His Encouragement #254

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Welcome to His Encouragement Thursday! I don’t know about you, but Thursdays are my struggle day of the week. By Thursday, I have already been working hard at school and at home, and I just wish it would hurry up and be Friday already. LOL! I definitely need a little extra Jesus time on Thursdays.

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So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV

My best friend, Lara, died September 4, 2020. She had cancer. We were best friends for 16 years. In all honesty, she was more big sister than mere friend. She was there for me through think and thin. When she was diagnosed with her cancer three years prior, I vowed to be there for her no matter what. And I was. Doctor appointments, port implantation, chemo treatments, x-rays, cat-scans, radiation appointments…you name it, I was there for her.

It’s odd, but cancer made our relationship even stronger. You don’t walk alongside someone going through what Lara did and not grow a stronger bond. While I utterly hate cancer and its devastating effects on all it touches, I am grateful for the blessings God bestowed upon Lara and me during her cancer battle.

I’ve been thinking about Lara a lot lately. Honestly, I think about her every day. But lately the thoughts have been pervasive. I’ve been thinking about her courage. To me, she embodied 2 Corinthians 4:16. She never, ever gave up. Her body was clearly dying, but she never, ever gave up. Not on her family, her friends, or her faith.

I’ve been dealing with some very strange health issues lately. As soon as I get one thing healed, BAM, something else rears its ugly head. I don’t know if it’s just 42 or if there is something truly wrong, but it has effected my mood. I’ve found myself battling some depression lately. Honestly, I hate it all. I’m not a good patient. I get sad and angry and frustrated. I abhor sickness. I cannot stand wounds. I detest the fear that comes with not knowing if things will work out for the best or not.

2 Corinthians 4:16 was part of my Bible study the other morning, and it really stopped me in my tracks. Never give up! What happens to our bodies doesn’t really matter as long as our spirits are renewed each day. This means that our focus needs to be on matters above and not so hyper-focused on what is happening to our bodies here on earth.

Paul’s encouragement in 2 Corinthians 4:16 reminds me of Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What we focus on tells us the condition of our hearts. Paul tells us not to worry about our bodies. Jesus tells us not to worry about the things we collect. Both tell us that what truly matters is our spirit. Both tell us, if we read between the lines, that getting caught up in the physical (i.e., our bodies, our wealth, etc.) hurts our spiritual. I admit that in this weird experience of odd bodily ailments, I have not been focusing on my spirit. I’ve allowed all of this weirdness to get me off track. I’ve allowed it to stoke my fears and get angry at God. He is the great Physician…why is He not healing me?

This is why 2 Corinthians 4:16 stopped me in my tracks the other day. I have been focused on the wrong thing (God, please forgive me!), and Paul’s words were just the slap in the face I needed. Instead of “woe is me,” I need to be like my best friend. I need to never give up. I need to focus more on my spirit and less on my body. God will take care of things in His time and according to His will. I need to allow Him to renew my spirit day by day.

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NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN!

WHAT BIBLICAL VERSE IS ENCOURAGING YOU TODAY?