Dealing w/ Pain (Chronic Illness)
Last night as I was journaling I was reminded of the importance of getting back to the basics, of how the hard times that we experience may just be one of the things we prayed for, unknowingly.
I’ve always prayed that God uses me, that He grows me, that He give me the tools to walk in His purpose and now I’m doing them beyond what I imagined.
I know I talk about being ill a lot but unfortunately, it’s my current reality and the biggest struggle I’ve had to fight through for the longest amount of time but more importantly, it’s part of the story I believe God picked me to share and encourage others through.
Illness is NO FUN, especially those things that have “no cure” when I tell you trying to see the end of the tunnel when the professionals don’t truly know what that looks like is hard...boy it’s hard. But that’s what faith is right? Believing something will work out when you have no idea how or when? We have to be faithful and know that anything we desire will work out if and when God sees fit and that He has called us for this exact time in every other area of our life so why would illness be any different?
I guess it’s been so hard for me to understand because it’s not something that pastors discuss often. Which I’m sure is because 1) it’s such a sticky topic and things don’t always pan out the way we hope and 2) it's not easy to talk about such a sticky topic without having lived it.
I am grateful that I have a story and that I am able to spread my story and God’s love but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it doesn’t get hard or that I have it all together. I don’t at all! I complain more than I should! I even sometimes complain longer than I probably should but I always manage to get up and get back on track. Truthfully, I don’t believe I’d be as successful in this if I didn’t have other believers in my life. We all need something or someone to hold us accountable for me that means reminders of Gods goodness in moments when I may forget. I need this both in real life through friends and accountability partners and on social media so that in the weaker moments I don’t get tempted, only encouraged. I have cleared out all negativity and followed only social media accounts that will encourage me especially when I can’t encourage myself. This has worked in my favor on more than one occasion and I’m forever grateful for my support system.
God is for us, He will never forget us and He is holding our hand as we walk through the toughest times. Sometimes we ask God to use us and then when he does we’re overwhelmed because it’s not what we thought it would look like but your situation, your story isn’t just for you! It’s also to bring glory to God and to help grow others and show them Gods love through your experiences. Continue to be a light, continue to fight, continue to stay encouraged, this thing is much bigger than any of us really know and it’s very likely that if you’re doing your best to honor God then you’re probably touching more lives than you realize.
What tools do you have set in place to help you stay encouraged during the hard times? What do you do to remind yourself to take things one day at a time and that you were created for exactly what God is bringing you through in this season?