Updated on November 23, 2015
Erasing Hopelessness, Strengthening Hope
You were tired out by the length of your road, Yet you did not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewed strength, Therefore you did not faint. – Isaiah 57:10
Depression, despair, discouragement. All of these difficult emotions come rushing into our lives and try to take over. They piggyback on chronic illness and are besties with disability. There’s no way to avoid the ugly when you live with chronic illness, but we don’t have to fall or climb down into the hole they leave in our lives.
I want to share what God has taught me since learning I have a chronic illness. In this, my latest book, I have compiled 30 of my devotionals that best address the darker emotions that pair with our new normal, complete with discussion questions following each one.
It is available on Amazon, as paperback or kindle version. I hope you’ll check it out!!
I’m having a giveaway on my Author Facebook page… just head over, share the link about “Hopeless” and tag a friend, and on Black Friday, I’ll choose a name at random to win a copy of the book for you and for your friend!
My prayer is that you will come to know that you are not alone and that together with God, can do this.
Heart Hugs <3
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 17, 2015
Fix Your Thoughts on Pure
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9
Undiluted, perfect, flawless… all words that describe what it is to be pure. We are to fix our thoughts on things that are pure.
This life of chronic illness, it’s anything but perfect and flawless, right? At least to our limited minds. The world tells us that these trials we face are a mistake. It’s like our spirits are just constantly reaching for better, as if we knew a taste of Eden and can’t quite reconcile the cruelty of this world with what we know the Father had planned. This world, it’s anything but pure.
And so, we have to look elsewhere to fix our thoughts.
The love of Jesus, that pure love that raced right to the cross without hesitation.
The flawless host of heaven, presenting our prayers to the King in golden bowls.
The perfect law of mercy, refusing to settle for anything less that perfection.
There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. – Hebrews 10:13-15
Those thoughts you think about yourself, begin to re-frame them. He forever made perfect those who are being made holy. Because of Him, you are pure. In the exact circumstance you find yourself in today. You are pure.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first. – 1 John 4:18-19
The purity of what you’re fixing your thoughts on, it leaves no room for fear. It doesn’t budge an inch. Doesn’t that feel nice?
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. – Ephesians 4:15-16
There’s a place for you in His body. Think about that, won’t you. Fix your thoughts on what is pure.
Dear Lord, thank You for preparing purity and inviting us in. Thank You for making us a part of pure. Wow. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 16, 2015
Fix Your Thoughts on Right
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9
Photo by Nicholas_T 
Doing right, fixing my thoughts on right, seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? We know that it matters.
Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. – 1 John 2:29
And it seems that even babies could figure out what’s right and then do it. But the truth is the opposite.
For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. – Hebrews 5:13-14
It’s heavy stuff, this recognizing right. It’s made heavier by pain and fear and other things that we who are chronically ill deal with on a daily basis. It’s meaty stuff. It requires maturity. It requires training.
In an average life, the lines between right and wrong can sometimes seem blurry. Our love of “situational ethics” makes matters worse, to be sure. There in fact are definitive lines. Some things in fact are right or wrong, period. Period.
When life becomes even more complicated by chronic illness and disability, and all the baggage that comes along with that, well it’s hard not to blur the lines even more and call it “compassion” or “extenuating circumstances”. There in fact are definitive lines. Some things in fact are right or wrong, period. Period.
He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed. – 1 Peter 2:24
This scripture is true for me. It was true for me when I was a healthy, busy, amazing young woman. It’s true for me now that I am a chronically ill, surrendered, amazing woman. It will be true for me in twenty years when I am a disabled, dependent, amazing woman.
See, the problem is that we’ve allowed our circumstances to dictate which scriptures apply to our lives. We’ve allowed our physical condition to decide which definitive truths we must live by. God never intended for these temporary and earthly things to have an effect on our salvation or our commitment.
We are to live for what is right. Do we?
By His wounds you are healed.
Let’s act like it. Let’s redraw those lines in permanent marker. Let’s reject situational ethics. Let’s need no further compassion than what Christ has offered. How could it be any more?
Let’s fix our thoughts on what is right. Let’s get into the Word, gain in maturity, continue our training.
