Be content with what you have.  We’ve all heard the saying. We all know we should do this. And while it seems so simple . . . it can be really hard to do. There are many things that can cause us to feel discontent.  The political climate. The state of the economy. The difficult job we are stuck in.   The friends who betray us. The loved ones who walk away from us. The kids who drive us crazy.  The body that betrays us. The pain that won’t go away. The medical diagnosis we were given.  Many times, we have good reasons to be discontent with our lot in life. And yet,…

Questions raced through my mind.   What should I do now? Is this really my new normal? How am I supposed to live like this? When the doctor said it was a chronic condition, did he really mean it would never go away?  I felt scared. Angry. Worried. Anxious. Confused.   Because being diagnosed with a chronic condition meant my life was never going to look the same. I would always struggle. Always suffer.   I would always deal with limitations. Obstacles. And hurdles other people would never have to face.   I didn’t know what to do.   I just knew I was afraid . . . and I didn’t want my life to look…

The person and power of the Holy Spirit was first seen at the dawn of creation when by His power the entire world came into being. (Genesis 1:1-2)  In the OT the Holy Spirit’s power was seen when He empowered men to do the will of God. He worked in them and through them to accomplish things they normally would not have been able to do.   But this power wasn’t permanent. (Psalm 51:11) Then came the NT.   After Jesus ascended to Heaven the Holy Spirit descended to be with us. Permanently.   Because of Jesus’s death on the cross, the Holy Spirit and His power now dwells within every believer.   Jesus…

I’ve said I trust God many times throughout my life. I’ve declared my faith in Him. My belief that He loves me and is for me.  But if I am honest, while the words came out of my mouth . . . they didn’t come out of my heart.   Because while trusting God is easy when everything is going right. It’s a lot harder to keep trusting God in difficult times.  When I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, I discovered the difference between saying you trust God and living out of that trust.   Because I spent years praying for God to take this illness away . . .…

One of the hardest things about living with a chronic illness is realizing your suffering is never going to end. That you will always struggle with this debilitating health condition.   While you will have good days and bad days . . . it will never completely go away.  And that can be quite disheartening.   But God doesn’t want us to stay in this place. He wants to show us a way to hold onto hope even while dealing with a health issue that won’t let go.  Because as we lean on Him . . . He gives us the strength to persevere. To keep fighting the good fight. And…

I sat in the cold room waiting for the doctor to come in. At first, I tried to distract myself by looking at the different posters on the wall and reading all of the medical jargon.   But no matter what I did, I couldn’t calm my nerves.   I had seen so many doctors. Gone through so many tests. And yet the strange symptoms still persisted.   Finally, I heard a knock on the door and the doctor entered the room.   He got right to the point and said, “You have POTS. That stands for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.”  At first, I was elated.   I finally had an answer. A diagnosis. A…

Living as a chronic illness warrior, I have often heard the advice to just think more positively. Which is a lot easier said than done.   While facing health issues, it feels much easier to fall into despair over the life we lost. Depression over the things we are unable to do. And frustration while trying to adjust to a new way of living.   The problem lies in the fact that we often view positive thinking as simply looking for the silver lining. Or wishful thinking. Or just trying really hard to smile through our tears.   But learning how to stay positive during difficult times, as Christians, means we have to…

I broke down in tears as the falling water from the shower hid the sound of my sobs.  It was all just too much.  My health was fading. Which meant I couldn’t work as much. Which meant expenses and bills had been piling up. And then to top it all off when we were two hours away from home the engine on my van broke down.   I didn’t know what to do. My fears and worries were overwhelming.   I wanted to trust God. I wanted to believe He had a plan.   But I also didn’t know how to have faith in a God that would allow my family to…