Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?

He sure does.

There is a familiar adage people say when you're having a tough go of things:  "God will never give you more than you can handle."  I'm so sorry to break it to you, but He certainly WILL.

His Word says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you." Isaiah 43:2

Notice how it doesn't say "If you pass through the waters" or "If you walk through the fire"?  It says "when" my friends.  Do you know what that means? It means that in this life you WILL without a doubt walk through some dark, difficult times.

(Gee, Kerri, thanks for the encouragement...)

But HERE'S the thing:  God WILL be with you!!  He will NOT let those waters overwhelm you.  He will NOT let those flames you feel licking at your back consume you!  

And you will get *through* it.

God allows things that I don't always understand.  A lot of the time.  Most of the time, to be completely honest.  I don't understand why. Once again I find consolation in God's Word:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts."  Isaiah 55:8-9

These 2 verses helped me so much when I was sick.  It's like we are all part of a big jig saw puzzle, and all WE can see from our limited view are the pieces that immediately connect to ours.  And the picture from here is NOT always rosy, let me tell ya.  However, we worship a God who sees ALL!  He sees the big picture!  He sees how our pieces, our problems, our predicaments, connect with others' pieces to make the most magnificent picture.

Friends, I don't know why you are dealing with what you are.  I don't need to.  God knows.  He is THERE, right by your side.  Notice that first verse I shared from Isaiah.  It doesn't say "I will be ahead of you" or "I will be behind you", it says, "I will be WITH you."

"6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong, my friend.  God will definitely give you MORE than YOU can handle.  That's only because He wants you to give your burdens to Him.

 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28

The Rescue by Jim Cymbala: A Book Review

Lawrence.  Timiney.  Rich.  Robin. Kaitlyn. Alex. Toni.

These are the seven people that you will meet in the book The Rescuer by Jim Cymbala.  I have not previously read anything by this author, but if this book is any example of his work, I might just find something else of his to read!

In, The Rescuer, Jim Cymbala tells us the first person stories of these seven individuals.  These are ordinary people with ordinary lives, who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances, whether at their own hand, or at the hand of another. They dealt with things like disease, addiction, alcoholism, the victim of rape and sexual abuse among others.

And all of these people have something else in common other than their troubles; they needed help, and they needed it now.  Desperate people, desperate for a Rescuer.

Robin is the granddaughter of Jewish emigres who now live in Brooklyn, NY.  Although her father was never really in her life, her grandfather raised her until her mother remarried.  While Robin was in high school she started experimenting with alcohol and drugs; that behavior continued in college, and then one day her parents called telling her that her grandmother had a heart attack and she needed to come home right away...  I don't want to say much else because I don't want to ruin the rest of her story.

Toni's story will break your heart.  But I promise you'll want to see how it turns out.  If you've ever struggled with heartbreak, addiction, sexual abuse, illness, this book will encourage you and inspire you to hang in there until Your Rescuer comes through for you.

You can purchase this book on amazon HERE
Or at ChristianBook.com by clicking HERE

I hope you check this book out.  It's really, really good, and it's a quick read.
I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Broken

Several years ago I did this Bible study with my friend Joanna called No Other gods by Kelly Minter. Whoa. This is not a lightweight, no ma’am. It is a heavy-hitter! That is, if you WANT it to be. I have found, as I'm sure many of you have, that something is only as "deep" as you want it to be...but I am going deep, because there are issues in my life that need gutting.

That said, listen to this quote from page 64 of No Other gods regarding
God's "brand of beauty:"

"A healed relationship or person can reflect more glory than one who never knew brokenness."
(emphasis mine)

Okay, I thought. Broken doesn't necessarily mean pulverized...then I looked it up in the dictionary. (Yes, I'm a "word nerd," and I love doing this.) Broken: 1. NO LONGER WHOLE, in two or more pieces e.g. after having been dropped or hit with something hard.

Um, yah. Have you ever dropped a glass bowl? It shatters in a million pieces! (Especially on a tile floor... not like I would know anything about that personally...) Ahem.

