Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and He will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. – Psalm 37:5-6
My friend, Will, is just one of the many people who conquer their illness every day and inspire me to keep the faith. This one’s for you, Will. 🙂
Last week, in honor of Invisible Illness Awareness Week, I shared my 30 things meme… 30 Things You Might Not Know About My Invisible Illness. This is the mirror to that meme. You see, you might not realize it, but I have also been blessed by this journey. Here are 30 ways.
1. I am now a more patient person, content with a slower pace. I am much less anxious in general. I know. Trust me, you don’t want to know what it was like before. :p
2. I am less of a control freak. I have learned to depend on others and that their way is just as good, or sometimes better, than mine. Shhh, it’s our little secret, ok?
3. As Will worded so perfectly, “I have gone from religion to relationship” with God. So deep, and I’ve gone deep. It’s a beautiful thing.
4. I have learned in real tangible ways, that my value is not in what I am able to do. To be honest, I’m still learning and relearning this one, pretty much daily.
5. I have met people since becoming ill that I never would have met otherwise. Some of these people are known only online, but they are brothers and sisters of my heart, and I wouldn’t want to miss ou on the blessing of knowing them.
6. I have learned how to be empathetic.
7. I have learned to trust. Not everything that is real can be quantified and documented.
8. I have learned the value of rest and quiet.
9. I have gotten to see, live and in person, what an absolutely amazing man I married. I love him more each minute. We have a surety in our love now that couldn’t have gotten here any other way… I know that he will always be here, that he loves me for me. That is invaluable.
10. I now recognize how much my time and attention mean to my children. Time when absolutely nothing is “happening” except that we are together. Priceless, to both of us.
11. Illness has given me the clarity to see the people who weren’t genuine in my life, and the “ain’t nobody got time for that” to be able to move on without them.
12. I now treasure the tiniest things that most people take for granted. Swallowing, a shower, being able to see well enough to read or watch a movie. These things are HUGE in my life.
13. I have learned that pride is overrated.
14. I always take the time to listen now. Nothing is more important that relationship. Period.
15. I have been amazed over and over again at the provision and faithfulness and care of our Savior.
16. I have learned that grace is so much more than just the forgiveness of my sin.
17. Prayer is now the first and most powerful resort.
18. Rest is a beautiful, necessary thing.
19. I have learned to slow down and really soak things in. I notice details and use all my senses to take in a moment.
20. “How are you?” is no longer just a greeting.
21. I have much more time for prayer and Bible study now.
22. I now recognize that boredom is a blessing.
23. I am utilizing social media in ways that matter, rather than letting them run me.
24. I have learned to say NO, and that the world doesn’t fall apart if I do.
25. I now recognize that limitations are there for my good, not to frustrate me.
26. I am quicker now to recognize stress and much more active in eliminating it from my life.
27. I am forced to view things from an eternal perspective in order to continue in hope. This forces me closer to God on a regular basis.
28. I see only beauty in my church family. Because I am there so sporadically, I don’t have time for the dramas and the nit-picking. It’s lovely.
29. I have been able to meet people who would have felt alone had we not shared an illness. And I would have been lonely without them, too.
30. I have learned that the Why doesn’t matter nearly as much as the Who. <3
Father in Heaven, Thank You for showing me the blessings in the midst of my trials and suffering. Help each person reading this list to be able to relate their own joy in the middle of the storm. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Thank you, dear one, with blessing us with this generous sharing. Taking it all to heart and thanking God for you in my life, too! Love you! <3
Shelly – such good points and it helped me to count my own blessings that have come from the daily challenges a chronic condition brings.
And hey – we “met” and that is one huge blessing that would not have come ( most likely) without what brought us together.
xo Lynn
Lynn+Severance recently posted…Cana Wine
Shelly, Beautiful morsels of treasure you have gleaned from your illness. I love how you are choosing joy – choosing to look at the good that still remains.
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Lori Schumaker recently posted…Why Discard Your Joy?
Thank you so much for sharing Shelly!
I need to remember the many ways God has used my illness and struggles to know Him more, be more like Him, and love others more– because we all struggle with something. And as someone said, “God never wastes pain.”
I need to learn to rest in the care of my great God and loving Savior. Striving just wears me out, and then I get depressed because I cannot seem to move forward in life.
Thank you for sharing in this post and the other one about “30 Things About My Invisible Illness”. Both have been a blessing and comfort to me.
The lessons I learned in chronic illness, pain and disability are the ones I needed the most and that mean the most to me now. I’m praying for you, Tilly. <3 Heart Hugs