Entrapment

More thoughts fro Joni Eareckson Tada's A Lifetime of Wisdom.

I do not know that I agree that God confines us, as in the following, but I know He may allow it. 

The love of God is supreme and matchless and He only confines me for a wise and timely purpose. For those who believe in the love and the wisdom of a sovereign God, even a heart breaking confinement can be a place of building trust.

I still trust my God. No matter how sick I may be, or how sad and hopeless I may feel momentarily. I know that my God is always there, and that He always loves me. 
He allowed this thing to happen to me, as with all those hard things that have happened. I cannot say why, although I know that I have had time to reach deeper into the Word, spend more time "being still and knowing" and reading the experiences of others. Something I have always wanted.  

We may not be accountable for some trials, but we ARE accountable for our responses.

This one can be tricky. How I work at, with God's help, keeping patient and hopefully somewhat kind to my care assistants. I try to keep my mind in a good location, focusing on what I can do while stuck in one place. I can often focus on the Word. I can ALWAYS pray, and I can know God. That really is the single most important thing in existence--God. It really should not matter how sick I am, but what I can do to serve God. 
It is hard to focus completely on God. When we are sick, we feel "too ill" to think of God, we can only think of our own comfort. When we are well, we are "too busy" to think of God. I guess we have to learn to do everything for the glory of God so that everything is of God. Otherwise, as a well person we are like Mary and Martha--too focused on doing something rather than spending time with God. If we focus on doing the things we must FOR God, then we are able to know Him. Even bed rest. 

Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. Ps 28:6-7.
The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blessed His people with peace. Ps 29:11