Category Archives: Endurance

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Are You Immobilized?

Fear, Fatigue and Uncertainty

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I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.  He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.  Psalm 40:1-3

In 1995 I had a grand mal seizure and was put on seizure medication without a thorough investigation of the circumstances.  We would learn later that I did not need it.  Problematically, if you take seizure medication and don’t need it, it can cause seizures.  Consequently, for the next nine years I endured petit mals or absence seizures.

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Rejoice in the Day

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“This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24

As I write this, I am enjoying a lovely day.  The air is clean after a summer rain, it is warm, the sun is shining, there is a nice breeze and the birds are singing.  So far, it is quite easy for me to rejoice and be glad in this day.

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Looking in the Mirror

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“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;  for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”  James 1:22-25

Mirrors are quite useful in our lives.  We use them to make rooms brighter and look more spacious.  In gyms and dance studios they help us improve our form.  Most commonly, we use them to make sure jewelry and ties are in place, hair is properly styled and generally everything is tucked and straightened to present the best possible appearance. 

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God’s Peace

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“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13

Throughout our lives there are many issues that are sources of stress and conflict.  Our normal tendency is the “fight or flight” response that brings with it anxiety and frustration.  Yet as Christians we’re called to be peaceful and encouraged to seek peace.

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Tug of War

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In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:6

Demands and expectations can be a source of struggle for anyone.  However, for those of us with chronic illness and pain, there is an extra level of frustration.  The limitations that our health issues place upon us make it difficult to accomplish what we desire let alone what others would like or feel that we should do.  In this regard, we’re often our own worst enemy.  We try so hard to rise to the occasion or maintain an appearance of “normalcy” that others believe that we are capable of accomplishing much more than we are truly able to deliver.  It is the tug-of-war that that we regularly face which requires much discernment.

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God is Enough

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“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”  The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.  Lamentations 3:24-25

Like Peter walking on water in the storm, those us who trust in God may become distracted by threats to our security and begin to sink.  Chronic illness can be like that, especially when normal often keeps changing.  New symptoms, diagnoses, or infections can cause us to lose focus.

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Clay Pots

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For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10

Producing art, whether for functional use, the sheer beauty of it or some combination of the two, takes effort and skill.  In my youth I used to tool leather.  I made belts, purses, bible covers, etc.  Some projects were from kits, others were on pre-cut pieces and the remainder were those that were started with a piece of tanned hide.  Obviously the latter required the most effort in that I had to decide what I was making, its intended purpose, its shape, and its dimensions.  From there the cutting had to be precise which was not easy with a utility knife.   Once cut, the leather had to be moistened to keep it pliable to that the stamping and carving could be done properly and evenly.  After being tooled it had to be died and finished.  Each piece was unique and an investment of time, effort, and creativity.  The process was a very faint imitation of how God has created each of us.

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God is the Strength of My Heart

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My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26

Strength is one of those things that waxes and wanes, varies from person to person and can be considered in terms of physical, mental and spiritual attributes.  No matter what aspect is being considered, at the core of this discussion we must remember that any form or degree of strength that we have is provided and sustained by our Heavenly Father in Christ.  

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Meditation

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“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”  Psalm 19:14

Between the inability to focus brought on by my illness, lack of attention encouraged by the plethora of electronic gadgets, chronic fatigue and general laziness (if I’m honest), godly meditation does not come easily for me.

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You Have Been My God

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“Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.  Upon You I was cast from birth; you have been my God from my mother’s womb. Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.”  Psalm 22:9-11 

Healthy relationships are important.  The ones that are most meaningful are the ones that have stood the test of time and have survived the ups and downs of life.  As the relationship grows, the level of intimacy and trust increases. 

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