Today is another infusion day and with it the hope that the medication will do what it is supposed to do, that is cover my cells so that inflammation cannot penetrate and eliminate these auto-immune diseases or at the least, put them into remission. I am so tired of the side effects of the Prednisone that I take to hold the diseases at bay.
The least side effect, but perhaps the most noticeable, are the changes to my face. I have the chipmunk cheeks going. The face I see in the mirror is not the one I saw this time last year. My smile has been altered. The shape of my face is different. I walked around yesterday reminding God that “I want my face back!”
Of course, with everything going on in the world today, and the truly devastating diseases and difficulties affecting so many, my face is way down on the list of things that truly matter. And I will admit, I laughed when I made that request to God! Still … LORD … if you are looking my way …😊
Hope. That spiritual quality is so vitally important to us. I love the progression that begins with affliction and ends with hope and God’s love that Paul gave us in Romans 5.
“And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” [v3-5 HCSB]
When afflictions are handled correctly, they produce endurance in us. When endurance is produced, our character is altered from weakness to strength, from inconsistency to conformity to God’s will. That altering of our character produces hope. This hope is not wishful thinking (like I might one day win a lottery and be able to live a life of pleasure and ease). No, this hope can never disappoint us.
Why is this hope so solid and faithful? Because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts by the power of the Living, Wonderful, Awesome Spirit Who lives in us!
Today’s infusion may or may not do what it is designed to do. But the hope of God, the love of God, will always do what it is designed to do!
