Romans 8:18
| For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. This verse has become quite special to me, quite personal in the past few years. There's been a lot of suffering in my life. I'm sure the same can be said of most of our lives. Yet, the reality hit me today...when I compare the sufferings of this life, with the glory that is to be revealed to me when I finally meet my precious Savior face to face...when I fall at the feet of my Abba in utter awe...when I see the splendor of the Lord and His majesty right before my eyes...when I kiss the face of my Savior... EVERY SINGLE BIT OF SUFFERING that I've dealt with in my life will seem but pin pricks by comparison to the glory of God....the glory that is to be revealed to me. AWESOME, isn't it?! Just AWESOME when you soak in the truth of that! Shane and I met with the neurologist today, and he showed us the MRIs of my brain and spine. I have 4-5 lesions on my brain, which is indicative of MS. He also believes that the seizures that have been taking place in various parts of my body are symptomatic of epilepsy. Evidently, MS and epilepsy and migraines can all be kissin' cousins. Crazy, isn't it?! I will have the great joy of a spinal tap soon. Poor doctor...as he was desribing the procedure to me today, I just said, "Don't tell me about, don't tell me about it,...please...don't tell me about it! Seriously, I chose to give birth to my babies at home because I knew that if I were to go to a hospital, I might not be able to handle the pain, knowing that there was relief available, and the thought of having an epidural just FREAKED me out!" He said, "Oh..ok, then we'll give you Valium for the procedure." Good man! I told you this doctor was a good one! :) Here's the good news in all of this: 1. MS is not the death sentence that it once was. Thanks to drug therapies, it can be managed, and a normal life can be lived. 2. We've caught it early, which means treatment can begin soon, and thus keep the episodes at bay. 3. My dear friend Anna, who was diagnosed with it in December, is the one who told me that she wasn't buying the first Dr's opinion, and that is what propelled me to find a doctor that would listen to me. 4. God has allowed this in my life...I don't know why, but I know that He is sovereign, and that NOTHING happens in my life without His permission. 5. This world is not my home...this is all temporary compared to eternity. Thank you for caring for me, for loving me, and for your precious comments...I love reading each one. I hope that you'll understand if I can't address each email and each comment right now...we all feel like we're swimming in the deep end of the water these days, but please...keep them coming. They are such a blessing to me! I'll respond as I am able. I must go now and love on my sweetie...he's processing all of this news, and I need to be there for him. To God be the glory, great things He hath done! Just watch and see, sweet friends...He'll be glorified through this, because my life is not my own. It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives within me. :) XOXO, Jes Blue Letter Bible. "Romans 8 - New American Standard Bible." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 18 Jun 2009. < b="Rom&c=" t="NASB"> |
10 comments:
We love you, Jes! We will pray earnestly for you, Shane, the kids, your doctors, and on and on. We will never stop loving you or praying for you guys. I wish I were there to give you a big hug!
p.s. I love your new blog banner!
Jes,
Thank you for your sweet post and I KNOW that post wouldn't have been possible without the only ONE TRUE GOD of the universe in your life.
I praise Him with you, for what He has done in your life, any of our lives who are privileged to call Him Father, that can be any last one of us, we have the choice.
I praise Him for the lighthouse that you are and I'm sure will continue to be.
The Joy of the Lord is our strength! I will continue to pray.
Praise His Name Forever,
In His Love, Deb
ps your blog page is just beautiful
It's really cool when God gives us just what we need, right when we need it. The verse of the day from Air 1 (which I get via email each day) is Isaiah 40:29 "He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless." I know that His strength will sustain you as you go through the next round of testing and potential treatments. I will keep you in my prayers.
Will got into bike riding a little over a year ago, and one of the local rides is the MS150 which raises money for MS research. He did the ride last year just kind of for fun, but since then 2 of our friends have been diagnosed, and now you're hearing that it's a possibility as well. This ride gets more meaningful all the time!
Love you friend!
Jenn
I just learned that a dear friend has lost her brother-in-law to cancer today. As I read your blog there was this verse right at the top:
Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
I have passed this verse to their family (along with many others). Precious sister, God is already using your illness to minister to others. May He continue to use you in His almighty and powerful way.
I love you and am so blessed to call you sister.
Dear Precious Jes,
You are just precious to me. You are a true blessing. Thank you for your humbleness. Thank you for your post on this blog. I have to tell you I love the top of the blog with the bible opened and marked up of course. Romans 8:18 is great and a wonderful verse to lean on when we are experiencing hard times or suffering. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us. Amen. I will be praying for you as you go for the next precedure. Praise the Lord that you can be treated and that it was caught soon enough. Keep your chin up and continue to be in the Word bc that is truly the only place we will ever get the truth and t he comfort we need.
Love ya
Tiki
I hope that i have encouraged you today. I love getting emails from you but at this time if you don;t have time to respond do not worry about it just take care of yourself and your family the best that you can. Your family is your FIRST ministry. God Bless You.
Thank you Jesica for being such a beautiful testimony of our Lord. I am with you in prayer. I thank God for you....
Sally
Dear Jes,
I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis but also relieved that you've found a doctor who could tell you what's been causing your ongoing illness. It's sometimes harder not knowing what's wrong!
One of my dear friends has MS too. She's been diagnosed for over 5 years now and is doing great with the medication. There is hope and, knowing that God is in control makes everything much easier to take.
I love you and am praying for you, dear sister.
I have no words to add, which haven't already been said by others. I'm continuing to lift you and your family up in prayer.
Your post, strangely enough, had me singing... I wish I could be with you right now, so we could sing along together!
"This world is not my home/ I'm just 'a passin' thru/ my treasures are laid up/ somewhere beyond the blue/ the angels beckon me to heaven's open door/ and I can't feel at home in this world anymore..." (That's one of my favorites!)
And...
"To God be the glory, great things He hath done/ so loved He the world that He gave us His son/ who yielded his life an atonement for sin/ and opened the lifegate that all may go in..."
May the music of God's promises comfort you, as you continue on your journey.
I was thinking about you today and decided to check out your FB. So, I am just now hearing this news. You are handling it beautifully, which comes as no surprise to me! What a relief to have answers! I'm praying for you, Jes.
Love,
Melissa
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