Somewhere between 0° and 180°
I have the most wonderful friends/family/fans ever! All of y’all send me encouraging words, share your stories, pray for me, and so many other things. I am blessed ever so much to have y’all. The amount of y’all out there praying for me is enormous……
…...but while on this subject I need to talk about something.
Since I became sick, people have told me that I’ll be healed, that if I have more faith I’ll be healed, or that they will be praying for me to be healed. Now this is all fine in dandy but I want to shift y’all’s focus just a little and show you mine.
Paul was an amazing apostle. He fought for people to know Jesus and escaped death many times. He definitely had the faith that can move mountain. On the flip side though he had a thorn in his side. Paul cried out to God for this thorn to be removed three times, yet he was denied each time. God had other plans and Paul followed along.
I have stopped praying for healing. Not because I don’t believe it can happen but because I received an answer. For now, its no. Definitely not the answer I wanted but it’s still an answer. In my last blog I talked about living in the moment and not worrying about the future. This is one of the steps I must take to accomplish this task. If I focus on getting back to my old life, then I miss the one in front of me. Take Bethany Hamilton for instance. A wonderful surfer who lost her arm as a teenager in a shark attack but because of this she has been/still is ministering to both believers and non-believers. How? Because she didn’t give up. She fought hard and became a professional surfer and motivational speaker. Using a quote from her movie she said, “I have been able to reach more people with one arm than I ever could have with two.” That’s where I want to be. I want to be able to use my illness instead of letting it destroy me.
I know there is a greater reason for me to be sick. My old life was moving in such a direction that I know God must have something awesome in plan to change it. But I can’t accomplish this task unless I’m content. I know I will never be content if I’m constantly praying for something else. My eyes are set on using the tools He’s given me to get my personal job done. What would have happened if Paul had his thorn removed? Or if Bethany hadn’t gone surfing that day? Would souls have been lost? Would they have gone astray? God doesn’t enjoy hurting us but will sometimes do it for His benefit. I have faith God will use my illness to help others. It actually already has. I want to be able to have a Christ led ministry to help others know Christ.
Now this where y’all come in to play. I’m definitely not asking y’all to stop praying for my healing but to add a new way to pray for me. Just shift your focus, not in a complete about-face, but somewhere between 0° and 180°. I would like y’all to pray that I am able to use my illness, that I will be content with where I am, and be able to expand the kingdom of God. I ask this because I need help. God did not create us to be self-sufficient, but instead to lean on each other. I am falling back on you to ask for help. I’m not perfect. I make mistakes. I struggle in sin every day and allow the devil a foot hold in my life. I need Christian brothers and sisters to hold me up when I fall.
…...but while on this subject I need to talk about something.
Since I became sick, people have told me that I’ll be healed, that if I have more faith I’ll be healed, or that they will be praying for me to be healed. Now this is all fine in dandy but I want to shift y’all’s focus just a little and show you mine.
Paul was an amazing apostle. He fought for people to know Jesus and escaped death many times. He definitely had the faith that can move mountain. On the flip side though he had a thorn in his side. Paul cried out to God for this thorn to be removed three times, yet he was denied each time. God had other plans and Paul followed along.
I have stopped praying for healing. Not because I don’t believe it can happen but because I received an answer. For now, its no. Definitely not the answer I wanted but it’s still an answer. In my last blog I talked about living in the moment and not worrying about the future. This is one of the steps I must take to accomplish this task. If I focus on getting back to my old life, then I miss the one in front of me. Take Bethany Hamilton for instance. A wonderful surfer who lost her arm as a teenager in a shark attack but because of this she has been/still is ministering to both believers and non-believers. How? Because she didn’t give up. She fought hard and became a professional surfer and motivational speaker. Using a quote from her movie she said, “I have been able to reach more people with one arm than I ever could have with two.” That’s where I want to be. I want to be able to use my illness instead of letting it destroy me.
I know there is a greater reason for me to be sick. My old life was moving in such a direction that I know God must have something awesome in plan to change it. But I can’t accomplish this task unless I’m content. I know I will never be content if I’m constantly praying for something else. My eyes are set on using the tools He’s given me to get my personal job done. What would have happened if Paul had his thorn removed? Or if Bethany hadn’t gone surfing that day? Would souls have been lost? Would they have gone astray? God doesn’t enjoy hurting us but will sometimes do it for His benefit. I have faith God will use my illness to help others. It actually already has. I want to be able to have a Christ led ministry to help others know Christ.
Now this where y’all come in to play. I’m definitely not asking y’all to stop praying for my healing but to add a new way to pray for me. Just shift your focus, not in a complete about-face, but somewhere between 0° and 180°. I would like y’all to pray that I am able to use my illness, that I will be content with where I am, and be able to expand the kingdom of God. I ask this because I need help. God did not create us to be self-sufficient, but instead to lean on each other. I am falling back on you to ask for help. I’m not perfect. I make mistakes. I struggle in sin every day and allow the devil a foot hold in my life. I need Christian brothers and sisters to hold me up when I fall.
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
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