I’ve been reading the great book, “The Discipline of Grace” by Jerry Bridges with a close friend. One important reminder is this truth--”Adversity is not a discipline we undertake ourselves but is imposed upon us by God as a means of spiritual growth”.
it’s hard to label a cold and a sore throat as an “adversity” but colds in our household are generally ushered in by my wife's annual two week battle with congestion, coughing and fatigue, and, predictably, I end up nursing a sore throat and my own less-toxic version. It’s annoying because I don’t feel sick enough to wind down my activities but I am aware of my potential contagion and my weakened ability to communicate.
Today is that day where my sweet wife is back in bed and I am canceling several planned mentoring sessions due to all the above. I'm annoyed because I know a pause is necessary but i’m internally geared to press on.
I am asking myself this morning, “How can I translate this momentary inconvenience into something character building? How can I find some quiet space to listen to what God might be saying to me?” With that mindset i’m determined with God’s grace to make this annoyance a platform for personal reflection and positive resolve to extract something meaningful--even transformative--from this unplanned day.
I am so sorry that you and Bev are under the weather! I am praying that you both recover quickly and that God does indeed use this "adversity" for good! Maureen