“Good stewards need to adapt to changing circumstances, but that’s not all. They must also be on the alert for outside threats that could undermine their work. External challenges can come in the form of outright attack, as the Israelites feared in Nehemiah 4, or they can be spiritual in nature like demonic attack or despair.” Pg. 585, Exploring Stewardship, The NIV Stewardship Bible
Embattled, I woke this morning to the sound of rain pattering against the windows and a pain free morning. A week long battle with Diverticulitis is finally easing. With renewed focus, I began to get caught up on work after rescheduling my appointments for next week.
First order of business was time with God. This morning I read this devotion (quoted above). My assigned reading was Nehemiah 5:6-19. A lot of Nehemiah, read in light of today, is relevant. According to the commentary on page 586, many Jewish families had to mortgage their properties to pay for food, farming had slowed because of reconstruction of the wall, greedy Jewish creditors seized properties and enslaved children, and taxes were extremely high. With exception of enslaving children, do you see how we can call relate? Many people in my community struggle economically and we are no different as outlined by what happened on Tuesday.
I had to make a tough decision Tuesday. Do I go to the emergency room or weather through the excruciating pain? It’s a gamble. We couldn’t afford more medical bills with a colonoscopy bill that just came in the mail. I didn’t want to cause my husband more stress. By evening, I had no choice.
It was a good decision. I am gaining strength and getting better. My head is clear. So many people prayed for me. They sent me messages on Facebook. I was so encouraged. This week’s battle with illness and other things taught me about adapting to changing circumstances.