In the book of Revelation I am studying this year in BSF, there is significance to the time period three and a half years. It occurs five times either as years, 42 months or 1260 days, which is half of the seven year tribulation period. But three and a half years is also the length of Elijah's drought, the approximate length of Jesus' earthly ministry and Paul's training by Christ in the desert. More significant to me personally is the three and a half years I spent in the school of depression, which included times of drought, ministry and training.
And I am not the only one. As I entered those dark times, a friend told me he had previously been depressed for three and a half years. At the time I thought I could not survive if mine lasted that long, but here I am. Another friend I was talking to recently realized that a period of trial that appears to be ending in her life has also lasted three and a half years. It made me wonder how long my current time of tribulation will last. When do I start the timer? Do I count from our son's accident in September, losing our granddaughter when our son and her mother broke up the March before, or when we lost our unborn grandchild that January? I vote for January, not only because it would make the testing over sooner, but because that was a very hard time for us. In our mostly unspoken way, my husband and I have been in mourning since the baby I called Peanut died.
I would like to think this time of testing and training will not last too long, but I do not have unrealistic expectations about the length of our son's rehab. Suffering is a painful part of life, but it is also purposeful. It is an essential element of the all things God works together for good in our lives. (Rom. 8:28) Suffering shows us the sufficiency of God's sovereignty. It is a lesson I intend to learn, even if it takes me three and a half years.
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