My friend had Parkinson's disease,
He had it for many, many years;
He was cared for by a loving wife
Who stood by him and allayed his fears.





He suffered the ravages of the disease,
He couldn't feed himself, his hands shook,
He couldn't talk neither could he walk;
I asked God: How could this be for good?

A disorder of the central nervous system,
Parkinson's disease leaves its victim
Unable to move for the brain cells
No longer produce the hormone dopamine.





Experts don't know for sure what causes it,
Some believe it's caused by free radicals,
Or toxins and poisons in the environment;
This is according to the latest periodicals.

There is no cure for Parkinson's disease.
To bring relief, medications are given
To help increase the levels of dopamines
And cause severe symptoms to lessen.





"All things work together for good..."
We read this in the Bible in Romans 8:28;
Can any good thing come out of having to
Take care and see a loved one deteriorate?

Do all things work together for good
When loved ones go through severe pain
And there's nothing you could do to stop it
But suffer in anguish along with them?





I contemplated and pondered this text,
And came to a very wonderful conclusion;
Yes, all things work together for good
When we understand Christ and His mission.

When sin came into the world, in time,
God's character, in man, was nearly effaced;
Jesus is our Pattern and if His life is followed
It would bring character restoration to the race.





Jesus' life bore the fruits of the Spirit,
He lived a life of integrity and patience,
He was loving and full of joy and peace,
He lived a life of submission and obedience.

Jesus was a man of sorrows, He was oppressed,
He was acquainted with grief, He was afflicted,
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
Bruised, smitten of God, despised and rejected.





It is written patience produces godliness,
Without godliness we would not see God;
The afflictions we go through, however, trying
Help us to walk the path that Jesus had trod.

James 1:3 says: "The trying of your faith
Worketh patience" - Those who endure would see
The end of the Lord that He is compassionate,
Loving, very pitiful, and of tender mercy.





Patience is an attribute of God's character,
To become Christlike should be our goal;
This could only happen when we endure the
Trials and afflictions that try our very souls.

I no longer question God the "Why" of things
But ask Him to give me strength and courage
That I might grow in knowledge and grace,
Developing in my life His glorious image.





And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to His purpose. For whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28-29.


Copyrighted © Lydia Haga 2004

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