The Need To Keep Going
Thrombosis can have a number of causes including trauma or being still for too long. When I had knee surgery, part of my recovery process is making sure I move even though it hurt.
Sometimes when life hurts, we really don’t want to keep going. It is easier to lie down and quit. Transitioning to living in a new culture and all that comes with it can hurt. Sometimes people who are pretty outgoing stop behaving in their usual way and want to remain at home. Introverts can find the transition particularly painful, and it is hard to find the motivation to keep moving forward.
No Pain, No Gain
We can become confused if we associate pain only with something that is bad. Those considering an Expat or missionary lifestyle need to know that moving country is not a picnic. There is a stretching that occurs in many areas of our lives that can be painful. Families living abroad can feel that they have made a terrible mistake and that it would be better to pack their bags and move home again. Well to quote Jane Fonda ‘No Pain No Gain’. For those of you who remember those early 80’s workout videos you might also remember the phrase ‘feel the burn’, both phrases meant that you need to push past the point of the muscle aches if you want long term benefits.
For those of you experiencing the muscle aches of living abroad or the muscle aches as culture stress impacts your marriage – keep pressing on. Don’t give up! Keep your mind set on the goal.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
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, 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
