Passing Through

Have you noticed anyone suffering lately? Suffering can come in a large variety of ways; physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, you name it. Right now, however, I am referring to physical suffering, physical pain. This last week I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people, since I am a student I am on campus a lot and DMACC is plump full of people waiting between classes looking for something to do. So I use those between class times to meet some people, one common theme I have seen more and more is pain. On Monday alone I met three women who suffer with chronic abdomen pain. 

We can blame this pain on the food we eat, the preservatives, the lack of exercise, or whatever you want but none the less people still have the pain. Why do I think this is? I have no idea, I do not know why people have pain or why specific people suffer but I do know that God can use this. I came to the knowledge of salvation because of my pain, the Lord used it for good in my life and I know He will use it for good in others lives as well. 

People today move too fast, one little stab of pain and they go through months of doctors to find out what caused it. A little headache and we take pain medicine. We are people who like to live a life of ease, we focus on the here and now. The new car, the bigger house, Lord forbid your health gets in the way of one of your goals. We see a hint of pain and we do whatever we can to run as fast as we can to get away from it. 

I am not crazy, I don't like pain, I would rather not have it. I don't cause myself pain on purpose but it happened in my life. I began like most others, I tried to get rid of it as soon as possible only after a year and a half of fighting with all my might to get better did I finally give up. I signed myself over to a life of pain, I didn't know what was wrong and doctors didn't believe me. I had given up, I began learning ways to live with my pain. When I gave up I realized that this world is not the end. Rather it is the beginning. My pain was used to save my life, I was given a different perspective and was saved in the process. 

Do you have pain? Have you tried everything in your power to get rid of it and its not going anywhere? You may have a  close friend in this situation, well I'm not telling you to give up but I am asking you to change your perspective. Stop trying so hard to get rid of your pain and start trying to learn from it. 

Apostle Paul is a wonderful example of this, he is a man who had everything, a man who went around killing Christians until one day he himself accepted Christ as his Savior. This is what God told Paul. 

"He is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." 

~Acts 9:15-16 

Did you hear that? Paul accepted Christ under the knowledge that he would suffer, God said 'I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.' That is crazy to me! But look at the life of Paul, look how he suffered; imprisonments, beatings, lashings five times thirty-nine lashes each, stoned three times, shipwrecked three times, went hungry and thirsty, suffered from cold and exposure. Paul signed onto a life of suffering but look at his attitude through it. 

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. ~Philippians 4:11-12 

Paul suffered because his eyes were focused on Christ, he was looking at what was to come. I was told one time 'When you look ahead in life look far enough to see Heaven, and when you look behind look far enough to see the Cross.' Paul set his priorities, he lived his life like he was simply passing through this world. This earth is our temporary home, we are here for a little while. 

Did you know that ten out of ten people die? If you haven't thought about where you will go when you die I beg you to think about it now. Eternity is forever, its pretty vital we make the correct choice when we are choosing to commit ourselves to forever. This world is full of suffering because this world is full of sin. Suffering is the result of a fallen world. However, one day if we choose it our suffering will be over but for now we press on, simply passing through. 

Prayer Requests:
*People would see their suffering from a different perspective
*I will be able to balance my time with school, lyme, and ministry
*That the Lord will provide opportunities that I can have an influence in the lives of people who are suffering with pain
*That I will continue to heal

One Step Backward

Does life ever slow down? It seems to me that life continues to go faster and faster, everyday is simply flying by! As the days pass my healing continues, it is such a beautiful thing to experience I wish I could explain what was actually going on in my body. I honestly wish everyone could experience it.

I am doing well on my medicine, I am currently on the ten day for my co-infection babesia. I am getting everything done that needs to get done, however that is by the grace of God that I can say that. At my last appointment I got retested for the babesia co-infection to see if I still have it and the test came back negative! According to my blood I have conquered one co-infection! Woop woop! 

I am planning on finishing this set of ten day medicine then I will be done with it. I am still having more difficulty breathing lately but I think a large part of it is the lyme let loose from the last stage of medicine. As time has passed these last two weeks I have taken a couple steps backward. Its difficult to breathe, my joints are sorer, my organs hurt more than usual, its hard to eat, more nausea, and my memory is taking a hit. So I have taken a step backward but this is not getting me down. 

