Can you imagine spending days in a cat 3/cat 4 hurricane?
Hurricane Irma passed over my house and it was crazy!
The county I live in was in the eye of the storm!!
I thought the hurricane would take the roof and the trees with her.
Thankfully, it didn’t stay long.
And after I pulled myself together, I actually went back to sleep with all the howling and banging.
Staying awake was making my imagination run wild.
And I was getting more nervous with every passing minute.
Sometimes life can feel like a storm.
Sometimes a tropical storm…… other times a cat 3 or cat 4 hurricane.
And unlike hurricane Irma, some of these life-storms last for days…. and weeks…. and years.
I was listening to Turning Point last Sunday, and I heard Dr. Jeremiah recount his experience in the hospital.
He was diagnosed with leukemia and receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic. He knew what his diagnosis was but no one told him how severe it was.
After his surgery, his doctor explained how important it was to get out of bed and walk as much as possible.
So he decided to walk laps around the circular nurse’s station.
Day one he did one lap.
Day two he decided to attempt 2 laps, and as he was passing by the physician’s dictation desk, he heard his doctor say his name and age and proceeded to dictate that he had stage 4 cancer.
Dr. Jeremiah recounted his shock at hearing those words and how he felt like giving up.
But instead, decided to draw on his faith and continue to do what he was instructed to do: WALK.
At that moment, instead of feeling sorry for himself, he said to himself “tomorrow I’ll do 3 laps!”
It’s natural to prefer avoiding the bitter bites in life.
Nobody looks forward to hardship, or trouble or heart-wrenching circumstances.
But the storms of life will come.
There will be times when it will seem hopeless……
No desire to continue living as we are,
And no reason to think that things will change for the better.
That’s the time to dig deep and find strength in a vision of hope.
Because trials come to teach us,
And help us grow and become better.
When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.
So the next time life hits you hard, be thankful.
A thankful heart sees the best part of every situation.
It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities and struggles as refining tools.
Remember also that God uses suffering to strengthen our faith.
Suffering is never wasted when we place our confidence in who He is, what He’s done, and what He’s capable of doing.
Have a great week!
From the heart of a nurse
Althea
