When Pain Becomes Your Prayer
Do you ever feel like your body has become a battlefield instead of the temple it's supposed to be? I certainly do. As someone who wrestles daily with chronic illness, I've learned that some mornings the greatest act of faith is simply swinging my legs out of bed and placing my feet on the floor.
Yesterday was one of those days. The pain in my back, neck, and shoulders had me practically immobilized, and as I struggled to type out a few sentences, I found myself staring at the ceiling and asking the age-old question: "God, what are You doing?" It's a question I've asked more times than I care to admit, usually through tears and with a hefty dose of frustration thrown in for good measure.
For years, I approached my chronic pain like it was an enemy to be defeated, something standing between me and the "real" ministry God had called me to do. I prayed for healing. I begged for relief.
Broken Yet Beloved
As many of you know, I struggle with joint hyper-mobility, fibromyalgia, and chronic back issues. Some days, the pain and fatigue are almost unbearable, leaving me feeling isolated, frustrated, and even depressed. Recently, I've been experiencing a particularly bad flareup, and I've found myself lying in bed for hours on end, watching the world around me hurry by while I wrestled with feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
I'm sure many of you can relate, whether you're battling a chronic illness, dealing with a difficult situation, or simply feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges. During these times, we feel like nothing more than a "bruised reed" or a "smoldering wick," ready to break or be snuffed out at any moment.
How Good Is Good Enough? (A Repost)
Today, I want to do something a little different. While this devotion applies to anyone in any stage or area of life, I want to specifically talk to those who suffer from chronic illness. Perhaps, like me, it's a joint disorder, arthritis, bursitis, or other pain-related situations. Or maybe you suffer from an autoimmune disease like lupus, celiac disease, or type 1 diabetes. It could even be you're many months into cancer and the various treatments related to that. Whatever the disease or illness, I want to speak to your hurting hearts.