My favorite book (next to the Bible) is my Synonym Finder. Why they don't just call it a thesaurus I don't know. Anyway...I checked out broken, and here are some synonyms:

Shattered. Smashed. Crushed. Mangled. Pulverized. Ruptured. Torn. Damaged. Destroyed.
I will tell you a few things my friends, first of all, I'm pretty darn sure that all of us have felt like one of these words in our lives...maybe recently. Maybe as recently as last week...maybe, right now.

Second, always remember that with God: "We are hard pressed on every side, but NOT crushed; perplexed, but NOT in despair, persecuted, but NOT abandoned, struck down but NOT DESTROYED." II Corinthains 4:9

Once again, the WORLD'S definition of something and GOD'S definition are completely different. The world says if you are broken, you are destroyed. GOD says, if you are broken, HIS glory will be revealed. HIS STRENGTH will be made perfect in YOUR WEAKNESS. He is making you a new creation...He loves you too much to let you grow complacent.

I am preaching to the choir here, folks. I will be the first to admit that I stumble under adversity.. But God knows that sometimes when I am on the mountain top, I get lost looking at the view, and not reflecting upon that which put me on the top. So He keeps giving me the "valley view" until I get it. I'm not sure that I will ever COMPLETELY get it...I mean, come on, what fun would that be?

Lest I digress, let's get back to the quote. Did you ever wonder what our purpose was on this earth? Very simple. To glorify God. Some people I know can do that in an amazing way without have to go down the wrong road, or without suffering. Most do not. "A healed person or relationship"....that doesn't necessarily mean physical healing, but it certainly could. How magnificent when a believer goes to the doctor, only to find that the cancer that was there IS NO MORE? That is GLORY, my friends. Much more than if that person never got cancer in the first place!

However, God can reveal His glory in the same way when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and do it with HIS Strength! If you knew of someone that God healed of cancer, it would be a huge WOW factor. And God would get HUGE glory. But for how long? Would we forget, like the Israelites, who seemed to forget so quickly that God parted the Red Sea for them? But what about the person who quietly walks through their disease with God, day after day, moment after moment, constantly reflecting Him? (And I'm soooo not saying that's me, because there's not much quiet about me! I go along, but many times kicking and screaming!!)

Now on to a really sticky subject, but one very close to my heart: Does God SEND disease? I believe, sometimes, He does. This is one thing I know more than anything else in my being: GOD WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BRING YOU CLOSER TO HIM.

And I mean whatever. Some things He allows to befall us, but I truly and completely believe that other things He Himself sends to us, so that we can grow closer to Him, and so that His glory will be revealed. Some of us (and I mean ME) are so stubborn we don't get the more subtle hints and need the "big guns." And when this happens, my friends, you will never be the same again. 

Failure

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose; for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.-Mary Pickford

Sometimes I catch myself...."I feel like such a failure."

Usually it's when Jacob needs something I can't give him (physically), or my house is a mess and I just don't have the energy to clean it. Or even that I really wanted to get the dishes done, because that's one thing my husband really likes; that the dishes are clean.

Well, when I read that quote this morning, it really encouraged me! I thought, I guess I can never really fail then, because I just don't have it in me to "stay down". God gave me spunk, that's for sure. So that same tenable spirit that enabled me to fight when I was physically dying is the same one that's keeping me going now.

That same obnoxious, bumptious attitude I had when I was younger that really annoyed some of my teachers (and probably my parents) is the same fortitude with which I now fight my battles.

Jon Sinclair said, "Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo." Think about that for a minute.  What happens when you get a bruise?  It hurts.  It turns colors and can look really bad. Sometimes bruises can look WAY worse than they really are.  But you know what?  They fade. They always, always fade.  Failure is not permanent unless you stop trying. 

It cannot brand you unless you let it.

So I can say this to you my friends. I will not fail. If failure means lying down and giving in, I promise you that will never happen. I just don't have it in me. And I have God to thank for that, because that's the way He made me. He knew I would have this battle to fight later in life, and He gave me all that I needed to fight it from the moment I was conceived.

I could NOT do it alone, however. I need His strength to resupply that tenacity when I'm running low. I need my husband and son to encourage and love me through the hard times. And I need YOU, dear friends, to continue to spur me on, to pray, and to just be there. Thank you for that.

So I say to this day, to this week, to this life: BRING IT!

