love, and our ability to rely on and abide in the presence of God. 

LOVE ... love is paramount.  If we have not love we have lost our connection with God. 

We may strive to live by loving others more than ourselves, but until exhaustion and/or illness rise up (or anything else that troubles us and pulls us into self preservation), we don't know to what extent this is true.

This morning, with my body hurting, weak and exhausted from upper respiratory infection, I am challenged and a bit disappointed by how much I just want people to go away and leave me alone and stop needing more things from me right away.  I am truly having to reach deep toward God ask Him to help me CHOSE to love them more than myself, to put their needs ahead of mine, and to do this without complaint.  I have not done this with as much grace as I would expect from a disciple of Christ, but I am encouraged that when the dross rises, I am immediately reminded by the Holy Spirit and by the Word of God alive within me, that I need to reach down deeper into God and love others with the love of Christ, the same type of love with which He loves me. 

Our God is a friend and councilor, relentless kind and relentlessly faithful in His work to perfect the reflection of His glory in His children.

WOW!  See!  Now I am thankful that I was feeling this awful this morning.  How else would I have learned so gently this lesson?   When we say, "God is good", we simply scratch the surface.

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Jude 1:24-25

AMEN