It is so difficult to remember on our own sometimes just how faithful, and great God is as a Father. So I am thinking that is why we experience trials. Our trials reminds us, prepares us, and grows us closer to our father.
A few years ago I shared about the experience of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis on my original blog and I believe with it being Women’s history month sharing a powerful mind shift moment during a personal trial is a great way to start the celebration of the strength in discovered during one of my own trying time. I am sharing because we all too often won’t share our physical struggles in the early stages of diagnosis. Why? I am not sure but I know it isn’t helpful to the people you love or you. So, today I am sharing what I learned a little while ago.
When I was first diagnosed I was desperate for the diagnosis not to be true. I was a pretty healthy child, teen and young adult so to have such a major diagnosis given to you was paralyzing. There is nothing anyone can say to make you feel any better and it is hard for most people to understand the family of auto immune diseases because they are silent and invisible to those looking from the outside. No one could possibly know the storm occurring on the inside of your body. I am sure like most reading this the biggest challenge was that we have our lives despite possible impending disability. I was a mother of three children still needing me and my husband just coming out of the seven-year hump that married couples go through with small children. This was the most inconvenient time to have this happen but it did. It was happening. I cried some days and most I just went numb not really given any care or attention to the questions family members would ask. Then one day after a having a private pity party which I do from time to time I decided to turn to the one who always made me feel better and I prayed to my Father. I figured He made me so He would know how to fix me,
The answer I received wasn’t what I expected but it was what I needed to find my hope and faith to get me to today. I prayed and blew dust off one of the many bibles in our home and opened up to the book of James Chapter 1
There were so many passages that stood out to me in the bible, but the book of James was the most appropriate for my need that day.
Stressing, Stretching and Strengthening in trials are all described in the first few verses of James chapter 1. James wanted to encourage the persecuted members of the body of Christ who had been scattered throughout the regions.
Like with the body of Christ in James day the text states what is necessary during trails and stressful situations in order to grow is faith, joy,patience and prayer. My thought immediately was how can I have Faith and Joy with an uncertain future? Why did this have to happen to me after 3 babies and a husband? Who can demonstrate patience while waiting on doctors to find a cure? Cried some more and the thought came to me Where is your Faith? Has God let you down before? Are you not alive? fully functioning? The Lord comforted me with the answer to my questions with this all four faith, joy, patience, and prayer are tools to assist in my maturation process in my relationship with the Lord and my witness to the world.
Ladies the same goes for you whether it is Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, MS, Lyme’s Disease, Graves, Fertility issues, Cancers, Heart Disease, Stroke/Aneurysm, Diabetes, Mental Health whatever it maybe I can confidently say God would not have us lose hope. The road is challenging and it is complicated but if we believe the promises of God we know this much that he works things out for the good of those who love the Lord Romans 8:28.
encouragement4everdayliving 