Open Heart Women's Ministry
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Open Heart Women's Ministry
Pastor Deborah's
Open Heart Series

James 1:2,3
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

    Sometimes it is very difficult to be joyful or thankful in the midst of a trial.  A trial can be going through a circumstance or situation that is outside of the normal of your life.  It can be as small as having a “bad” day at work to being as great as the impending death of someone close to you.  Regardless of the circumstance or situation you find yourself in, GOD is with you.

    This week I had a bad day at work. and much more!  As a Nurse, I had a patient come back from surgery that was semi-stable.  Being worried in the SPIRIT that I should be cautious with him, I monitored him more closely than I would normally for a stable patient.  His condition changed in the short half hour from when I was last in his room.  After advising the doctor of the situation he came upstairs to examine this patient.  In the few minutes that it took to pull out the medication ordered by the doctor, and move towards the patient’s room to take him downstairs, the doctor had arrived and started yelling at me for not already having him down to the CAT scan area.

    If the LORD had not caused this patient to be watched so closely he might have died before the problem was discovered.  Sometimes it is a trial to work with other people, boy did my feathers get ruffled by the doctor yelling at me!  However, my trial was small compared to the trial my patient and his family were facing, as this was a life threatening crisis!

    Once the patient was quickly moved to the Operating Room, I went looking for his family to ask them if I could pray with them over their loved one's impending surgery.  I told them how serious the surgery was and that he was at death’s door.  In my personal trial, my feelings had been hurt by a doctor relieving his stress and concern over a patient possibly dying on the operating table by yelling at me.  On the other hand, my patient and his family’s trial was much more desperate.

    I am full of joy that our paths crossed in our trials.  Praise our wonderful and miraculous LORD, this man came through surgery successfully.  I found out that the patient and his family were solid Christian's when I stepped out of my own trial to pray with them.

    GOD wants our heart to be mature.  While going through our personal trials we need to be open to reach beyond our pain and minister to others who are also suffering that our heart may become mature.  Learn to let go of the "me" and persevere in order that your heart will open to GOD in the midst of your trial.

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