My physical condition is getting less?

The corona virus crisis is still going on at this moment.
No idea yet when it will be over, but I think it will still take some time.
So for now, we only can follow the government guidelines and stay at home as much as possible.

But I think that for a lot of people it is already taking too long.
Plus the weather is very nice.
So you can see people going out, wanting to enjoy the weather.
And at the same time, ignoring the government guidelines.

For me/us, we try to stay at home as much as possible.
And only go out if it is really needed.
Because now and then you need to get groceries or pick up medications.

And this is also the time for doing things in and around the house.
But I am also noticing, or maybe it is my imagination, that my physical condition is getting less/lower.

As I mentioned before, that if I just walk to the supermarket nearby, I am easily getting tired.
Also when doing some small work in the garden, like fixing the fence, I am tired quickly.
Just using the electric saw and screwing some planks together, and I am done.

But you don’t want to give up yet because it was only very little work.
So, you continue.
You saw and screw some more things.
Wrong!

Slowdown more?

Short of breath.
But you still don’t want to give in.
So you still continue.
Because after all, it is just some small work and you should be able to do more.
But for me, it looks like it is getting less and less of what I am able or can do.

At this point, I am thinking of what the cause could be.
Maybe it is because of the corona crisis?
Because of the guidelines, they advise you to stay at home as much as possible.
So, I am having much less walks than before.
Or is it because of my heart failure, that my physical condition is getting less?

Just before the corona crisis, I already contacted the hospital to ask for advice.
Because then I already noticed that I was getting short of breath quicker.
They first advised me to use more often the pee tablets, so that my body doesn’t retain too much water. And if things would stay the same, then contact them again so they could see or think of what to do next.

For now, I need to slow down more?
Or maybe continue and hope to build up some condition.
Maybe, a small downside of it is that if I still push on, shortly after that I feel a little bit nauseous and out of energy.
I know.
I need to listen to my body and don’t be so stubborn.

Still no Church or meetings.

For the time being, we only will have our church service done through Facebook Live streaming.
At least we can still hear the word of God.
Also all bible studies and care groups, meet through Facebook Messenger.

It is a bit of a pity, because normally every first Saturday of the month, we have our Men’s Ministry meeting.
But this is also canceled.
I hope that things would be a bit back to normal around the summertime.
That’s the time we have our yearly outing.
For now, we only can pray.

It is almost a month by now and I am sure that most of the church members can’t wait until the restrictions are lifted, so they can see everyone in person again.

Also, our Good Friday service will be done by Live streaming.
As is our Easter service.
I feel a bit sad about this because it is a special occasion and it should be celebrated together, in the church.
But these are the current guidelines and we should follow them, no matter how special this occasion is.

Pain and Pleasure.

The title of the sermon on April 5, 2020, was “Endure short-term pain for future long-term pleasure“.
If you are interested in it, you can find the video on Youtube.
(https://youtu.be/LA4obNL2vws)
And I think it was fitting again to this corona crisis.
It also made my mind run around again and think of so many things.
Past and current situations, and how it maybe will turn out in the long run.

The verse for this sermon was the following;
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The focus was on verse 2.
It is talking about the pain Jesus had to endure on the cross before He could enjoy the eternal pleasure of being beside God.

There was a challenge set.
We need to imagine what our desired outcome would be.
So we can endure the short term pain.
Because then we can see what will be after we had endure the pain.

This is not always easy.
As was said, that we humans, don’t like the pain.
So we always look for a quick and easy way out and enjoy the pleasure.
But this is not always possible.
Sometime we need to go through the pain.

Maybe you also can see it as perseverance.
And maybe also as building our character.
Only be going through these things, we can learn and grow.

How about now.

Like this current corona-virus.
At this moment, we suffer because we are asked to stay at home, while the weather is so nice.
But we all know, that if we don’t follow the guidelines, more people will die.
So if we now just “suffer”, we know that when this is over, we all can enjoy the nice weather and nature around us.
Maybe in this way, we also have some more appreciation for others and each other.
But to be very honest, I think this will only last for a short while and people will turn back in their old habits.

As for me.
If I look at my own health situation, is this the short term pain I need to go through?
So, I am looking ahead and imagine myself being fully healed.
But somewhere deep inside there is a small voice/thought, telling me that this will never happen.

Right now hearing and reading stories of so many people with the same condition, my health/heart condition only can improve a bit, but you can never fully recover.

For a small part, I have some rest in it, that I know that this is my life.
This is what I need to learn to live with.
This is my purpose in life.
What I am going through has a purpose.
We don’t know what, but we need to accept it and make the best out of it.

I know that things in life happen for a reason.
We cannot see the reason or what is the goal, so we only can accept it and have faith in what is happening.

Or do I maybe need to look at a much bigger picture?

Final Thought.

Maybe this life is our short term pain.
And our long term pleasure will be when we will join our Lord in heaven for eternity.

How do you think about this and what thoughts or experiences do you have on it?
Please share it with me.
I am curious about your thoughts and comments.

For now, take care and stay safe.
And let us pray together for a safe and healthy future.
God Bless