Updated on February 8, 2014
A Letter from Your Brain
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. – Romans 3:27
A dear friend showed me this letter last week. It is not mine, but it spoke to me in a way nothing else has in a long time. And I needed to hear what it said. I thought maybe some of you do, too. If your issue doesn’t originate in your brain, as mine does, then apply whatever part or organ is appropriate. Either way, you need to hear this.
Hello,
I’m glad to see that you are awake! This is your brain talking. I had to find some way to communicate with you. I feel like I barely survived WWIII and am still not quite all in one piece. That’s why I need you. I need you to take care of me.
As time passes and you and I feel better and better, people, even doctors, will tell you that we are fine, “it’s time to get on with life.” That sounds good to me and probably even better to you. But before you go rushing back out into that big wide world, I need you to listen to me, really listen. Don’t shut me out. Don’t tune me out. When I’m getting into trouble I’ll need your help more than I ever have before.
I know that you want to believe that we are going to be the same. I’ll do my best to make that happen. The problem is that too many people in our situation get impatient and try to rush the healing process; or when their brains can’t fully recover they deny it and, instead of adapting, they force their brains to function in ways they are no longer able too. Some people even push their brains until they seize, and worse… I’m scared. I’m afraid that you will do that to me. If you don’t accept me I am lost. We both will be lost.
How can I tell you how much I need you now? I need you to accept me as I am today… not for what I used to be, or what I might be in the future. So many people are so busy looking at what their brains used to do, as if past accomplishments were a magical yardstick to measure present success or failures, that they fail to see how far their brains have come. It’s as if here is shame, or guilt, in being injured. Silly, huh?
Please don’t be embarrassed or feel guilt, or shame, because of me. We are okay. We have made it this far. If you work with me we can make it even further. I can’t say how far. I won’t make any false promises. I can only promise you this, that I will do my best.
What I need you to do is this: because neither of us knows how badly I’ve been hurt (things are still a little foggy for me), or how much I will recover, or how quickly, please go s-l-o-w-l-y when you start back trying to resume your life. If I give you a headache, or make you sick to your stomach, or make you unusually irritable, or confused, or disoriented, or afraid, or make you feel that you are overdoing it, I’m trying to get your attention in the only way I can. Stop and listen to me.
I get exhausted easily since being hurt, and cannot succeed when overworked. I want to succeed as much as you do. I want to be as well as I can be, but I need to do it at a different pace than I could before I got hurt. Help me to help us by paying attention and heeding the messages I send to you.
I will do my part to do my very best to get us back on our feet. I am a little worried though that if I am not exactly the same… you will reject me and may even want to kill us. Other people have wanted to kill their brains, and some people have succeeded. I don’t want to die, and I don’t want you to die.
I want us to live, and breath and be, even if being is not the same as it was. Different may be better. It may be harder too, but I don’t want you to give up. Don’t give up on me. Don’t give up on yourself. Our time here isn’t through yet. There are things that I want to do and I want to try, even if trying has to be done in a different way. It isn’t easy. I have to work very hard, much harder, and I know that you do too. I see people scoff, and misunderstand. I don’t care. What I do care about is that you understand how hard I am working and how much I want to be as good as I can be, but I need you to take good care of us, as well as you can do that.
Don’t be ashamed of me. We are alive. We are still here. I want the chance to try to show you what we are made of. I want to show you the things that are really important in life. We have been given another chance to be better, to learn what is really important. When it is finally time for our final exit I would like to look back and feel good about what we made of us and out of everything that made up our life, including this injury. I cannot do it without you. I cannot do it if you hate me for the way being injured has affected me and our life together. Please try not to be bitter in grief. That would crush me.
Please don’t reject me. There is little I can do without you, without your determination to not give up. Take good care of us and of yourself. I need you very much, especially now.
Love,
your wounded brain
©1996 Stephanie St.Claire
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Shelly
Updated on February 10, 2014
Attention to Detail
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! – Luke 12:24
I have always loved spying a red-winged blackbird. I know that they are the most common birds in the Americas. But there’s just something about driving down the road and thinking you’re looking at a plain old ordinary black bird perched on a bush, only to discover that flash of red as you speed by.
It’s like God saying, “I’m a God who enjoys surprises.”
I’m having a cuppa with my friends over at Rest Ministries today. Won’t you join us?
You can read the rest of my post while you’re there. <3
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Shelly
Updated on February 3, 2014
How to Turn Fear Into a Blessing
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” – Romans 8:15
Do you find yourself living in fear? Fear is such a real challenge in any life, but in the life faced with chronic illness, fear takes on a life of its own.
We are so much more attuned to our frailties. We are more aware of our boundaries and limitations. We are so much more conscious of death racing at us with the speed of an oncoming train. Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute… aware that each one could be our last.
But oh, friends, what a blessing we have been given. You see, for everyone who shares this spinning ball with us, each moment could be the last. But most are completely unaware. They go about their days oblivious to the moments they are missing, the memories they are wasting, and the opportunities that are presented to them each day.
Grab hold of your gift. Don’t let another moment pass you by. You have the honor of being aware of the fleeting nature of our life here. Make every memory count. Use every opportunity to its fullest. Don’t miss a single thing.
And don’t forget to thank God for the awareness. Turn that fear right on its ear by making it the biggest blessing of your day. Twist the shape of it til it’s unrecognizable as anything but a privilege. Make each moment count and count each moment on a breath of gratitude.
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
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. – 1 John 4:17-18
Heavenly King, Thank You for your blessings that sometimes come in disguise. Help us to never embrace fear. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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Shelly
Updated on February 7, 2014
Sunday Scripture: 2/9/14
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The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms – Deuteronomy 33:27
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Shelly
Updated on February 7, 2014
Recommendation Saturday: Walk By Faith
for we walk by faith, not by sight – 2 Corinthians 5:7
Are you strapping on your safety gear? It’s the best there is.
Are you listening for the obstacles, so they don’t catch you by surprise?
Are you stepping over the edge? Rolling right over your fears? Do you want it enough?
Walk by faith, not by site.
No, scratch that. Don’t walk. Soar, glide, fly and dance. By faith.
We are best when we are community.
I would love to share in some of that community
right here from my website.
You can join in, too!
Share a post from your own blog and then simply click on the
“Add your link” button below and enter your blog information.
Then, please grab my Recommendation Saturday button
below, and place it on your website or post,
so that others can find their way to our little Saturday community!
You can also Tweet your participation with the hashtag
#recommendsat
so that we can all find each other on Twitter!
You may also join in by leaving a comment.
The most important part of our community
is spreading our hope and love to others
by visiting some of the other inspirational sites linked up and leaving comments there.
Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on February 6, 2014
These Things Abide
But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.– 1 Corinthians 13:13
In a life of chronic illness this verse can take on a whole new meaning. As I’ve written about before, sometimes the basic Christian principles can look completely different face to face. Once we’ve struggled, suffered, and sought, we hold much more tightly to the truths of faith, hope, and love.
One word in this scripture caught and held me. That word is abide. Abide means to endure without yielding; remain or continue.
In this life, where jobs are lost, friends leave, and dreams crumble, something enduring… ahhh, what a treasure! We take nothing for granted. We cling tightly to the rock that won’t be shaken. When we open our eyes after the storm is over, we are almost timid in our “look around”, fearing that we won’t see much familiar remaining.
But God, He is always there. Abiding. Enduring.
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Because these three: faith, hope, and love are God, they endure right along with Him. Through our relationship with Christ, we have unlimited access to enduring and abiding faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these, is love.
Dear God, unchanging, ever with us, unshakable. Thank you for giving us these principles that endure. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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Shelly
Updated on January 30, 2014
9 Times 9 is 81
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! – Philippians 4:4
1 times 1 is 1, 2 times 2 is 4, 3 times 3 is 9. Ok, now how about this one…
7 times 8 is…
9 times 9 is…
How do we know? How do we remember these complex answers? Do we know because our brains can quickly compute that adding 9, 9 different times gives us a product of 81? Ppffftttt. Um, NO. Do you know why we know that 9 times 9 is 81?
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. In a classroom many years ago, we sat and boringly droned, our voices joining those of our classmates. There was no feeling behind the droning (other than really wishing we didn’t have to do it). There was no deeper understanding of complex mathematical properties.
