Well, the easy part is over, for now. The facial flushing and hiccups were annoying but bearable. The past couple of days have proven to be something more. It’s roughly a feeling of having been run over by a pickup truck, probably similar to a bad case of the flu. Tylenol helps a little, but the aching in my legs really never goes away, and the weakness makes it a challenge to get around. But sitting and lying also tend to be difficult for extended periods. Add in frequent nocturnal trips to the bathroom and you get the idea.

So how do you deal with it? You wake up in the middle of the night, and you thank God for another day of life. When you get up in the morning, you do it again. You fall back into thankfulness for your many blessings (and in spite of how it seems, there are many blessings for which to be thankful). You call to mind your “foundational” verses that remind you no matter how tough it gets the Lord is still right there with you, working for His glory and yours. You recall your prayer to achieve the goal for this treatment with grace, and offer prayers for others in the same situation.

This is not pleasant at all, but I knew it wouldn’t be going into it. But I also know the Lord will sustain me through it if I keep my focus on Him. He has given me a tremendous helpmeet in my beautiful wife, He has given us just the right living environment in our apartment, which is set up for disability affected individuals, of which we are definitely two. I have a crowd of family, friends and neighbors surrounding me in prayer. We have been given what we need; God has been amazingly gracious to us.

So although my body is currently a mess my spirit rejoices that I have been counted worthy to be called a child of God, not because of anything I’ve done, but because what Jesus has done, and is doing for me. And there is peace and comfort in that.