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My head hurts.
That’s a common phrase for me. Whether it’s in my head or coming out of my mouth, I hate complaining. Yet sometimes it’s the only thought I can process.
Pain is… well, painful. It’s distracting to say the least and can often consume your thoughts.
[Read more…] about Check Out These 3 Prayers for Physical PainJesus died on the cross. He didn’t just die, He was beaten. Flogged. Whipped. Tortured.
I can’t imagine the pain that He endured.
And He did it all for us. He endured all that pain because of His love for me.
That was my thought process as I stood in church that Sunday morning with tears running down my face.
[Read more…] about Jesus Died On The Cross and What That Means To MeRelatable memes. We’ve probably all seen them.
I saw one earlier this week that said, “Not to brag or anything, but I can forget what I’m doing while I’m doing it.”
And, yeah, true story.
In fact, I was talking to a friend earlier this week and I mentioned that I *might* have gotten lost last week.
Okay, I didn’t get lost.
I took my kids to school and I forgot how to get home.
[Read more…] about What You Need To Know About Relatable Memes and MomentsWhen my teenage daughter is hurting, I want to fix it. When she rejects my first pearls of wisdom, I offer alternative suggestions. Sadly, it always ends with her insisting, “But you see, Mom, I just don’t care that much!” She’s frustrated, I’m hurt, and nothing is resolved.
Have you ever been on either side of a similar conversation? Your best efforts to help a loved one are rejected. Or you only wanted to know you’re not alone, but now you feel more isolated than ever.
[Read more…] about Giving Advice & Offering Support -> What You Need To Know“No Worries,” the text read.
I was clueless, so of course, my first thought was, should I be worried?
My husband and I had been texting, but I had a massive migraine. It wasn’t the first time that day that I had forgotten what was going on. At some point that morning my head hurt so bad I laid down to take a nap… I don’t know when. I know I ate breakfast and took a shower, but I don’t remember in what order or if I did anything else.
[Read more…] about Looking to Jesus & Resting In His Embrace“Say ‘blue, hat, table.’”
“Blue, hat, table.”
“Again.”
“Blue, hat, table.”
“One more time.”
“Blue, hat, table,” I wanted to roll my eyes. I had a migraine, but I wasn’t stupid.
[Read more…] about 3 Things To Remember When You Are Faced With Memory LossIt was a couple of years ago on Christmas eve… I felt a sense of panic rising within. Christmas was tomorrow, and mentally, I wasn’t even ready for Thanksgiving.
The holiday season had come and gone, and I felt like I was grasping at straws. Yes, the presents were wrapped and everything was physically ready, but emotionally? My heart wasn’t in it.
And I hated that feeling.
Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the music and the moments. The lights and the smells that linger in the air. But that year it all seemed to get lost in the hustle and bustle.
[Read more…] about Christmas is ComingI truly believe that there is power in prayer. And I believe that prayer is multiplied when Christians come together to pray.
The book of Matthew records Jesus saying, “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (18:19-20)
I believe that. And while I know that we are all free to approach the throne of God, that He listens to all of His children, I also know that there is something special about praying together.
However, I also know that when praying for the same thing, it’s important to pray in unity.
When I was deep in the heart of my chronic migraines earlier this year, I had countless brothers and sisters in Christ praying for me. But they were all praying for my healing when what I really wanted, what I really needed, were prayers for strength to weather the storm.
[Read more…] about How To Form Your Own Prayer Circle (& why you should)I was ready to give up. My head hurts so bad. I started counting the cost. Not just the cost, but the worth.
I begged the hospital staff to let me go because my family needed me. But then I got home and my head hurt so bad I couldn’t get out of bed. I was useless. Sure, they loved me and were happy to see me, but I wasn’t needed. And it’s a good thing I wasn’t.
Life is hard… is it really worth it? @_HeatherHart is counting the cost and measuring the worth. Click To TweetNine months ago I was on the top of the world. Hiking in the mountains of Colorado with my churches youth group and my family. Loving Jesus and living life to the fullest.
We had moved from Denver to our small Texas town back in 2012 and small-town living suited us. Texas suited us. We missed the mountains, but we still got out and went hiking at least once a month. Life wasn’t always easy, but I breathed deep. I knew true happiness and contentment.
And then I got a headache that just wouldn’t go away… and it changed my entire world.
I had no idea that first couple of days that I would still be dealing with it over six months later, but here I am. I was hospitalized again at the end of January and I’m sitting here writing this blog post while wearing sunglasses because I can’t bear to look at the computer screen.
So why am I?
For months I clung to Jesus. I pushed through the pain living for Him no matter what came my way. But then January came around, and it was like one thing after another. It would seem like we were getting relief, only to be hit again, only harder. To spare you the “woe is me” story, we can fast-forward to the night when I was counting the cost and questioning my worth.
I was ready to give up. I was lying in bed trying to think of graceful exit strategies for everything God has called me to. But those last five words stopped me in my tracks.
If so, who was I to throw in the towel? Was I playing right into Satan’s hand? Letting him win?
Because I know the end of the story, and he loses.
Why let him win this battle when he has already lost the war.
If God has called me to write a blog, or a book, or serve at my church, or minister to my family, or be a light even when my head hurts this bad, who am I to turn away from that. Jesus carried His cross to Calvary (for me). Surly I can survive this migraine until God relieves my pain. Because God can, but His ways are higher than my ways and He hasn’t.
So, if God really wants the books He has called me to write to be written, it will be in His strength, not mine, because my strength is gone. I am at the end of me. I have been for weeks. I am spent.
But God’s not.
I have good days and bad days, but every day I can count on Jesus to be with me. Whether I am sitting at my computer writing in sunglasses or lying in bed crying in pain. I know I am loved by God and there is a purpose to this pain. I know He has called me to keep pressing on, even when it would be easier to just call it quits.
I may not have all the answers. I may never get relief. But I can always trust in Jesus, who died on the cross for me.
Life is hard. Everyone gets overwhelmed sometimes. So what helps you when you are feeling down? Is there a Bible verse you turn to? Praise and worship music that helps? Do you talk to a friend? Or do you count your cost and remember your calling as I did?
We would love to hear from you in the comments below.
How do you cope when you're feeling down? Click To TweetNote: I am not suicidal. When I was ready to give up on life, I just wanted to crawl in a hole and never get back out. Sometimes, a good spiritual pep-talk is all you need, but clinical depression is a real thing. And Christians can get depressed. If you are severely depressed you should seek professional help from a doctor or trained counselor. And if you are considering suicide, please call 800-273-TALK (8255), or text NAMI to 741-741. You can also check out this open letter Valerie wrote to her past suicidal self.
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I have been suffering these migraines for over six months now. It’s rough to say the least. There are days when I can barely get out of bed. I know my children are feeling the strain. They are worried about their mom.
Over the last six months I have gotten a ton of advice. From getting an ear piercing to a hysterectomy, from which vitamins will help the most to which prescription drugs are the best, I am pretty sure I have heard it all (but don’t feel like you need to test that theory). The latest advice was more of a command though. I was told that I needed to go to a healing ministry for a miracle.
Life is hard, but I don't need a miracle, I just need Jesus… Click To TweetNow, don’t get me wrong, I believe in miracles. I believe that my God can do anything. He is God.
And a miracle would be nice. I would love for my migraines to just disappear, and I know that God could do that. In fact, more than one person has laid hands on my head and prayed for my healing, believing in faith that I would be healed. But that hasn’t been God’s will. I don’t believe going to a healing ministry will change that.
The fact of the matter is, while there are numerous people in the Bible who were miraculously healed, not everyone was or is.
I have been thinking about Paul a lot lately, with his thorn in the flesh. He prayed three times for it to be taken away, yet it remained. “A messenger of Satan to harass him” (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Paul didn’t throw in the towel and give up because he wasn’t healed. He didn’t go camp out by a healing pool. God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (vs 9) And Paul took Him at His Word. He ran with that and kept going.
Another Bible passage that I fall back on a lot is the one about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). When they went into the fiery furnace they told King Nebuchadnezzar that their God was able to rescue them, but even if He didn’t they would still serve Him, and Him alone. That’s where I am.
I know God could heal me, but even if He doesn’t, He is still the king of my heart and I will keep my eyes fixed on Him.
This isn’t something new to me, by the way. I was born with cancer and lost my right eye when I was just a year old. I have essentially lived my entire life with a prosthetic.
Growing up I used to beg God to restore my eye and make me normal. I would cry out to Him from the depths of my soul knowing He could do it and go to bed full of faith that I would wake up miraculously healed. Only to wake up just the same as I went to bed. It would break my little girl heart. But not my faith.
You see, if I needed specific miracles to believe in Jesus, I would have lost faith in Him a long time ago.
I have seen miracles in my lifetime though; experienced them. I know they are real. But I also know God isn’t a genie in a bottle who heals at our beck and call.
Just as Paul, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all said, even though God is powerful enough to perform miracles, our faith isn’t dependent on them. Or at least it shouldn’t be.
One thing I was thinking about this morning was Moses. When God spoke to him out of the burning bush, one of Moses’ complaints was that he was slow of speech and tongue (Exodus 4:10). God didn’t immediately jump in and heal him. Granted, Moses didn’t ask for healing (or at least it wasn’t recorded that he did). God uses imperfect people. Whether we are imperfect because of the sins of our pasts (because we all have something), or because of something we are currently going through (because there is always something), God never promised us a perfect life.
In John 16:33 Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Our God is powerful enough to perform miracles, but our faith shouldn't be dependent on them… Click To TweetSometimes God gives us miracles, sometimes He doesn’t. That’s just the way that it is. And I’m okay with that.
Has God ever worked a miracle in your life? Or have you ever had to surrender your faith to Him with no healing strings attached? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
God may not have healed me, but He has still blessed me beyond measure. Over the past six months I have experienced God’s love in a whole new way and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Sometimes, God uses painful experiences to bless us. In fact, Sherry is going to share her own story about that on Monday so make sure you stop back in. (Click here to read her story and how it relates to God’s grace.)
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