- By having to change life plans because of my illness, I have learned to lean not on my own understanding but trust in God's plans for me. I have learned not to depend on myself but to depend on God most, because He is always in control. (Proverbs 3:5)
- By gaining lots of weight on prednisone and losing hair due to chemotherapy, I have remembered that true beauty comes from within. That the heart is more important than the outward appearance and the heart's beauty never perishes, no matter what medication I may be on. (1 Samuel 16:7)
- By wondering if a cure will ever be found for my illness, I have learned to live with a steadfast hope. By the helpful hands of people in my life who have given hope to me, I have learned to give hope to others. (Isaiah 40:31)
- By breaking down in tears on a bad day with my illness, I remember that just because I am a Christian, I am not entitled to have every single one of my prayers answered, that God's grace is always sufficient for me, and His power can be made perfect in my weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
(traduccion español)
When I was young, I used to complain about aching and pain in my joints. I was told that these were "growing pains" - and that everybody goes through this, and that growing pains means I am getting taller.
When I was young, I used to complain about aching and pain in my joints. I was told that these were "growing pains" - and that everybody goes through this, and that growing pains means I am getting taller.
But "growing
pains" are not just limited to adolescence…we experience growing pains
throughout life. My biggest growing pain is my illness with central nervous
system vasculitis. It has been during my journey with this illness that I have
experienced the most growth and learned the most about life.
Henri Nouwen said,
"We fail to see the place of suffering in the broader scheme of things.
We fail to see that suffering is an inevitable dimension of life. Because we
have lost perspective, we fail to see that unless one is willing to accept
suffering properly, he or she is really refusing to continue in the quest for
maturity. To refuse suffering is to refuse personal growth."
How then can we
accept suffering properly?
The first thing we
need to remember is to be patient. I know that patience is not one of my
strongest qualities. We live in a world with instant gratification so
sometimes we expect God to instantly answer our prayers. But God's ways are
higher than ours, and He has specific purposes behind His answers to our
prayers that we might not understand in this lifetime.
So while we're in
pain and suffering, we hold on to our hope that this too shall pass. And we
are patient in waiting during God's silence at these times of our lives. And
while we wait on God's answer, we are constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.")
1 Peter 5:10:
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who
has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm,
strengthen, and establish you." After God has confirmed, strengthened,
and established you - you can then learn from your suffering and see how you
have grown from it.
How have I grown
from my pain?
When you experience
pain, think of them as growing pains too....because through suffering, we
build our resilience, our endurance, and our strength.
2 Timothy 1:7,
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and
of a sound mind."
Thank you so much for sharing.
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