Faithful

“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.”
(Lamentations 3:23)

These days there seems to be a lot of people we know who are dealing with illness.  Making friends with an illness is NOT easy.  As a "professional" patient, I can honestly say that having a chronic condition is a drag.  However, it has also brought many blessings. 

Immediately I had to start listening closely to my body -- for daily survival.  An illness is part of being alive.  Yes, there are many times I wish my hands and feet would work better than they do. But, I have realized that fighting them, stressing out, or wishing they were different achieves nothing.  Acceptance makes room for growth, change and even healing.  Health is physical, mental and social well-being.  There is a place of inner healing where we can be completely at peace whether we are physically well or not.  It is a peace from Him that truly surpasses all understanding.

It is a challenge like none other to making friends with your illness. Mine happens to be Chronic Immune Sensory Polyradiculopathy (CISP).  Although I have noticed that some docs also call it Chronic Inflammatory.  Inflammation is what happens when a bee stings, a paper cut slices your skin, or pollen lands up your nose. Your body reacts. More specifically, your white blood cells issue a short-term response to defend your body against the assault and help it heal.

Unfortunately, sometimes this process goes a little haywire. It is a classic example of “too much of a good thing.” Certain triggers create chronic inflammation — the body’s defense team doesn’t quit. Immune cells never wind down, causing damage to various body systems and even leaving them more vulnerable to attack.

My faith helps apply understanding to the illness. We cannot skip to the lesson part of an experience -- it impedes the whole journey of emotions.  We must experience all emotions to have a full life.  If we didn't experience the bad, the good would never taste so sweet.  Realizing that the illness is not an enemy, rather learning to accept it for what it is and learning to make friends is key.

“He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”
(Psalm 40:2)