Time. That one word has a huge impact on nearly all of our lives. It is a factor that we cannot ignore. We measure time in standard units and in not so standard ways such as emotional impact. To one person having an amazing day, time flies; to another suffering through that same day, the hours drag. During my research on "40 days" in the Bible, some scholars suggested that the term "40 days" is not a literal measurement, but rather an expression of a period of time. I do believe that many places in the Bible, "40 days" was literally 40 days in length. For my purposes, whether it is a literal count of days or not, I will treat "40 days" as an expression of a testing or trial period.
Does it really matter if it is 40 days or 400 days? For the person going through that time, it sure does! But when you are on the outside of that trial, the length of time really doesn't matter. The emotional impact of those days could have been a lifetime in only a month of time! Time becomes a thing that is both a curse and a blessing.
So you may be thinking, "what is all of this hubbub about 40 days anyway?" As we come closer to the season of Lent, many of us will be focusing on giving up something we value to help us focus on Christ's suffering and time of testing. This is what many people think of when they think of a period of 40 days, but while this is a wonderful tool that I myself use, this is not the 40 days that our blog focuses on. Chad and I hope to show you a face that will help you to identify with 40 days in everyday life.
"40 days in everyday life" what does that look like? For our family, it started on November 7, 2013. That was the day Chad left early for work and ended up in the emergency room. He had been in a car wreck and ended up with a broken ankle (among other issues, but very blessed to be alive) that should have been a simple thing, but ended up becoming so much more for us. As I'm writing this, a little over 3 months later, Chad is undergoing surgery to repair the damage that hasn't healed correctly.
Obviously, our 40 days is already a lot longer than a literal 40 days. It has been a time of much discovery, lots of frustration, and a renewal of faith and that is only the beginning! Many people we know are going through a lot more than us. We have friends that are fighting cancer, have friends that have family members that are dying, some have loved ones in prison, or in the grip of drug addiction. In no way do we mean to make our trials seem larger than someone else's, but it is our goal to maybe encourage those who are suffering and open the eyes of the ones who aren't. Ultimately, you can't compare your 40 days to someone else's. It may not be a physical malady that brings about your 40 day trial. It could be the loss of a job or even a good thing like marriage or the birth of a child.
As a believer and follower (or my new favorite term, "doer in Christ") of Jesus, we are in a spiritual battle daily. So how do you know when your battle has elevated to the 40 days level? Sometimes, it is pretty obvious, like in our case. When I begin to share more of what has happened in our personal struggle, you will see it clearly. Sometimes, though, there isn't really a dramatic life event that occurs, but you suddenly realize you are in the midst of something big. It is my belief that it is the change in you that really lets you know that this period has begun. It can be either a good change or it can be a detrimental one but you will be changed.
Think you may be in the midst of a 40 days time frame, but really not sure? Begin to be more aware of your daily life. When you are in a spiritual battle, it manifests in your day to day life. Let me share a small example for you. Being a rather private person, I don't like to share a whole lot of what I'm going through, which is clearly at odds with this blog! I shared with you in my first entry that I believe God is urging me to share more and this seems to be the way to do it. Immediately after I shared my first entry, I experienced a direct attack from our enemy. I won't share the details of exactly what happened, but let me just say it was one of my hot buttons with a family issue that I have been dealing with off and on for years. I didn't react in quite the Christ-like manner that I would have liked to. In fact, quite the opposite! I gave in to hurt and anger and lashed out a little bit. As soon as that had occurred, I realized what was happening. I gave it to God and prayed (which in itself is an indication of change in me, not too many years ago I would not have done this). I also have to give credit to my wonderful Pastor who shared recently that those "conversations" we hold in our head (you know the ones, "I'm gonna say this and he's gonna say that") are directly from the pit of hell! Every time I realized I was holding one of those "conversations" in my head, I immediately stopped it and prayed. Let me just say that I think I was praying every 5 minutes for several hours! The result of that struggle was a phone call the next day that was a breakthrough that I had been praying for for years! What the enemy meant for harm, God turned into a VICTORY!!!
Have you found yourself having lots of those types of battles lately? You may be in a 40 day period. The indicator, in my experience, to really "diagnose" a 40 day period is the changes being wrought in you. Are you growing? Are you feeling drained? Are you feeling like you can't make it through the day without turning to God? Still not sure, it's time to start keeping track. One of my mentors in the faith keeps a journal. She makes notes of what has happened through the day as well as her prayer requests. To her this is an effective tool to see the battles and the successes. Perhaps this method will help you to realize what is going on. The most obvious way would be to ask God to show you. Are you new to prayer and not quite sure if you are hearing from God? Ask Him to show you and be ready to wait. God may reveal the answer to you through a quiet knowing that gives you peace or He may use a friend to point it out to you. This is one prayer that I have always found Him to be pretty prompt in answering. The thing is I have to be willing to listen.
I've talked about how to know if you are going through a 40 day period but what about when someone you know is? What do you do? Pray! Pray that God will give your friend the strength he needs to endure. Pray that your friend's eyes will be opened. Finally, pray that God gives you clear direction on what if anything you need to do. Remember Job in the Old Testament and what he went through? Do you remember Job's "friends" and what they said to him? Sometimes, we can be well-meaning but actually inflict more damage than if we hadn't said anything. From my experience, it is the physical needs that are met by friends and family that help the most during a 40 day period. Can you help that friend out with a meal? Or can you help them buy groceries, pay a bill? How about offering to watch their kids to give them a night together? Can you give them a break by taking them out for coffee and talking about anything else for a little bit? God will let you know what your friend needs if you pray and ask Him and really listen without putting yourself and what you think you would like into the equation.
For those of you wondering, the nurse called a bit ago and let me know that the surgery was still progressing as planned and Chad is doing fine. Until next time, we would very much appreciate your prayers for a swift healing and no complications. <3 you all!!
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