Strength To Keep Going When it is Difficult

Would you voluntarily move into a place where you can’t often see the sun, you can’t leave, you can’t go outside, and you can’t have visitors?

This is exactly what Jack Eccles did. Why? Because that was the only way he could continue visiting his wife, Gerry, who has Alzheimer’s and whose nursing facility was going on lockdown.

He and his nine children agreed he may have never seen her again if he didn’t, as she may have given up eating without him.

Jack, a former pastor, packed up his things and moved into a one-room assisted living apartment. He has been there five months now, and they celebrated their 70th anniversary July 16th. She no longer seems to recognize him, and it takes a lot out of him to feed her carefully three meals a day, holding her head and coaxing her to eat her pureed food.

You may be in a hard season of your own right now. A season of laying down your preferences and desires to persevere in a difficult situation. Your days may be just as monotonous, just as confining, just as sacrificial. There may be times that you think you just cannot go on.

Jack’s story reminds me that the grace and strength available to him is available to every follower of Christ. As a believer and a former pastor, Jack probably is familiar with the following passages of Scripture, passages that can encourage and strengthen us as well:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:1-3

Thank you, Father, for Jack Eccles, and others like him who inspire us to love, to serve, to lay down our lives for others. Most of all, thank you for the invitation to turn to you and your power to provide the grace and strength to surrender to you and let you use us to love others with the love you lavish on us.

Looking to God's Word for strength,

Ellen