No two people are alike. We are like snowflakes, each one very beautiful and unique, but no two are the same. There is ONE thing we all have in common, though. We all breathe. Each breath is a new moment, a new opportunity to choose how we deal with our journey through our current challenge. Each time we inhale deeply we can breathe in a desire to feel Hope and a desire to take in another breath, a deeper breath. Each time we exhale fully we can let go of what we cannot control.
Choose to breathe deeper and to let go of what you cannot control. Letting go leaves your hands empty and open to receiving new possibilities that the Lord may have in mind for you. Leave them open. We might cry, but hope will come. Tears of gratitude can replace tears of grief. Together we breathe.
The journey we have all embarked on in life offers us a chance to make something better of our situation. It offers us a chance to make something better of ourselves by expanding our mind and heart as we learn about the power of the human spirit—our own human spirit. Our bodies might be unwell for now, or our life’s situation may be desperate, but our spirits have the capacity to be completely whole, healthy and well if we choose to take that path. Together we choose.
Some challenges in life are chronic. The definition of ‘chronic’ only means, “lasting for a long period of time”. Nowhere in the dictionary does it say it dampens the human spirit. Your condition is NOT a definition of who you are.
Who are you? You are
a significant, important, and indispensable person in God’s eyes, and in the eyes of family and friends. You might not feel that way now, because at times like this it is common to feel insignificant and worthless, but we all share the qualities of being important and worthwhile whether our bodies or minds are well or unwell, or if there is money in the bank or not. Together we share.
When your chronic condition has been given a name, that’s all it is: a name. A label. Whether the name is Cancer, Bankruptcy, Fibromyalgia, Alcoholic, Caretaker for an aging parent, or something else that is changing your former circumstance, it is just a name. It is just information, and that can be very helpful. But, the name does NOT determine your outcome. YOU determine your outcome. You do this by learning to have a little faith (even if it means praying to learn how to have faith), and by spending a lot of time pondering about your relationship with a very loving God and pouring your heart out to Him in prayer.
The body might not become completely healed, your situation may not yet be solved, but the outcome waiting for your human spirit is always the same: love; to feel loved and to give love. To feel love and to give love are the two ingredients needed for a 100% whole and healthy spirit. Your spirit can only be whole when it truly feels the depth of Gods love for you. Then, in turn, when you show that same love, patience and compassion to others.
Somehow you can handle anything life throws at you with more peace when you know this and feel it...really feel it. God knows your name. He knows your challenge. He cherishes you as His child, and He wants you to feel His love no matter what your experiences are at the moment. He does not want you to worry or be afraid. He knows that His perfect love will cast away your fears, but you won't know that until you experience it, so you need to pray for it.Ponder and pray to feel God's love for you on a personal level, and see what happens to your fears. You no longer need to hold on to fear.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love castesth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. [1 John 4:18]
Your Father in Heaven is the perfect manifestation of perfect love. We know this because He sent His Only Begotten Son to show us what He (God) is like. Jefferey R. Holland describes it like this,
"It is the grand truth that in all that Jesus came to say and do, including and especially in His atoning suffering and sacrifice, He was showing us who and what God our Eternal Father is like, how completely devoted He is to His children in every age and nation. In word and in deed Jesus was trying to reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in Heaven." [The Grandeur of God, by Jeffery R. Holland].
YOU only have to seek love (which heals the spirit completely), and looking toward the Lord, and surrounding yourself with uplifting, like-minded friends, is where you will find it. "herein [then] is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us." [1 John 4:10-11]. It doesn't mean there won't be more hard times, but you will feel whole in spirit. Each of us needs to feel that some part of us is whole when other parts are broken. And, it's our spirit that cries out the loudest to feel whole. Together we feel.
What we need in our journey are possibilities, not limitations. What we need is Hope, not despair. Attaching a label or name to a chronic condition needs to be done with care. You are still YOU. Labels or names do not say anything about who you are deep inside. The label or name runs the risk of creating limitations and discouragement for our body, mind and human spirit. That’s the last thing we need. Use the information but avoid the label. I’m standing in line for hope. I’m signing the petition for potential. I’m plugging my nose and jumping in with both feet into the realm of possibilities.
Even though our physical conditions, or our life circumstances, may have different names, the range of symptoms for all of them may be surprisingly similar:
Depression, Difficulty concentrating, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic pain, Paralysis, Nausea, Fear, Neuropathy, Short-term memory loss, Amplification of sound, smells, temperature, bright light; Despair, Brain Fog, Feeling far away from reality, Inability to remember simple words, Insomnia, Dizziness, Anxiety, Stress, Respiratory issues, Allergies, Addictions, Obsessions.
You are not alone in your struggles to make it through one day at a time. There are millions of us out here with challenging conditions—women, children and men—who know something of what you feel like. More importantly, your Father in Heaven knows and is hoping you will find a way to realize He loves you and cares about your welfare.
Hang on. You will be all right. Just take one day at a time—one breath at a time. Each day might feel like an eternity right now, but you can do it. The Lord will give you Hope. Hope will bless you, often through the help of other people. Henry B. Eyring said, “It is not just to endure the storms, but to choose the right while they rage.”
For us, choosing the right might simply mean choosing to have a happier thought or say a nicer word
ONE DAY AT A TIME.
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