Good morning…
I love to notice God’s new gifts expanding in the heart of ordinary people. So I adore this email from my friend.
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Dear Sue, I have been ruminating on your recent post, Infused With Peace. Since 2003, I have been scared of the word “infusion.” To me it was something that hurt, that was scary, that might not have a good outcome, and “infusion” forced me into a place I did not want to be. It also made me question God.
The Infusion Center at Piedmont wasn’t a bad place. It was pleasant, the sweet nurses made it as comfortable as possible, but I still had to be flanked by my sister-in-law in front and my husband in back to usher me in to be “infused.” The liquid was blood red, aptly named the red devil, and it would drip into my body trying to destroy the cancer cells without destroying me. I was resigned to do whatever I had to do to be well, to live, to be filled with the ‘red devil’ so that I could live and be a part of my loved one’s lives.
and then I read your post….
I am so happy to have a new meaning to the word – I want to be “infused” not with the red devil but with the Spirit of love and kindness, of hope and forgiveness and especially peace. I want to be filled up and become content with what I have been entrusted by God. The “infusion” I received at Piedmont saved my life, but this new “infusion,” the one I like so much better, will help me LIVE my life. Thank you, Sue, for your gift of translating the scary and negative into something loving and peaceful.
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That is why I remind you to fan into flame the gracious gift of God, [that inner fire—the special endowment]… For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control] (2 Timothy 1:6-7, AMP).
…Sue…
