Quick nite cap

So. Was it cold today? Yes sir it was cold. It was freezing. You know, when I was a kid, I would say that. I would say it was freezing. I now believe you cannot say it is freezing unless it is really freezing. We just walked home from Bible Study and midway JB whispered, "We have to walk faster." Your nose is cold. Your eyes are cold. You don't talk to each other. You just focus on getting into warmth as quickly as possible. It's horrid. I have decided. Anything above 20 degrees is fine by me. I don't mind it at all. But anything below 20 and especially nearing zero is just plain miserable.

Okay, I vowed to aviod weather-complaints this winter and so far I am failing miserably.

Tonight was our last CMDA (Christian Medican & Dental Association) Bible Study of 2006. The pastor of a local church, Autumn Ridge, spoke on Suffering. There were a few things he said that really ministered to me.

One was the visual image of a child getting a shot. No matter how much you tell that child that the shot is good for them, they still do not want that shot. And they still cling to their parent -- the comforter. He paralleled it to us. We don't like pain and suffering, but it causes us to cling to the caregiver, God.

He also shared a scripture from Hebrews 12:11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

He also said that in his church he finds, repeatedly, that anytime someone is met by sorrow, the only people that can truly help are the people who have felt that pain previously. I know that has been true in my case. My comfort has come from people who have walked in my steps. Or at least people who have walked in similar steps.

I was blessed that I attended tonight. I have always been honest on this blog. I am honest when I am doing well and honest when I am not doing well. The last few days have been a little rough. My sadness has dissipated, and spiritually I am doing well, but I have dealing with some residual anxiety issues that I still need to work through. I also started my progesterone medication which is the facilitator of dizzy spells. It is for this reason that I take this medicine just as I am climbing into bed. Last night I woke up three hours after I took the medicine and the dizziness was so extreme, I really panicked. It was a very long night for both John and myself.

I emailed JB midday and told him I thought I would skip the study on "Suffering" tonight. I just didn't feel like I wanted to hear anything more about suffering. But we decided to go. We tooka brisk walk in the underground to get some exercise before the study and then headed over. And, lo and behold, we were blessed by the message. It was just what I needed to hear. I was blessed to know that God is with us in our suffering and that Jesus, too, wept.

Going to have some hot cider and watch Survivor which we tape while we are in Bible Study.