Back in September of 2022, Nelson was trying to wean himself off of the “hard drugs” he’d been taking for pain, mentally focusing on a time when his cancer might be gone. If that happens, he doesn’t want to end up with an addiction to pain pills.
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September 14, 2022
Pitch black outside still at 6:25 am. Daylight savings starts Nov.6 or so, I think. Last night we ate dinner at our small group leader’s house, and he said, being from Texas, the hardest thing for him here in MN is the winter darkness. For some reason I don’t care about that, but we’ll see, once we get into it a little more.
People really fear the winter. Last night was the longest night of my life. I just couldn’t stay sleeping, waking up every hour and even more. I think it’s because I’m coming off those morphine slow release pills. I’m trying to wean myself off them because I don’t think we need them anymore. So it’s cold sweats and nervousness. Opiate withdrawal. Major bummer. No fun at all. Anyway, like lots of things in life, fun getting started, but no fun getting stopped.
Listening to Colin’s sermon on Contentment: 1 Timothy 6:6-7, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” We are waiting for the news on the house loan. All the documents have been turned in. It’s a little stressful knowing what a letdown it will be if it doesn’t work out. Lots of messages, devotionals, and Bible verses about letting go and having God as your #1.
Then again, the sermon this morning was about how to be content when you “abound.” He said that Paul learned the secret both ways. He learned how to be content with nothing and then how to abound. Colin asked, “Do you have more than you had 10 years ago? In what ways has God increased you?”
I have to say, we have way more now than we did when we got married. The only thing that’s been radically chopped down has been my health. In that way I have way less than I did 10 years ago. But in the category of money, family, and children, I have more.
Then he challenges us to ask the following, “Have I grown in godliness over the last year? Have I learned how to have less? What about having more? Do I know how to handle that?” The second part in the 4 part series is about, “learning how to abound,” or learning how to have more.
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“Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Philippians 4:12)