You probably are familiar with the canned message that accompanies a test of the Emergency Broadcast System: “This is a test. This is only a test. If this were a real emergency, you would be given instructions on where to go and what to do.”
It’s been a week where I have to keep repeating to myself, “this is a test, this is only a test.” After a good stretch where her health was pretty decent, my wife Kathleen came down with a respiratory problem that kept her in bed all week. It was a struggle this week for ME to balance work and caring for her. It was a struggle this week for HER not being able to stand up without getting dizzy, and feeling guilty that she can’t get anything done around the apartment or that my caring for her was preventing me from working. Her health issues since we moved to Los Angeles have been something that has sometimes made both of us feel like we’re missing out on the best part of being married — enjoying each other’s company. The discouragement this has brought on is a real struggle for both us.
Several friends have reminded us that every so often God tests our faith. One friend suggested to me that our struggle is a test to teach me patience in caring for my wife and to teach Kathleen that it’s okay to rely on someone else when she’s weak. I really don’t know … and I don’t think it matters. God wants our reliance on Him in all things. This week I prepared for our weekly Jews for Jesus bible study with a study on Luke 18:18-30, a passage involving a rich young ruler who asks Jesus how he can have eternal life. Jesus tells the young ruler to give away all his wealth to the poor, which saddens the young ruler because he’s very attached to his wealth. The point of the episode is that the young man had made wealth his god. Jesus asked him to sacrifice that wealth for his faith, but the rich young ruler couldn’t do it. His heart was bent towards his possessions, instead of towards God.
So … if this is a test, I don’t know how Kat and I pass it, other than that we’re pulling closer to each other, and closer to God. It’s hard, but we know it’s what He wants of us.
P.S. Hi Jacki! 
Recent Comments