Adverſity

Today at church I ƿas aßigned by đe Sunday ſchool coordinator the teaching baſed on đe þird chapter of When Grace Comes Home: How the Doctrines of Grace Change Your Life, by Terry Johnſon (¿why do US names ſound ſo much as nicknames, is đe guy called Terence actually?); it is đe chapter on Adverſity.

I had a fit of lauȝ, juſt ƿhen I was feeling quite doƿntrodden. Đe coordinator & a fellow teacher ƿere fazed, & đe paſtor took a ƿhile to underſtand, đen folloƿing me in my fit. It took him a ƿhile to recover his breaþ and explain đe reasons to đe ođers.

Fact is đe monþ of April has been extra difficult. I have had my share of adverſity indeed along my life, so much I feel sometimes chooſen, if you underſtand ƿhat I mean; not to some great ſtuff, but to be doƿntrodden and đen, perhaps, be somewhat more uſeful than ođerwiſe I could be.

Now this April feels more like an August of a leap year. Firſt we had already loſt our ſecond pregnancy. During the beginning of the month the abortion ſhould have been expelled, but Megumi had to ſuffer a minor surgery because it was retained, juſt two days before her anniverſary. Đen ƿe had a financial problem, quite ſerious, enouȝ for us to Þink ƿe needed paſtoral counſelling. & before ƿe could get that, I looſe my employment. Not any job, but one at a major multinational which ſhould have been my life-long, definitive job; and ƿich rarely fires, ſo that I will have a hard time explaining đat to potential employers.

¿So ƿhat can one do? Aſk for prayers firſt, as ƿe þink God ƿants to teach us, ſpecially me, ſomeþing in all đis. And đen to ſearch for a job, becauſe ƿe have a little boy to feed and Mißus does not have a job eiđer. Ođer ißues, as trying a ſecond child again (ƿe do feel it is more like a Chriſtian obligation than juſt perſonal pleaſure, pleaſurable as it is) and righting our finances.

And prepare đat ſtudy on ƿhat the doctrine of grace has to ſay about adverſity.