Struggle, endurance, character, & hope
The Bible words say in Romans 5:3-5 (New English Translation)
"3 . . .we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
The struggle for health has been very real to me in the past two years. Suffering from my disease has been very challenging. I am acutely aware that poor or even failing health is a reality for many people. In some cases it is even the young who are afflicted with such a tragedy. The older I get the more I come to expect things to wear down or wear out completely. My recent diagnosis and flare up of my arthritis has given me a new perspective on making the most of my health today. If I can move, I can exercise. If I can think, I can make educated choices about what I eat.My struggle to lose weight during the FWSW season 6 has given me the gift of endurance without a doubt. Working day in and day out to make and record the best food choices was difficult. Working out in some of the most challenging ways I have faced in my adult life and not seeing the immediate results required a new level of endurance for me. I would go for days or even weeks without loosing 1/2 a pound! I would step on that scale each morning and I would be the same weight as the day before. Giving all that effort with no results made me cry some days, made me resent the process, and made me all the better for driving through those moments to realize the reward at the end of the 21 day plateau. If I would have given up at any point, the reward would have been missed!
My character (defined:reputation, traits that form the individual nature of a person) would be less than it is today. My compassion and understanding of those who struggle in this way would not be as whole as it is today. I would have failed to prove to myself and others, most especially my children, that when all the odds are against you dig in and you will make it. Choose the right thing, even when it doesn't feel good, honor God with all the details of your life and you will receive your reward.
That is the hope that has taken up residency in my heart. Not just within the context of my health but in the wholeness of my life. I know that God's economy and man's economy are not congruent. So when the other areas of life seem insurmountable, the finances, the brokenness, the failures, the illness. My heart just reminds me of the HOPE that pushing forward, making the right choice every time, pressing in, sweating it out, crying real tears, pushing through the pain, gripping tightly to what I know is true and not letting it go, I will reap the reward. Not only in this life but in the life that is to come.
