Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Encouragement from a Sinus Infection

For the past month, I've been struggling with a sinus infection. Stubborn as I am, I kept trying to ignore it, pushing it off as a cold that just kept holding on.  Becoming frustrated by not being able to breath out of my nose, I finally went in to see a doctor on Monday.

The appointment started out fairly ordinary: describing my symptoms, taking my blood pressure and weight, then waiting on the doctor.  After describing my ailments to her, God opened the door to a much deeper conversation.

What began with a simple question of her asking if I had to return to work after the appointment led to a conversation about Tucker and I's hopes to serve families and children in Africa long term, and her sharing about her family's own considerations about moving to Guatemala to share Christ's love and the skills He's equipped them with with those in need.  I left the office so encouraged, not only because I had a diagnosis and meds to quickly get me on the mend, but more so because of this connection with a perfect stranger through the bond we share in Christ.  What encouragement to know the brokenness of the world and also the hope the comes through Christ alone, and to hear of another passionate about sharing that hope with the world.

Encouragement, too, in Christ's faithfulness as He teaches me boldness.  Bold is not a word that I would use to describe myself.  Timid, shy, quiet, those words often feel like a better fit.  Yet Christ is teaching me to be bold, to be confident in who He has created me to be and to openly share that with those around me, to step out of my comfort zone and fear and step out in faith in where He's leading me, to say yes to Him the first time.  And in doing so, I get to see the blessing of surprising things, like encouragement through a sinus infection.  =)

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