Kokubun Konexión

In the hospital?  What?  I just saw him yesterday! Is he okay?  What's going on with your husband?  Is he sick?  How bad is it? All of these were common questions just a few days ago.  He seemed great one day, yet the next he was completely down.  Let me say first of all, my husband is the best faker I have ever met.  I thought I had friends who were good fakers- and they were... but I've never seen someone work so hard at faking in my life.  He is my hero. 

Daniel has a colon condition called ulcerative colitis. It's hard to explain, but each year around spring time for the past 4 years, he has had a difficult time with his health.  Most the time in college, he was able to fake it with hardly anyone knowing what was going on.  This time we thought he could fake it, but he unfortunately took a turn for the worse.  He struggled for about 6 days before I took him to be admitted to the hospital.  Without going into too many details, during those 6 days he didn't eat at all, and we were struggling to get liquids or keep liquids in him. 

These few days were extremely difficult for me.  Being newly-wed, this was my first real encounter with nursing a severe illness.  It was discouraging, because he wasn't getting any better, and I was doing everything I could to make him better.  You know, I praise God for that time.  Because it is in the hard times, that God gets extremely close. It's in those times when you HAVE to go before God in tears, begging him to heal your husband, that God makes himself known to you.  I wouldn't trade that closeness for the world.

My husbands attitude, through this whole time, has been remarkable.  When you're dating, I think it's impossible to tell how a person would react when trials hit.  (Unless, obviously, the trials come while you're dating.)  Dan did not necessarily have huge trials in college, so I didn't exactly know what to expect.  I could not be more proud of the character of the man I married.  I don't think I've heard him complaining once.  His attitude has been, "If God wants to take it away from me, I know He will.  Until He takes it away, I'll pick up my cross and follow my King." Watching him suffer, yet have a phenomenal attitude has challenged my own personal walk and challenged me immensely. 

We're home from the hospital, and God let me husband be ordained Wednesday.  It was a special time, and I feel God gave him a special grace and healing to be there. We are blessed.  Although he's home, he hasn't been cured.  We're still praying about which medications to use and where to go from here; but for today, we're glad to be back to real life~ enjoying the journey!

Psalms 101:6

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me:

he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

Who doesn't want to be great? No matter what the field of interest no body wants to be a failure. And deeper still no one want to be average. Who is it that we lift up in society? Those men and women that rise above the status quo. Those who are proficient in their field. The favorite sports plays are of last second shots as the buzzer is sounding in the background, the grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth, and the winning touchdown pass in overtime. The favorite biographies are of men and women who faced adversity and overcame tragedy in their moment of opportunity. Greatness. So many desire the title, but do not realize what it takes to achieve that quality.

There was a young boy who at an early age in life was captured and taken hostage to another country. His parents were most likely killed in the attack with the destruction of the town he called home. Miles away from home in an unfamiliar land this young boy, scared, nervous, and probably intimidated, made a crucial decision in his life. He decided to engage his faith that he had been taught as a boy. His name was Daniel. You will find as you read the book of Daniel the journey of a boy who develops into one of the most famous Bible characters we read about today. Daniel goes through cultural changes, kingdom shifts, and incredible pressures in his years of captivity. We find a glimpse of his greatness in Daniel 6:10. The Bible states, "...he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." Daniel had developed a walk with God through the years....

There was another young boy many years before Daniel. He was the youngest son in the family. His older brothers were all men of war and they were his heroes. Growing up, everyone had to do their share in the home to keep things running. Coming from a big family, there were many responsibilities that had to be taken care of. This young boy was assigned to be the shepherd. He was to tend to his father's sheep in the pasture. What a design by God, for it was there that David developed a walk with God. David grew up to be the greatest king that Israel has had. When you read the Psalms you can't help but feel the intimate relationship that David had with God. So what made him so great?

Sin had filled the earth. In short time from Adam and Eve's sin darkness had corrupted the entire human race. God was going to destroy the earth because of its wickedness, but there was a man who found God's favor. This man came from an amazing family.

He may have very well known Adam himself, for Adam was his great great great great great great....grandfather. Noah discovered something early in his life. He discovered how to walk with God. The Bible says in Genesis 6:9, "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Because of Noah you and I are alive today! I'd call that great! 

So what's the point? So these men "walked with God"? I submit to you that David had no idea that he would be king when he started consistently doing right. Daniel had no idea that he would have to stand for right. Noah when he went out to pray didn't know that he wold be building an ark to save the planet. You see it was the consistent doing of right that enabled them to do amazing things. Let me make a couple of observations. 

1. Greatness doesn't come randomly to anyone. No one wakes up one day and all off a sudden they're great. So many times we as individuals live in a fast paced, microwave society where everything has to happen now. May I say that greatness doesn't just appear, but is developed.

2. Greatness is in doing the simple fundamental things regularly. Longevity is becoming more and more a lost quality among men. Where are those people who hold a position at a company for decades? Men want quick fame and quick recognition without putting in the time to deserve such grandeur. It is the ball player that shoots hundreds of free throws in practice that when the game is on the line will hit that shot. No body sees the practice, but the one shot will be remembered. No body sees you read your Bible or pray on a daily basis, but when someone has a need and you have the answer you will impact that person. No one saw the

thousands of times Daniel prayed, but after the lion's den, the whole country was to worship Jehovah God.

3. Greatness is not attained by pursuit of grandeur, but rather by faithful, unsolicited

service. Notice that neither Daniel, David, nor Noah were looking to be great. They were simply doing what they were supposed to do, being where they were supposed to be, and living how they were supposed to live. God is the one who promoted them. You cannot attain greatness on your own. In fact, greatness is not even a prize to be won. It is a byproduct of humble service to God. You see God deserves all the glory for everything in our lives.

4. Greatness is not ours to glory in, but it is God who deserves our praise. If it were

not for God working in your life, there would be no "greatness" as man terms it. God is looking for the faithful man that he can use to do his work. He is looking for a humble man who realizes that everything that he becomes is because of an almighty, merciful God who decided to use them. What an honor to be used of God. It is He who gets all glory and praise. So many times we abuse what little success that God allows us to have for our own glory. What a shame.

5. Greatness is really defined then as God using you in supernatural ways for His

glory. I so want to be used by God, but God is looking for faithful men who will do the simple things consistently. Faithful means being full of faith. God designated a whole chapter in the Bible of faithful people in Hebrews 11. What makes them so special? They were found faithful by God so that He could use them in supernatural ways.

Let us strive to be faithful in our service to Christ so that He might find us able to be used of Him. What an incredible honor and opportunity! - Daniel