This month's virtue from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is "doesn't boast" so I'm focusing on Meekness.
As I was looking for the opposite of boasting, I looked at a lot of things like humility and modestly. Then I talked to my brother in law LaVar Kofoed who suggested meekness.
I wouldn't have thought of meekness, but it has been the perfect thing for me to focus on this month.
I like this definition of meekness from Ulisses Soares,
"Meekness is the quality of those who are Godfearing, righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering."
I know meekness is thought of as weakness in our society, but it is one of very few virtues that Christ uses to speak about Himself. (Matthew 11:29)
The phrase "patient under suffering" really resounds with me right now. About 2 weeks ago, I got the dreaded respiratory illness that is crashing through my area. It brings with it severe congestion, coughing, headaches, and exhaustion. It is knocking out people for 2-3 weeks.
Respiratory illnesses are the most dangerous for me because the shot I take daily makes me severely immune suppressed. I have to be very aware and careful that it doesn't turn into pneumonia.
This week I felt the all too familiar pain in my chest when I breathe and the deep crackling cough that I know means pneumonia for me. Very few things warrant me going off my shot, but pneumonia does. In my condition, it's life-threatening and my doctors take it very seriously.
I have been placed on bed rest and my body is dealing with the effects of pneumonia and 3 days without my shot - which means I'm in an inflammation storm. (Huge amounts of inflammation all through my body.)
This is usually a time when I feel frustrated, worried and afraid in equal measures. None of those help me emotionally and they make it harder for my body to heal.
This time, I'm working on practicing patience with my body and it's limitations, kindness to myself as I feel and react to pain, and meekness in submitting my will to God to trust His timing and His plan for my life.
I can't say that I'm miraculously healed. The realities of the medication and my condition are still very much real. But I feel better. I feel calm. I feel strong enough to go through this and come out ok. I know my body is not at rest, but my mind is.
I've learned that sometimes Heavenly Father takes away our problems, but more often for me, He gives me the strength to get through them.
I have no doubt that I would feel worse if I wasn't focusing on developing these virtues. I know that my pain would be worse. I'm learning how much my thoughts and my mind effect my body.
I'm grateful for the inspiration to work on these virtues. I can see how they have really helped me mentally and physically eventhough I'm just learning and I have so far to go.
As always, I'm sharing this so that it might help someone else who is going through something similar. And thank you for all of you who are on this journey with me. I would love to hear your stories.
#heatherslovechallenge #patience #meekness
As I was looking for the opposite of boasting, I looked at a lot of things like humility and modestly. Then I talked to my brother in law LaVar Kofoed who suggested meekness.
I wouldn't have thought of meekness, but it has been the perfect thing for me to focus on this month.
I like this definition of meekness from Ulisses Soares,
"Meekness is the quality of those who are Godfearing, righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering."
I know meekness is thought of as weakness in our society, but it is one of very few virtues that Christ uses to speak about Himself. (Matthew 11:29)
The phrase "patient under suffering" really resounds with me right now. About 2 weeks ago, I got the dreaded respiratory illness that is crashing through my area. It brings with it severe congestion, coughing, headaches, and exhaustion. It is knocking out people for 2-3 weeks.
Respiratory illnesses are the most dangerous for me because the shot I take daily makes me severely immune suppressed. I have to be very aware and careful that it doesn't turn into pneumonia.
This week I felt the all too familiar pain in my chest when I breathe and the deep crackling cough that I know means pneumonia for me. Very few things warrant me going off my shot, but pneumonia does. In my condition, it's life-threatening and my doctors take it very seriously.
I have been placed on bed rest and my body is dealing with the effects of pneumonia and 3 days without my shot - which means I'm in an inflammation storm. (Huge amounts of inflammation all through my body.)
This is usually a time when I feel frustrated, worried and afraid in equal measures. None of those help me emotionally and they make it harder for my body to heal.
This time, I'm working on practicing patience with my body and it's limitations, kindness to myself as I feel and react to pain, and meekness in submitting my will to God to trust His timing and His plan for my life.
I can't say that I'm miraculously healed. The realities of the medication and my condition are still very much real. But I feel better. I feel calm. I feel strong enough to go through this and come out ok. I know my body is not at rest, but my mind is.
I've learned that sometimes Heavenly Father takes away our problems, but more often for me, He gives me the strength to get through them.
I have no doubt that I would feel worse if I wasn't focusing on developing these virtues. I know that my pain would be worse. I'm learning how much my thoughts and my mind effect my body.
I'm grateful for the inspiration to work on these virtues. I can see how they have really helped me mentally and physically eventhough I'm just learning and I have so far to go.
As always, I'm sharing this so that it might help someone else who is going through something similar. And thank you for all of you who are on this journey with me. I would love to hear your stories.
#heatherslovechallenge #patience #meekness