I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
² The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³ I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3

Justice?

You know, there really isn't justice here on this earth. No matter how you look at things. None of us get what we deserve, good OR bad. We are all sinners saved by grace.

Lately though, it seems like the blatant injustice in this world is getting worse and worse. Take little Caylee Anthony for example. There was no justice for her. Her killer was not brought to justice. On this earth. We have to remember that EVERYONE will stand before God and be held accountable.

This past week a tragedy the like of which my home city has never seen occurred. A man went on a rampage and killed 7 people, including his own daughter. I do not understand, other than to say that satan has dominion over this world for the time being.

This is a footnote in my Life Application Study Bible:

"When faced by a confusing set of circumstances, remember that 1) God is in control--nothing surprises Him. 2) This world is not all there is--it will pass away, but God is eternal. 3) God is JUST and He WILL make things right--punishing the wicked and rewarding the faithful. 4) God wants to use YOU (and me), --like Joseph, Moses, Stephen,--to make a difference in the world." emphasis mine.

As long as Christ has not yet returned there will be pain and suffering in this world. There will be disappointment, heartache, heart-break, sorrow and devastation. There will be tragedy and disaster.

But Glory to God! This time on earth, no matter if you live 100 days or 100 years...is simply a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. What we must bear here is NOTHING compared to the joy and glory we will partake of when we reach those pearly gates and streets of gold.

No tears. No pain. No disease. No crime. No discomfort. No shame. No sin. NO SIN!

Somebody give me an Amen!

Letter To God

Dear God,

I am not going to make it through this day without you. Yesterday was SUCH a long day with Doug home for a whole hour and a half. I'm just overwhelmed. There's too much to do. There's too much! I need encouragement today, Lord. I need help. You promise you'll never leave me or forsake me, that I'll never walk alone. I'm holding you to that, God.

Already this morning I had to deal with the possibility of not getting my vest. You know, the one that will shake my lungs and keep them clear. The lady called and everything seemed fine but then she called back and said I have to fill out these forms to file an appeal...and I haven't even gotten it yet!

I overslept. My bedroom is full of dog hair and dust. I have to go back upstairs to turn Jacob's music off, and vacuum....and the thought of climbing those stairs is overwhelming. Everything is overwhelming.

I was feeling so good, Lord, for which I am SO grateful. I know I'm on the right track...but then Doug works a 15 hour day and I have
bills to pay and
dogs to take care of and
appointments to make and
insurance to deal with and
medication to keep track of and
a house to maintain and
allergies to deal with and
a child that needs me and wants my attention and
meals to feed my child and
loved ones I'm concerned about and
other loved ones I'm so angry with and
Bible study and
homeschooling and
trying to take care of myself and
feeling so isolated and
exhausted and
worrying about tests coming up....

Oh Lord. Take my burdens today. There's just too much. Days like today overwhelm me. I need help, God. I need You, but I need someone with skin, too. Please give me the strength and peace of mind I need today and the rest of this week. It's going to be a long one.

Thanks.

Feeling Better....Emotionally Anyway

Not much has changed physically, but my emotional state has improved quite a bit. I have had some wonderful, amazing, outstanding, encouraging comments, e-mails, phone calls, and visits over just the last 2 days. I have had old friends leave comments that encouraged me, new friends come to visit and help out, (and play with Jacob! Oh, he had so much fun with his 4 year old friend!) new blogger friends sending me e-mails to encourage and support me, to pray for me....Old college friends doing the same....I feel so very blessed. To each and every one of you: THANK YOU.

Doug and I had a really good talk last night and I think he totally gets it now. I just laid it out, honestly, as plainly as I could, how difficult day to day life is. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do...to admit to my husband that I couldn't even manage the 8 or so hours that he is gone while we are awake. That I couldn't make a schedule or set time frames for things. I just couldn't make it come together....that I couldn't take care of my dogs...that them barking is enough to put me over the edge.

He was amazing. So understanding. Not condescending at all...he didn't blow me off, or act like I was making a mountain out of a molehill. He even helped me make a schedule, and we'll be getting another large dog kennel so I can kennel BOTH big dogs instead of just one or the other.

