rita729Yesterday Morning at around 6 a.m. I was woken up by excruciating pain down my right leg. It was the type of pain that I knew would stick around for at least 24 hours. As the day went on, the flare-up became worse and took over the entire right side of my body. I felt too weak to become angry.
As I was trying to relax, I picked up this great book by Kristen Wetherell and Sarah Walton called Hope When It Hurts. This book speaks to me! The second chapter started with “Are you feeling weak today?”. I laughed and answered YES. I put together in the (photo below) powerful text from the reading. The authors remind us that pain is not a curse; that weakness is not punishment; that our burdens are not lost on God. Our dark moments create opportunities for Christ to shine through.
Like Paul mentions, I too prayed to God that this condition would leave me, even when I could feel that this would stick with me. Now that I accept my suffering, I look forward to seeing how God uses this to magnify His greatness.
“…my power is made perfect in weakness”
How beautiful is that?
I felt encouraged and I was tired of pain debilitating me for most of my days. I decided that since I was already hurting, I would make small works of art to help distract me from the pain. To my surprise, I was able to make stones that turned out quite delightful. These pieces show depth, a richness of color, transparency, and are strong, stone-like, yet delicate. As I was creating them, I noticed flaws – certain things that did not turn out “perfectly”. Once they were polished and detailed, I realized that their flaws are what made them so beautiful. Each one is unique and has its own characteristics which can be appreciated.