James 1:4, “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Sometimes our challenges are so heavy that we want to give up and just run away.  To what?  We don’t know, but we know we don’t want what is on our plate at the moment.

I see that in my (long ago) twenty-year-old self when I had two children under three, one being very medically challenged.

My son, Clay, was so fragile and my son, Bret, was verrry active and as a single mom of these children, I was ignorant of how to juggle his medicine, his therapies, his feedings all while trying to entertain my other son, Bret.  How did I do it??

Jesus.

Sounds too simple, right?

I will say that I stepped into this new role with an advantage.  I already had a close relationship with Jesus.  My parents made sure we went to a Bible teaching church and I gave my heart to Him at an early age.  He was my friend and I loved Him with all my heart.  So it was easy for me to see that God was writing my story and since I was a little Sally-Sunshine, and obviously naïve, I accepted the challenge.

I mean, you have to, right??

Don’t think I knew everything.  Don’t think I didn’t cry rivers of tears.  I only wanted to curl up in my bed and make everything go away!!

But God …

“But God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, and love and a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7

So I prayed.  I prayed out loud, I prayed internally, I prayed when I was so tired I could only whisper.

Look at what Matthew 26:44 tells us, “After leaving them, he went away again an prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.”

Like Jesus, I prayed again and again, saying the same thing once more.  And like the gracious Father He is, I could feel His presence with us.  I could feel my spirit begin to quiet and His peace would wash over me.

Life did not change; Clay was still blind, fed by a 24hour feeding pump, still took 32 meds/day and Bret was just as active as ever!

But I changed.

I learned to trust Him more.  I learned that He would never, ever leave me.  I discovered that fear could not survive when I was worshipping.

Jesus Christ.

My unshakable hope.

He remains unchanged.