DEVOTIONAL: Finding Identity in Christ
DEVOTIONAL: Finding Identity in Christ

Vascular 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.

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Blog, DevotionalNicole O'Meararare disease, Rare Hope Series, Ehlers-Danlos SyndromeComment
Days of Hope: Recalling God's Faithfulness in the Playgroup Years
Days of Hope: Recalling God's Faithfulness in the Playgroup Years

Nowhere else do I have as much self-doubt as I do in motherhood. Moms need to be reminded that they are doing good work and doing it well. Moms need other moms. God in his wisdom understands that.

Moms are busy. While we are busy loving others, we can also lose hope for ourselves. This is what community is for. When you have lost the ability to hope all things, you need friends to remind you that God still sees you, still loves you, and is still for you.

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BlogNicole O'Mearamotherhood, hope, communityComment
DEVOTIONAL: Worth the Effort
DEVOTIONAL: Worth the Effort

The 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.⁠
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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.⁠

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Blog, DevotionalNicole O'Mearadevotional, Joyful Life Magazine, Rare Hope SeriesComment
Book Review: The Scars that have Shaped Me
Book Review: The Scars that have Shaped Me

In The Scars That Have Shaped Me, Vaneetha Rendall Risner shares her story of life-long illness (Polio & Post-Polio Syndrome) and trials (death of a child and loss of her marriage) with simple writing and honesty.

A quick read packed with great theology. Vaneetha vulnerably reminds her reader of the unchanging character of God, even in the midst of illness and loss.

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Blog, Book ReviewNicole O'Mearabook review, lament, rare disease, chronic disease, scarsComment
How to Live an Anchored Life
How to Live an Anchored Life

Living with an undiagnosed disease means living with uncertainty. It feels like being untethered. I have so many questions, yet I rarely get answers.

The same word, “anchor,” used for firmly securing a ship to land is also the same word for pointing a ship into the wind during a storm. The omniscient character of God has grounded me time and time again when medical knowledge has failed me. The sovereignty and faithfulness of God keep me focused forward, towards eternity when my body will be healthy and whole, no longer surprising us with unexplainable brokenness. God as my anchor is my only hope.

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BlogNicole O'Mearaanchor, hope, rare disease, chronic diseaseComment