Becoming Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

Ilene's friend from Arizona Kristy who has been a huge encouragement

When you have a life changing event happen in your life, for a while all of the new things you face are uncomfortable. We develop habits (some good and others bad) that tend to define our lives. It might be your morning routine or the TV show that you watch every night, but we all tend to be creatures of habit.

These last few weeks have taken us out of our comfort zones, changed our routine and exposed us to things that we never would have thought we would be comfortable with.

Josh's nurse Bella, changing the dressing on his PICC line.

I never thought I would see the day when I would be comfortable watching someone change a dressing on my son's PICC line, an IV tube that delivers chemo and other liquids into a vessel just above his heart. I never imagined that it would become a routine to be sitting in a hospital room watching one of my children fight cancer.

There are things in or lives that seem unthinkable until we find our selves doing them as a routine. In the book of Ephesians we are told:

Eph. 5:15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

The apostle Paul's point is that we need to be intentional about our daily lives. We need to develop habits that are good and healthy and godly. Earlier in the 5th chapter, Paul lists some of the things we need to stop doing.

Eph. 5:3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.

There are times in our lives when we let things creep into our routines. It may happen gradually or suddenly. Sometimes it may even feel like the circumstances are out of our control. But its then that we need to be careful how we live.

The Apostle Peter wrote that as Christ followers we should:

1Pet. 3:8 ..... be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. 10 For the Scriptures say,

“If you want to enjoy life

and see many happy days,

keep your tongue from speaking evil

and your lips from telling lies.

11 Turn away from evil and do good.

Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

Those are difficult things to do, but the promise that comes with doing those things is that the Lord watches over those who do these things and He hears and answers their prayers.

I think we all have things in our lives that we would like God to change. Heal a sick child, put food on the table, provide gainful employment, heal a broken heart. We all have things we would ask God for. Some of them He wants for us, but He tells us what is best for us.

Micah 6:8

No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good,

and this is what he requires of you:

to do what is right, to love mercy,

and to walk humbly with your God.

So today look at those routines, the habits that order your day and ask if they are moving you toward a life of mercy, humility and living rightly.

Thank you for your continued prayer. Josh received 2 units of blood and a unit of platelets last night. he has not experienced any major side effects other than the low blood pressure. He is having difficulty tasting things so he does not want to eat, so continue to pray that he will have an appetite.

We are beginning to make plans for him being discharged next week. We are praying that we can come back to Dalhart. The doctor said that as long as he can be treated with IV antibiotics and given a blood transfusion with 30 minutes, he would release him, so the doctor will call Dalhart this week to make arrangements.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement.