HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO MY LITTLE BROTHER! The Lord truly blessed our family 18 years ago with a kid who is now my hero, inspiration and best friend! He follows the Lord daily and he's got an incredibly bright future of continuing the Lord's work.
Happy, happy birthday, My Sweet Conner!
On another note, 6 months ago today I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. As you can imagine, my life hasn't been the same since. As strange as it seems, my life has been better in the last 6 months because the Lord is working in my heart in so many ways. I've taken steps towards helping my future self by eating healthier, getting on medication, and continuing to exercise regularly (my running has never been better! Stay tuned!)
When I was first diagnosed, I was terrified. But one round of steroids (with my second dose being on my 25th birthday), 65 self injections, several doctors appointments, multiple blood tests, two MRIs, hundreds of prayers and many hours of research later, I'm dominating this disease!
Here's a selfie of me at 5:30 in the morning doing my steroid dose on my birthday. You can see that I was watching Breaking Bad (the best show ever) to help pass the time, while I indulged in powdered sugar donuts. I was drinking lemonade because the steroid made everything taste like metal and it was the only way I could tolerate water.
One of the scary things about MS is that no one can predict where the disease will take the person and each day can be different. But one thing I'm absolutely confident in is that the Lord is not surprised by my diagnosis and the He will make good from this.
Romans 8:28 says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I'm not sure what good will come from it, but He will make something good because of it. One of the reasons why I openly blog about my journey is because I hope to be a source of hope and encouragement for someone in the future who is looking for help. I'm trying to be what I needed when I was first diagnosed.
While most days are great, I still have my moments of depression, anxiety and fear. One day I randomly came across a startling and depressing statistic regarding those with MS. I was talking to my sister about it and about how I was scared because I'm fighting against the odds. She said one of the most encouraging, motivating and sweetest things I've ever been told:
"Just remember every story is different and you are not a statistic, you are a person God has a great plan for."
Then she gave me a list of encouraging scriptures stating how the Lord has good plans for our lives and how we can do anything through Him.
I'm not sure where I'll be in another 6 months, 6 years or 6 decades, but rest assured that the Lord will make good of this, just as He can make good out of all things!
No comments:
Post a Comment