The hard part is my memory, that was always the most difficult thing to have go during my whole lyme experience so it was hard when I realized it had taken a hit. However I am choosing to rejoice in this, this is another stage of healing. Its another opportunity I have to see the Lord work in my body. I have taken a step backward but am taking more steps forward than backward. This back step is nothing compared to what my life used to be even last month. 

After you have suffered for a little while the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ~1 Peter 5:10  

Our God is a God who gives good gifts, a God who blesses our life. Sometimes that blessing is not what I think it should look like, sometimes its painful. But I have confidence that whatever things are put in my life the Lord will use for good. He will use them to grow me, to stretch me, and make me more like His Son.  That is why I can rejoice, because I know that God is using every part of this pain and healing to grow me. What a God we serve. 

Prayer requests:
*That I will continually see the healing the Lord is doing in my life
*That I will be able to have an influence in the lives of people struggling with pain
*That I will be able to handle the medicine
*That my nausea will go down and I will be able to eat more

Stage Three

I had my three month check-up on tuesday and it went well. My goal has always been to handle everything better than my doctor expects and that is exactly what the Lord is doing. I am doing a lot of extra treatments to help my body handle the medicine and those extra steps enable me to live a pretty regular lifestyle which most lyme patients don't have the blessings of. 

I have had drastic improvement since the last time I was in two months ago. My doctor was very impressed that I have stayed a student during this whole time. I say this because this was not me, it was purely by the strength of God that I was able to remain a student. I was part time for most of it but due to friends and the grace of God I was able to finish all of my classes with great grades. 

In the last two months I have gone from being tied to the couch everyday, taking daily naps, sleeping till eleven, barely able to eat, very sore organs, exhausted, could walk less than a block, couldn't drive. Where as today I am waking up at 7:30 some days, can drive my car, taking ten credits of classes, I don't need to lay down, I can go almost all day (a different kind of go than I'm used to but still go) I can walk a lot further, I can eat more food, and so many other blessings! Trust me, I am not taking one of them for granted! I always notice the blessings of things when they are gone but I pray I never take even the simplest thing for granted again. 

During this doctor visit I have been put on my last of the three antibiotics; there are three stages to kill the lyme. The first antibiotic breaks up the bacteria and they go into hiding where the medicine can't reach. So the next medicine is added which breaks it up further; some die and some hide yet again. This is the stage I was at and am now beginning stage three. The hidden lyme bacteria is surrounded by a shell called a biofilm, the last antibiotic focuses on breaking the biofilm surrounding the bacteria left in my tissue. The biofilm breaks and the lyme is let lose in my body again for the other medicine to kill. 

This is a stage where you get worse before you get better, old symptoms come back. But to a point that is good because it shows that the first two antibiotics are doing their job. This third medicine I only take two days a week so I have chosen saturdays and sundays. My first weekend was last week and it went very well. The goal is to take four pills a day on both days and my doctor said most of his patients get so sick they can only handle one or two a day. He told me to test the waters and see what I can handle and plan to stay at home most weekends. 

I began the pills and I did feel more sick than usual but was still able to go about my day normally, went to breakfast with my parents, went grocery shopping with Katelyn and out for lunch. Later I was able to go to church, my huge prayer in this! Sunday was a harder day but my morning was about normal; had prayer, planing, and pancakes and went to cheer on a friend running the HYVEE Triathlon. The afternoon on sunday was rough, I was really nauseous so I slept most of the afternoon and evening.  

Looking at my first weekend I was pretty proud. I took all eight pills and lived fairly normally during them. After the first dose I have had some symptoms return that were gone but they are not near as bad as they used to be. For example it is difficult to breathe again. This is in part due to a co-infection, I take medicine ten days a month for it and it has been getting much better I barely noticed it anymore. Also returning with the breathing issues include a very sore spleen and liver,  more nausea, I also have a little more joint pain but not anything like it used to be. 

I began the ten day medicine today for my Babeisa co-infection, this medicine also makes me sick so please be praying that I will be able to get done what needs to be done. That I will use my time wisely. Also for strength this weekend on this ten day and my new weekend medicine. 

I am praying treatment continues to go this well! I have been told every week will get easier as more and more lyme dies. I am so thankful for how my body handled the new medication and am excited to continue healing from lyme disease. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all of your iniquities who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion.  ~Psalm 103:2-4

Prayer Requests: 

*That Dr P. will be able to keep his practice in Iowa and turn to the Lord during this time

*That I will daily see the blessings of healing

*That the medicine will continue working 

*That I can continue living a 'normal' life during this treatment