Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint.
Talk about a verse that that has been quoted a million and one times!
Plaque, mug, little charm bracelets... if you walk into any Christian bookstore you will be able to find it on pretty much anything you could possibly want.
It was for this very reason that I have often dismissed it as "cliche" or something that just went without saying. For instance, troubles would come along and I would think to myself, "Yeah, yeah, I will mount up on wings like eagles, etc. etc.. Thanks God. You're pretty cool." And then go on my way.
It wasn't until this past year that this verse started holding any real meaning to me.
You see, I have been dealing with fast heart rate for quite a few years now, but up until these past couple of years it was something I wouldn't even think about unless I jogged up hill, or coughed really hard and then could feel my heart pounding in my chest at a frightening intensity. Over these past couple of years, however, the problem has been escalating at a pretty rapid rate.
Now, climbing one flight of stairs makes me out of breath, it's not uncommon for me to check my handy little heart-rate-tracker-watch and see 120, or even 140 bpm, and jogging any more than a few strides is pretty much out of the question unless I want to spend a good long time settling my heart rate and breathing afterwards.
Not only has this made exercising and working any sort of active job quite difficult, but I have discovered that I get fatigued very easily.
For instance, I work part time at a retail store where I'm typically in the back sorting and hanging clothes. Not all that strenuous of a job.... And yet after a day of work I can expect to get nothing done the rest of that day. If I work two or three days in a row, the following day will also pretty much comprise of me sitting or laying around the house feeling like all I want to do is sleep.
I hate this.
I hate it because the things that I actually want to do, the things I actually am passionate about, so often get pushed aside.
People ask me to do little things for them that I'm so excited about, but then I just don't have any energy and the next thing I know several weeks have passed without me getting around to it.
My bedroom and desk have become a chaotic mess. (Not that they typically are pristine and perfect, but now it's not just piles of projects I am working on, but things that I have never gotten around to putting away, or papers that should have been filed months and months ago... but I was too busy being tired to take care of.)
A lot of times I feel like maybe I've just become lazy.
But that's not it and I know it.
It frustrates me that I run out of energy so fast.
It irks me that my writing projects aren't moving forward as fast as I want them to.
It infuriates me that I cannot do anything to fix it.
I cannot fix the problem.
I keep going to doctors but none of them have been able to figure it out yet.
And then more problems pile on top of the fast heart rate...
Carpal tunnel, abdominal spasms, continuously sore muscles in my arm, and dizziness....
It is out of my control.
And then God brings me back to His word, His promise:
"But those you wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint."
This verse is no longer just a plaque or a fun quote to put on a mug, over the picture of a soaring eagle.
No. This verse is my life, my hope, and my prayer.
Also,
2 Corinthians 12:9
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Assr vísa ykkar or∂.
(May God guide your words)
ElizabethMarieKauffman
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