I'm also going to Ann Arbor on Monday for a pheresis treatment, to see if that helps. I will be asking all my questions about Rituximab, and find out when I will be starting it.
Please continue praying...I can TELL that you are praying for me and it is helping me to clear the fog little by little.

At least I no longer feel alone. And that is the best feeling EVER.

Working in the Heart

"Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble; they must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction, otherwise we shall not truly receive them." - Charles Spurgeon

Whoa. Seriously. How true is this? If we never experienced pain, would we even know joy? If nothing ever cost anything, how could we appreciate value?

If nothing ever died, how would we cherish life?

If there were no darkness, how could we embrace light?

If there were no hatred, how could we comprehend love?

Deep thoughts today, I suppose. Patty Ann over at Pitterle Postings has an amazing post you MUST read. Check it out here. It totally got me thinking.

I've been down this road before, where I have said that I am thankful for what I have been through because it has shown me so much. About myself. About others. About God. About love. Not all of what I have learned has been good, especially about people, including myself!

Whether your belief system says God "sent" me this disease, or "allowed" it to happen, it doesn't much matter, as the end result is the same: He is Sovereign. He knows best, and He knows what it takes to get my attention, and keep it. And for that, I truly am eternally grateful.

So a huge thank you, to those hearts of whom God has spoken to, who are helping me and my family. Thank you for being the light in my darkness. Thank you for listening to His whispers, (or as it would have been in MY case, His shouting and beating over the head with large objects....I don't always listen so well.)

So when you get discouraged, just remember: God KNOWS what He is doing. I PROMISE. I know it may not feel like it at the time, but He does. And He wants what's BEST for you. Think of someone you love with all of your heart. The BEST things you could possible imagine wanting for them are nothing compared to what God wants for YOU. Believe it.

Not Waiting for the Shoe to Drop

I'm reeeaaalllly trying to NOT think about the proverbial "other shoe" dropping. It's tough though! I am still in the mindset of remembering where I WAS physically last month, as a matter of reference. I need to remember how easily I went down hill, how gradually, and how bad I got. It will take much more time to completely recover, but I'm getting there! Even my knee and leg are feeling better from my fall! Hallelujah.

I have to pace myself; like when we run errands, we have to stick to 2 or 3 stores MAX, not 8 or 9~!! I also had a great suggestion from a fellowMG'er. She sets an alarm clock to go off then makes herself stop wherever she is and rests.

How are YOU all doing? I would really like to hear about something WONDERFUL in your life. Please leave a comment and tell me something going on in your life right now that is FABULOUS. I know there's SOMETHING. So let's share, and encourage one another!

The GOOD Things About Having MG

Yup, you read that right. The GOOD things. Because there are plenty. And instead of whining about my eyes being messed up or my trach hurting or any number of myasthenia related issues that have plagued me, I will tell you some wonderful things I never would have experienced without this illness.

I learned that my husband is a man of strong character. He is faithful, trustworthy, loyal, Godly, a wonderful protector and provider. Six weeks after we were married I was in the hospital on a ventilator. No one knew (except God of course) whether I would live or die. Even though he is a Christian man, he could have just said, "I didn't sign up for this!" But he took his marriage vows seriously, in sickness or in health. He stands by me to this day. I love you honey.

I have met some amazing people that I never would have known without this disease connecting us. Two young ladies in particular, that I have just recently met, that I have connected with...(Their blog links are on my sidebar)...These women are amazing. They are strong. They both work, have families, and still manage this wicked disease. One prays for me. One has the patience of Job and is helping me with computer stuff that I just don't know how to do, AND made my signature and button. I just met her! I love ya girls!!

I learned that I am a lot stronger than I think. I always knew I was STUBBORN (like in the hospital....just too stubborn to die! : ), but I never realized the strength that God had given me. And I wouldn't have if I hadn't gotten MG. It takes a lot more to keep going than it does to give up. Can I get an Amen??? (Joanna get out your hanky, girl, and start wavin'!) : )

I have deepened a few friendships to the point of KNOWING I could call either of these women in the middle of the night, and they would do whatever it took to help me. I can trust them both implicity with my precious child, and that speaks volumes. Joanna, Shawn, thank you. I love you both so much, and you are amazing, godly examples of loving one another. I don't know what I'd do without you!

