On Sunday, we were blessed to have a whopping 14 visitors come over! Three of our Bible study couples brought their babies and lunch, and we had an awesome time of fellowship together. Just so I don't forget, Patrick, Shelley, Matt, Karen, Joe, Maya, and babies Joshua, Lana, and Colin all descended on our home and blessed us beyond measure! Rusty and Amanda followed shortly thereafter with their precious baby, Cadence. We had a great time of chatting and eating some more lunch/snacks throughout the day. Lee and Dana subsequently joined in on the party, so we had 3 couples and one baby present for dinner/dessert. Wow! That day plum wore me out!
But... something special must have happened on the Sabbath. I started to feel better when I woke up yesterday morning. And today, my swelling has nearly disappeared! I am praying with all hope that it doesn't return. I have really had a rough time this go around with swelling in my ankle and foot. I know that if the swelling returns by tomorrow afternoon when I see my surgeon, he'll put me back on bed rest. I am praying against this!
Now, here's the deal. I signed up to attend the intro class today for BSF. Sometimes, or rather most times, I have to be legalistic with the activities I do or don't do, or else I compromise far too much and end up 2 steps behind. So when I went to bed last night, I made a mental resolve that I wouldn't go to class today if said extremity was still swollen. Now keep in mind that this fluid has plagued me for a week and a half, so I knew that all odds were against me. Much to my delight, and surprise, I woke up to find that nearly all of the swelling was gone, and I was able to see a faint outline of my ankle bone! Think what you will, but I KNOW that my LORD is the one who ordained this to be, and I'll tell you why. BSF is such a wonderful study, that newcomers often get put on a waiting list, hoping to eventually receive a call that informs them that they got placed in a group. There were quite a few of us newbies today, so I knew going in that my chances to get placed were slim. I wasn't the only woman in my age group, but praise the LORD that I was one of the few who was matched with a group! Goodness, being in the presence of so many godly women was a moving experience. I will admit, I had tears in my eyes during the lesson, so grateful for the chance to learn God's word and become more intimate with him. When I called John to tell him about BSF, I started bawling. I am so thankful.
Since we are studying the book of John this year, I thought it would behoove me to read through the entire book prior to starting my daily lessons. This evening I spent time reading through the first 5 chapters. Admittedly, I could have read far more. But I found myself spending the time to soak up new material that I have simply breezed over in the past. Wow! Tears overwhelmed my eyes repeatedly as I read through Christ's first few miracles. I wanted to take a moment to share the verses that particularly struck me tonight.
In chapter 4 of the Gospel of John, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well and begins to converse with her. Most of you know the story, but in summary, he tells her of her past sins, offers up that he is the wellspring of life, and she consequently realizes that he is the Christ whom she has heard about. The part I love is what happens when other Samaritans in the town go to see him.
John 4:39-41
39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41And because of his words many more became believers.
I've highlighted the two verses that really stuck out. It hit me that belief is often a two-fold process; someone initially sees/hears my testimony of God's grace and love, their interest is peaked, and they accordingly experience that grace and love for themselves. What I think I love most about this is that I now have an incredible testimony to share with others! Through everything I've had to physically endure in the past 2 years, I am now an eye-witness that can give testimony to God's faithfulness in my life. PRAISE HIM!
What Scripture is God using to speak Truth into your life right now? I do pray that you'll listen to his sweet words; they are life to the body indeed!
Jessie
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