And yet here I sit, almost 30 years later, and I can tell you that 9 times 9 is 81. No hesitation, no dragging out the calculator, no double-checking. It’s 81. The End.
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That is what is so great about repetition. Even on the days when we don’t feel it, even during the times when we can’t fathom or understand the complexities, and even when there’s no calculator in sight that can prove the truth of our memories… we can still know.
For God so ________ the world. (John 3:16) For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a future and a ___________. (Jeremiah 29:11) This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well __________. (Matthew 3:17) See what I mean?
That’s how it should be with our reactions, too. Thanksgiving in any circumstances. (Ephesians 5:20) Rejoice in all suffering. (James 1:2) Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It’s easy to scoff at such things. We can get so mired down by life that we wonder how such things are even possible.
We need to hone our reactions the same way we honed our multiplication tables, the same way we hone our scripture memorization. It needs to be second-nature. Gut reaction. No thought process involved.
When we begin to face various trials, we begin at that instant to count joys. When the tears begin to fall in sorrow, we are sure to list a thanksgiving to reclaim each one. Prayers automatically framing in our mind before we’ve even finished processing the trial we’re facing.
Over and over and over again. Fail, try again. Forget, practice harder. Rigorous training of our spirit and mind. Drawing closer to the throne of grace, even if it means dragging ourselves with raw hands.
Until our reactions become devotion. Until we could give an answer for the hope that is in us with our eyes closed and both hands tied behind our backs. Until we are certain, without hesitation, that 9 times 9 is 81. Instant, unproven, not even certain how to prove it if we had to, but we know.
The same way that we know that the sufferings of this present time are not to be compared with the joy that is to come. (Romans 8:8) The same way that we know that our hearts cannot even conceive the good He has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) The same way that we know that the truth will set us free. (John 8:32)
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
So let’s begin, shall we? Repeat with me…..
Holy God, thank You for the ability of our minds to have complete conviction. Help us to practice and repeat and never give in, until we can be as certain of Your love and goodness as we are of anything else in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on February 2, 2014
An Awareness Campaign
Surely the Lord is in the this place, and I was not aware of it. – Genesis 28:16
Have you ever felt this way? I know I have.
We’re in the wilderness, no doubt about it. Our throats are parched, our lips are cracked, our hope is jaded.
Night closes in until even closing our eyes seems a relief from the darkness. The blistering heat overshadows and underlines each movement we dare to make.
Stretch out on the unyielding ground, pillow your head on the smoothest stone. There, that’s better, isn’t it?
But then… oh, then….
Then our eyes can behold something human eyes weren’t made to see. We can peer beyond the veil, cling desperately to the promise of a blessing. Moments are made, a balm is spread, and hope is restored.
And we wake to find that the Lord is surely in this place. We remove our sandals, realizing we are standing on Holy Ground.
I think what the Lord needs is an awareness campaign. We can wear buttons, and they’ll say “He’s here.” And no matter where we go, it will be true! Because the Lord is in this place. He’s in every place. He’s inside me and you.
Let’s wear our buttons proudly, plaster our neighborhoods with fliers, phone a friend, Tweet it out! Raise awareness!
He’s Here!
Heavenly Father, forgive me for being unaware of all the times and places that You’ve been with me! Thank You for never leaving me. Help me to be aware and to spread awareness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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Shelly
Updated on January 21, 2014
Sunday Scripture: 2/2/14
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Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. – Ephesians 3:4
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on January 31, 2014
Recommendation Saturday: What Are You Chasing?
After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them,
and they follow him because they know his voice.
– John 10:4
Not everything bright and shiny that catches our eye is something meant for us to catch.
What are you chasing after?
We are best when we are community.
I would love to share in some of that community
right here from my website.
You can join in, too!
Share a post from your own blog and then simply click on the
“Add your link” button below and enter your blog information.
Then, please grab my Recommendation Saturday button
below, and place it on your website or post,
so that others can find their way to our little Saturday community!
You can also Tweet your participation with the hashtag
#recommendsat
so that we can all find each other on Twitter!
You may also join in by leaving a comment.
The most important part of our community
is spreading our hope and love to others
by visiting some of the other inspirational sites linked up and leaving comments there.
Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
All you have to do is click one of the buttons below.
May God Bless You,
Shelly
