Endurance

Our son has been sick for the past couple of weeks. At first they thought it was just a virus. They gave him fluids in the ED and sent him home to rest with phenergan. He has no insurance so they had him and in and out in the matter of an hour and a half. He continues to have N&V with stomach pain. He went back to the family Dr. last week and they took him off his medication thinking that that was what was causing it. He is to wait 10 days and if no better he will do further testing. The first couple of days were better but since that time he has continued to be sick. Now as his mother I want an answer right? God has given me peace, but I am very concerned about this physical illness. It incapacitates him most days. I am trying to be patient and let him deal with the situation but it is tough. My Dad had lymphoma of the stomach and that of course is something I think of with the continued bout of stomach distress.
There are lots of stresses in his life right now with the threat of losing the family dwelling place due to some poor decisions by other family members. Therefore, it is a stress for my husband and I.
On top of that work is hard right now, but I know God has me there for His purposes for now. On Wings is growing and the demands are great for outreaches and administrative issues. I love it and would love to be full time but God has not opened that door as yet.
I must admit that I have moments of oppression and we know from whence that comes don't we. He seems to come at us when we are physically weak and weary. I was that way on Monday as I could not shake the sense of oppression. Have you ever been in a place you didn't feel you could even smile? Seems when I am preparing for ministry meetings and so forth it hits me hardess. Most days I can get through it but some days are very hard!
I woke up at 3 am and could not go back to sleep. I begged God to give me just a little more rest before the alarm went off at 5:30. He did. When I met with Him at our appointed spot He took me to the following:
2 Corinthians 4:1-Don't lose heart....a strong Greek term which refers to abandoning oneself to cowardly surrender. That was not how Paul responded to the continual attacks he faced. The task of ministering the New Covenant was too noble to lose heart over. Since God had called him to proclaim it, Paul could not abandon his calling. Instead he trusted God to strengthen him. These were the footnotes.
So there you go. What we are doing at On Wings is too important, too noble to lose heart over.
vv.17-18-Paul took no pleasure in the pain itself, but rejoiced in the power of Christ that it revealed through him! The greater the suffering, the greater would be his eternal glory.
Endurance is basd on ones ability to look beyond the physical to the spiritual; beyond the present to the future, and beyond the visible to the invisible. (All footnotes from John McArthur's Bible).
I love it when God takes me in Bible meditation from one passage to another. It was exciting to hear His encouragement to me this morning. Because He met with me I was able then to pour out to a patient who came in broken and angry in spirit. God gave me boldness to tell her I sensed her spirit was troubled. For 30 minutes she poured out her heart to me. If I had not met with my Father this morning I would not have been armed for His assignment for me. That is what gets me up each morning. That is what makes me eager to get to that quiet spot in the wee hours while it is quiet. I hope you make the time to meet with Him. I love Him so.

Sandra