For as long as my lungs have bled, I have wanted a doctor with enough wisdom to explain why my body continues to grow bad blood vessels and how to stop it from growing more.
On the other side of human limits we find hope in the infinite strength and wisdom of God. Where man’s abilities end we can find a new beginning — to trust “in the name of the Lord our God.”
Read MoreVascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Say that three times fast. It’s the name of the condition I carry deep in my genetic code. Maybe you carry the weight of a hard-to-say, even-harder-to-explain rare disease. Maybe your diagnosis isn’t even named yet and you’re in a frustrating cycle of doctors’ visits, tests, and endless waiting. With all of the appointments and daily management of our disease, we can easily let these identifications become our identity.
Our rare disease can take up a lot of our time, but it must not take preeminence in our hearts.
Read MoreThe hard task of climbing is good for me. I intentionally choose the challenge of climbing because I trust that it is good for me and I desire the results. Most days, I don’t look forward to the challenge but I love the “I’m alive!” feeling I get after the climb.
I feel the same way about reading God’s Word. Tempting thoughts come every day as I sit down to read and I must shove them aside and choose the challenge of focusing, reading, and listening. My reward is the feeling of intimacy with God I get during those times. I never regret the effort.
I struggle with asking why. It feels like a form of complaining or faithlessness. Are my whys a lack of trust in God who I know to be Sovereign over all, always good, never changing, loving, compassionate, and faithful? My friend’s death taught me I had more to learn about my God.
Read MoreThere are no rules to this growing-in-community thing. It can look different in each friendship circle. Jesus set the example with his disciples. He called them his “brothers” (Matthew 12:49, NIV). They met for prayer, for meals, and for ministry.
