Word prompt--TOLERATE
Five minutes to free-write about it
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My first thought is that I can't tolerate this heat (it has been a scorcher on most days these past few weeks). But somehow I have, thanks to the blessing of A/C and the Lord who prevented the power from going out in my complex when other neighborhoods had outages.
I have fears about other things I don't think I could tolerate as well. Pain for one. I am a real wimp when it comes to pain. Unlike many people I know who handle it so well and never complain, I have zero pain tolerance and a lot of fear about it.
Well, in this school called Life. the Lord has allowed some of my greatest fears to come to pass to show me that He is always in control and that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).
I used to have a terrible fear of needles, for instance. A fear that turned into my worst nightmare come true almost seven years ago, when I lay in a hospital bed recovering from a near death experience brought on by a combination of congestive heart failure and staph pneumonia.
Through it all, the Lord was with me, loving me, comforting me, and teaching me many things about His faithfulness, mercy, and grace. (If you are interested in reading about it, it's all in my little book, Oil of Myrrh.)
Following is an excerpt from the chapter entitled Night of a Thousand Needles.
As far back as I can remember, I've had a needle phobia so severe that I almost didn't get married because of the premarital blood test requirement. When I had my babies (back in the day before IV's became routine), I opted to have natural childbirth because the thought of being given a needle was more daunting than the thought of what any labor pain might possibly feel like. And now, here, lying in my hospital bed, I had been jabbed not once, not twice, but such an infinite number of times that most of my veins were either collapsed or unable to yield the required amount of blood.
Though it was not an experience I would ever want to go through again, it did teach me that no matter what the Lord allows in my life, or wherever He may lead, He will always be with me every step of the way and enable me to tolerate what I never dreamed could be tolerable.
Do you remember your nde? Did you see Heaven?
ReplyDeleteWhat a story! And it is also a miracle that you recovered from such a serious condition! I have a lot of fears, but don't mind needles.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful testimony! "When I am afraid, I will trust in you" Psalm 56:3
ReplyDeleteNeedles don't offend me,
ReplyDeleteand I'm OK with pain,
but what I do not like to see
is that summer rain
that comes along, dog-walking time
with thunder, wind and lightning,
sending my poor brolly flying
and completely frightening
the lad or lass at end of leash
into an outright gallop
that ends with my 'Oh, CRAP!' and screech
as I fetch up with a wallop
against the wood, so scratchy-hard
of the only tree that's in the yard.
I'm with you on the heat - which I wrote about in my FMF post today (#7) - but no air conditioning here. We just keep the doors open for our puppy to go in and out!
ReplyDeleteGod doesn't necessarily take away our fears, does He? But He sure tucks us in close if we let Him.
It has been very hot here in northern Ireland, but nothing like when we lived in Australia. Regarding pain, I do not like it either, but I pray constantly for the Lord to heal me from it, and have come through many trials with the Lord at my side. Without Him life would be nothing , and after having my near death experience I know that there is nothing on earth that can match the beauty of where I was taken to. God bless you with all He has for us in Jesus and may you be healed soon.
ReplyDeleteIt is so hot here, three fires burning. A break would be good. We had to update a few things with our a/c. Praying nothing else breaks too soon. I have somewhat high tolerance to pain. After three neurosurgeries I refused lots of the pain meds. They even sent a social worker to talk with me. But during the third one I had a brand new baby boy at home. I trust God in all medical matters. Regarding the heat my aunt ang use to say, rather colorfully, if I wanted to live in the darn desert I would move to Arizona. I feel that way about Science and Medicine today. I just trust the Good Lord. I worked in the medical school and for various other doctors in 35 years of medical related jobs. Back in the 80's doctors wanted to make you well. Today they seem to just pump Big Pharma. It is a sad world all around. So I just pray.
ReplyDeleteInteresting word ... tolerate ... I guess I tolerate pain and needles fairly well. Yours is an amazing testimony. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteBut with God...
Sue
it is true that we can handle a lot more than we think we can, when we trust the Lord to bring us through the other side. #11
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful testimony!
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your fear of pain and needles.
It's inspiring to see how God has given you the strength to endure what you once feared most.
Your story is a beautiful reminder that with the Lord by our side, we can tolerate far more than we ever imagined.
Hugs and blessings, Sandra
I had a fear of needles, too, and gratefully I've been able to overcome it.
ReplyDelete