My relationship with God is on a whole different level than it would have been. He showed me what it means to depend on Him. He has blessed me with things I can't even describe. I was able to share my story with a man who was chronically ill, had given up on God, and just hated life. He wanted to die and was not saved, according to his wife. She and a friend from the church I was attending at the time prayed for him daily. The friend asked me to pray as well. I sent this man a card to let him know I was praying for him. I was later told that when he got my card (I enclosed a picture of my son so he could SEE that miracles happen) he cried. He couldn't believe someone who didn't even know him cared enough to do that. His health did improve for a while, but he ended up passing away. And when he did, he knew the Lord, and was in heaven, praising God. To know that I had ANY teeny part in that, because of what God had given me to deal with....WOW. Every minute of suffering was worth that.

I have learned to appreciate life. I don't get angry like I used to. Quite frankly, I don't have the energy! I'm not nearly as impatient as I was, and things just don't get under my skin. I am in awe of the beauty that surronds me...God's magnificent creation. I really SEE it now, instead of just speeding through life with my head down, nose to the grindstone.

My son takes my breath away. I know I would love my child no matter what...but going through what I had to go through to have him makes me look at him, and just thank God he is in my life. Sometimes I watch him and think, how did I ever live my life without this little boy? He makes my heart just feel like it could burst inside me. It's so full, it's like it just can't hold anymore.

So I'm here to tell you....you may be going through hell right now. You may be thinking, I just CAN'T do this one. more. day. Oh, friends. I have been there. I have shed the tears. I have shaken my fists at God and railed at the heavens. But then those very fists have turned into open palms of praise, thanking God for who He is, and what He has done for me.

What is Failure?

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you.You may have a fresh start any moment you choose,for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.-Mary Pickford

Sometimes I catch myself...."I feel like such a failure."

Usually it's when Jacob needs something I can't give him (physically), or my house is a mess and I just don't have the energy to clean it (like now!) Since we've been home from Florida, it's been a nightmare. The night we got home, Doug got sick. He was down for a week. So after taking care of my very sick Jacob for the last week of vacation, Doug gets a bug. So I'm already exhausted from Jacob, thinking I can get a break now because he's healthy and he'll want Doug more. Oooooh no. Doug is down and out, so not only do I have Jacob 100%, I have Doug to try to take care of. Then I get a cold. No surprise there, I suppose. Coughing then pops a rib out of place. Now THAT'S pain, my friends.

All I can say is (1). Thank GOD we weren't all sick at once. Seriously. Can you imagine????
(2) Thank GOD for Dr. Lu (my chiropractor), (3) Thank GOD for dear friends and family who helped Doug and I out with Jacob when my back went out, and (4) Thank GOD He gave me a fighting spririt.

When I read that quote this morning, it really encouraged me! I thought, well, I guess I can never really fail then, because I just don't have it in me to "stay down". God gave me spunk, that's for sure. So that same tenable spirit that enabled me to fight when I was physically dying is the same one that's keeping me going now.

That same obnoxious, bumptious attitude I had when I was younger that really annoyed some of my teachers and probably my parents, is the same fortitude with which I now fight my battles.

So I can say this to you my friends. I will not fail. If failure means lying down and giving in, I promise you that will never happen. I just don't have it in me. And I have God to thank for that, because that's the way He made me. He knew I would have this battle to fight later in life, and He gave me all that I needed to fight it from the moment I was conceived.

I could NOT do it alone, however. I need His strength to resupply that tenacity when I'm running low. I need my husband and son to encourage and love me through the hard times. And I need YOU, dear friends, to continue to spur me on, to pray, and to just be there. Thank you for that.

So I say to this day, to this week, to this life: BRING IT!

The SUN and The SON

Well, well. Here we are. Christmas has once again come and gone, and many are left in the aftermath of parties and wrapping paper and cookies and gifts gone awry. Like the sunshine in Michigan in winter: you spend a loooong time preparing and expecting, and in a moment, it's over! : )

In Michigan, you have to believe that the sun is still there even when you can't see it, because otherwise you might just go crazy. Logically, rationally, we know the sun exists whether we see it every day or not. We cannot touch the sun, but we can certainly feel its effects on us, and we surely can feel the effects when we do NOT see it.

