i was searching 'round for something the other day and came across a whole website for those with invisible chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia, depression and more. those of us who may look healthy on the outside but there's definitely illness on the inside. there are many of us with chronic illness but we don't necessarily qualify to hook a blue wheelchair disabled thingie on our car. or you may actually have one of those decals but people look at you angrily when you park in a handicapped spot like "what's wrong with you? you're fine. you're just a cheatin'." you may be one of those types like me with an illness others can't see right off hand.
here's a sample of what they offer, sent to me by a friend who likes the site.
Shakin' With Fear
Posted by: "Rest Ministries" myrestmin@grouply.com myrestmin
Tue Nov 4, 2008 2:34 am (PST)
"Do not fear ....The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he
will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).
Not long ago we adopted a puppy. We called her Sugar. It was almost
love at first sight, for her and for us. Of course she needed some
training. But we had trained pups before, and felt the effort
required would be well worth it. Sugar was a lap dog, fun and furry,
sweet but spunky. She gave us pleasure with her clown-like personality
and loving disposition. It was great to come home and experience her
animated welcome.
But two months later, my husband was diagnosed with pulmonary emboli
(blood clots on the lungs), a life-threatening condition. He
experienced shortness of breath and depleted energy. Doctor's orders
severely restricted his activities for weeks. For that reason, more of
Sugar's care depended on me–though I also have significant health
issues. After a few weeks, we began to see that something had to give.
One day my husband said, "We'll have to take her back!"
I knew he was right, but it broke my heart. We made arrangements to
meet the breeder's husband part-way between their home and ours. When
the parting came, I wanted to hold Sugar one more time. And I was the
one to put her into the arms of someone we barely knew. As soon as he
reached for her, Sugar started to shake with fear. She was going back
to a place where I knew she'd get good care, before some other caring
person adopted her. But how do you explain that to a puppy who feels
abandoned?
That can happen to us too, can't it? We may wonder why God is allowing
the pain, and the difficult changes in our lifestyle. We may even feel
abandoned. But we can be assured that the promise above is true. God
will gently carry us through, and there are blessings up ahead we
can't even begin to imagine.
~~~*~~~*~~~* ~~~*~~~*~ ~~*~~~*~~ ~*~~~*
Beth Cottrill lives in a small town in central Saskatchewn with her
husband, a retired pastor. Her son, his wife and two young
grandchildren are in Mexico City in missionary work and she misses
them a lot. She has suffered with depression most of her life, but is
getting to know God better all the time and His love is setting her
free from many fears.
if any of you are interested in this, you can check it out at:
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