17 Days

Patience...just took a deep breath after typing that word.  You know you are not supposed to pray for patience since God will put you in a situation to teach it to you : )  And no, I did not pray for patience, but apparently God wanted to teach it to me anyway.  I'm doing this amazing study at church called Living Beyond Yourself.  We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit.  Last week was on Patience.  There are two kinds in the Bible.  Patience in circumstances and patience with people (the second is probably harder right? - I wrote in my notes that this kind of patience waits when it wants to whack!)

I learned that Patience in circumstance is inspired by hope.  Of course the pinnacle example in God's Word is Job.  When Job doesn't have a clue why God has allowed him to experience extreme hardship he says, "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.  My foot has held fast to His path..." (Job 23:10-11)  {notice even God likes paths}

Even though Job could not see God (or see why this was happening to him), he had the hope that God saw him and his circumstances.  So we have 17 days until surgery, then 6-8 weeks recovery, then 4-6 months of chemo, then follow up appointments, and so on and so on....while I cannot see the future, God can and He sees us and we have that hope.