So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you. – 1 Peter 4:19
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. – Ephesians 5:8-9
You have the light. Just use it.
Father God, please strengthen our commitment to be and do what is right. Never allow the condition of our earthly bodies to cause us to waver. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 15, 2015
Fix Your Thoughts on Honor
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9
Honorable things are things that are marked with Godly attributes. Wisdom, humility, gentleness. Those type of things.
We find in scripture that our honor is what should speak volumes to the world even when we do not speak. It’s something that really stood out to me as I’ve been learning a lot about losing my ability to speak intelligibly with this disease.
It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. – 1 Peter 2:15
Fixing our thoughts on what is honorable becomes more important, rather than less, as we progress in our chronic diseases. It also can become more of a challenge, but anything worth doing is worth the effort, isn’t it? We can depend on Jesus to always give us the strength we need when our own seems small and invisible.
In this life of loss and grief, it really does become more and more an issue of actions being way, way louder than words. People are watching us. Honestly, we confuse them. They think of how they would deal with it if they were given the diagnosis we were just given, and it scares the mess out of them. They do not understand hope or joy or grace. They don’t understand honorable, and the only way to teach them is to live it while they watch.
I mean, I certainly didn’t believe I could do this when I became ill. Most days I still don’t… and honestly I can’t. It’s not me who makes each forward step possible, it’s Christ.
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. – James 3:13
Do good works with humility.
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. – Galatians 6:9
Soak up wisdom. It’s right at our fingertips.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. – James 1:5
And so this week, I’ve been asking. I’ve been begging, actually. I’ve been more and more aware of being watched and doing my best to live in an honorable way. I’m fixing my thoughts on honorable things. Planting them firmly in my heart and mind and praying that some day they will become second nature.
How about you?
Father in Heaven, please grant us wisdom and grace to act and think honorably in our difficult circumstances. Help us to continue to look to You for this. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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Shelly
Updated on November 10, 2015
One Final Thing
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9
So I’ve decided it’s time to start a series on this “one final thing”. Because let’s face it… these things we’re supposed to fix our thoughts on… well honestly, when I read the list my most prevalent thought is, “Pppffffftttt!!!!!”
This chronic illness thing, it can color everything we see and make it SO hard to even find true and lovely things. It can color me… jaded.
I hope you’ll enjoy the coming series as we dig deeper into these worthy things through the lens of pain, chronic illness and disability. I hope you’ll pray that God will give me the insights to write. This is gonna be awesome. Thanks for being on this journey with me. <3
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. – Colossians 3:15
Glorious King, Be with us as we wade into this week. Help us to fix our thoughts on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 10, 2015
Tips on Tuesday: Communication
And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. – Luke 11:9
Communication is key to so many things. When you’re chronically ill, this is even more true. So today I thought we’d talk about some tips for communicating.
First, let’s talk about people you need to be certain you are communicating with regularly.
1. Your friends and family – This is true no matter who you are or what relationships you have in your life. You may not share all things with all people, but open communication can help to either draw you closer to those you love, or give you the information you need when it’s time to begin to distance yourself from those who will cause you stress or toxicity.
2. Your doctors – You should form a partnership with a doctor, any doctor. In order for that to happen, you need to allow yourself to talk even about uncomfortable things openly and honestly. If you feel overwhelmed, keep a list that you take with you or take a friend or family member with you to the appointments.
3. Your prayer warriors – How else will they know how to pray specifically for you unless you tell them the truth about what it is you are facing or are afraid of?
4. God – Prayer, song, tears… all of these are ways that we can reach out for our Father’s hand. We have to. We need to. Pray without ceasing.
Secondly, there are a few rules about communication that you could always keep in mind.
1. When you use generic answers, you cause those who love you to feel like they are not trustworthy enough to share the hard things. You turn them into outsiders, just trying to peek in and be a part of something they would give their right arm to help you carry. Don’t do that, ok? I’m often guilty of this one, and I’m just now beginning to recognize how to change that.
2. Open communication should go both ways. You should be willing to share the hard stuff, but please also be willing to hear it when it needs to be said by others. It can be hard, but you can’t be part of a 3-cord strand any other way.