Lately there have been many seemingly purpose-less events going on in so many of my loved one's lives. My husband and son (and myself) getting a horrible stomach flu right before Christmas. Getting sick and missing my niece's wedding. A young mom dying suddenly, unexpectedly, in her own bed, leaving behind a husband and 5 young children. A man in his 30's dying suddenly in a car crash, leaving behind a wife and children. Horrible floods, one after another, in the Phillipines, wreaking havoc, devastation upon devastation to people who already have nothing. Economic collapse forcing people from their jobs and threatening their homes. My sister's beloved puppy getting horribly ill and dying the day after Christmas. Divorce. Miscarriage. Sickness. Crime. Death. It's as if this world is spinning out of control, and many who Believe are asking why.

The answer to that question is simple: we just don't know. But thank and praise God, we know the One who does! Listen, I understand loss. I understand pain and circumstance that makes your gut hurt from crying out to God begging for an answer. I understand fear and panic. I know what it's like to wonder what could possibly happen next that will cause pain to you or someone you love.

What I must remember, is that the SON still shines. When we cannot see Him, we MUST believe, and know He is there. Just as we take by faith that the sunshine is behind the clouds, we must also believe that the Son is behind the darkness. We live on a crippled and dying planet, and it seems as if evil and darkness is spreading at a maddening rate. More and more and faster and faster. If you ask me, the devil has gotten Word that his time is short, and he is trying to take as many down with him as he can.

Job is a man familiar with suffering....but he knew that no matter what, God was in control.

14 "Listen to this, Job;

stop and consider God's wonders.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds

and makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised,

those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?

One thing I try to remember as well is that I see only my piece of the whole puzzle. My piece contains my life, my family, my friends, my world. I don't even see the next pieces, but God sees the entire puzzle, all put together as it should be. One piece absolutely effects the rest.

This was found written on a concentration camp wall: "I believe in the sun even when it is not shining; I believe in love even when I feel it not; I believe in God, even when He is silent."

I don't know how a tiny puppy suffering and dying can glorify God. I don't know how allowing a mother to leave her husband and 5 children behind is part of God's plan. But you know what? It's not for me to know. And that's okay. Why? Because,

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.

I firmly believe that God is in control, and that even when I don't know why, His ways are better than anything I can come up with. And when all is said and done, WE WILL GO OUT IN JOY AND BE LED FORTH BY PEACE!!! Please be encouraged today, that no matter where you are, no matter what has happened, God LOVES you, and He WILL provide for you and take care of you. I really felt like someone needed to hear that today. God bless you all!!!

You Are Never Really Alone

Chronic Illness Awareness Week is coming up. September 14-20 has been set aside to educate and inform people about chronic illness. One thing that I think everyone with a chronic illness will agree on is that it can be very isolating. Always having to cancel plans. Never being able to fully commit to something because your illness may rear its ugly head.

If it weren't for God, and the angels He has sent my way, I couldn't get through this. I can't imagine how those who don't know the Lord make it. I would have no hope. And without hope, I wouldn't survive. It's that simple. Take away my hope, take away my life.

Psalm 31

1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.

2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.

8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.

10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.

11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.

12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.

13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."

15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.

16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and lie silent in the grave.

18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.

20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from the intrigues of men;
in your dwelling you keep them safe
from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed his wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged city.

22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.

23 Love the LORD, all his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but the proud he pays back in full.

24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.

Read back over verses 7-10. God sees. He knows. He understands. He loves you. He is still on the throne. He will set our feet in a spacious place. Our reply should be like David's in verse 14: "I trust in You. You are my God." It's not always easy, but it is true. God is good. All the time. It is His nature.

So then why do we suffer? That, my friends, is the age old question. We live in a fallen world. We live on a broken, dying planet, and illness and hurt and crime and pain all go with that. Is God still in control? Of course. He never said it would be easy, but He did say it would be WORTH it.

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18

Not worth comparing. We compare everything, don't we? But our present sufferings won't even be worth comparing to the glory we will receive if we just hang in there.

You can do this.