3. Communication can happen in so many ways. Sometimes it’s a face-to-face chat, sometimes it messaging. Other times, communicating is done through letters or emails. One of the favorite ways I’ve found to communicate is through video. A video can spread awareness and open a little window into your life. Whatever way you choose to communicate, just communicate.
Dear God, thank You for Your Son. Thank You for those who love us. Please give us the courage to share honest communication. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 6, 2015
Are You Tired? Autumn is Your Invitation
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep” (1 Kings 19:3-5).
Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. I love the crunching leaves and the cooler temps. The air seems to have the scent of brisk. It’s so refreshing. I love the colors and the flannel and the bonfires.
Lately I’ve come to love autumn for an entirely different reason.
Maybe it’s because I can get out less, or maybe it’s because I have such a hard time getting any real sleep. For whatever reason, I am recognizing fall as an engraved invitation from the King of Kings, meant for all creation.
It’s an invitation to rest.
Will you accept this invitation?
Please join us over at Rest Ministries to finish this post.
See you there. <3
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 5, 2015
An Offer You Shouldn’t Refuse… Meet Anita
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:12
I have this friend…. she is flat-out amazing. Seriously, she should go around in a sparkly cape, but she’s much to humble to do such a thing. I want you to know her, because knowing her has changed my life. That’s the truth.
Her name is Anita. This is her with her fur-baby, Brinkley. Isn’t she just lovely? She shares her heart and her Savior on Scatter the Stones, her space on the web. Anita suffers from chronic pain, but it just can’t snuff out her joy, no matter how hard it tries, because she is anchored so tightly to her Lord.
Every single thing about her is gentle. She wears peace and it wafts out from her like a sweet perfume. She is constantly doing anything she can think of to encourage and uplift and spread hope. This week, she offered up something much too yummy to pass up.
Hop over and check it out, won’t you? Sign up, like I did. You’ll be glad you did.
Heavenly Father, blessings like Anita’s friendship are some of the ones that I have no trouble believing that You hand-picked for me. Bless her today, Father, as she blesses us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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Shelly
Updated on November 3, 2015
Resting on the Ledge
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. – James 4:13-16
Oh, I had such plans. Didn’t you? Chronic illness already had me pretty derailed. Disability certainly wasn’t in my plans. Pain… um, no.
But here and now there’s a whole new issue to deal with… Primary Lateral Sclerosis. I’ve talked a little about it in this space, but not much. Mainly because it fairly overwhelms me. It’s about as bad as it gets, diagnosis-wise. Frankly, it terrifies me.
And it definitely wasn’t in my plans.
The past few weeks have been blacker than normal. Even on the days that aren’t pitch black, they are definitely more of a gray than normal. Other colors seem way more subdued.
This is how I know that where I am as an author is exactly where God planned for me to be, here and now. Because the book that will next be published, and that has been in the works since just before this diagnosis, is a book on facing despair and depression. How cool is that?
God’s plan all along was that I would be reading through, over and over again, each and every word He has given me over the past few years that deal with depression, despair, sadness, suicide, His silence… I could go on and on. Each word has renewed my hope. Seeing this come together at this exact time… priceless.
God has a plan, and I am still a part of it. He cares about even the small, seemingly coincidental details of my life. That gives me such peace, I can hardly describe it. It’s like asking for a tiny rope to cling to and then finding myself harnessed in and resting on a ledge.
And so I will say, “If the Lord wants me to, I will live and do this or that.”
Sounds like a plan…
Amazing Savior, having You not only right beside me, but truly providing for me no matter how hard this gets… oh that just blows me away. I love You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 3, 2015
Do You Feel Shipwrecked?
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:17
As Christians, we get to live a new life. So exciting!
As people who live with chronic illness, we have to live a new life. Not exciting. Not even the least bit fun.
Actually, it’s more like a shipwreck.
Have you ever noticed the beauty that can be found on a shipwreck?
It can take years, but a haven is created. New life is found peeking out from every inch.
It doesn’t take away from the tragedy or the loss, but somehow the movement and the colors bring home the fact that there still remains a plan.
Photo by Derek Keats
And we’re still a vital part of it.
Holy King, thank You for the beauty that can be found in the midst of our brokenness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
