Wednesday, April 24, 2013

A Glimpse of Fibromyalgia*; and other silent illnesses*

May is Fibromyalgia Awareness month. 



I seem to have two unwanted cement blocks tightly against each temple of my face.  The pressure is so great, yet I am thankful it doesn't scrape my skin. There are drills on each side of my face, pointing toward my jaw joints. Every time I move, the drill automatically turn on, and make gaping holes in my joints. I try to escape, but I cannot unlock the heavy chains gripping my wrists. With any little movement, each cement block becomes tighter against my head, and the chains, wrapped around my wrists, rip the skin on which it sets.  
                                                           
My fingernails are ripped off, one by one; they bleed and scream out for help.
There is a huge granite rock laying heavily on the top of my head, that I cannot lift off. It causes great pressure beyond my control; I cannot move.
I try to straighten my back, but the rigged, metal plate against it, keeps me from doing so. My feet are tied together; they are useless when trying to travel to my social life. They can't even walk me out of this miserable pain, which has a hold of me daily.                                                  

Sweat drips off my brows causing my eyes to burn. I am unable to see well; everything is such a blur. Words, I have learned, were either erased or jumbled in my brain; things are so unclear and foggy.There seems to be no relief with this horrible life of pain. Bad reactions, tackle my stomach upon everything I consume.  My ears and head pounds with each sound that life makes. Nothing seems to help it; for life is never silenced, in my world.  The weight and heaviness of my legs, add to the turmoil in my body. They scream for mercy, but none is granted. They try to hold me up, but are unsuccessful. I am not comforted by the breeze that passes by. I wish all this pain would go away.                                                                                      
                                        
I cry out to Jesus, my Lord and Savior, to rescue me from all this haunting pain. He acknowledges me, and tells me that He understands how I feel. I look up with my weary eyes into the face of God; I am able to feel peace seep into my soul.The metal against my back grows cooler, soothing my aching body. I am comforted by the coolness of the cement, soothing some of the pain in my temples and face.                                                                                                                                      
Even though God hasn't take this pain away, I feel a little more strengthened. I am able to stand taller, straighten my posture, and keep on moving forward.  I am not out of this life of pain, although, I do feel a little more at ease.  I thank God for helping me as I endure this excruciating life of chronic pain.                                                


This Painting is dedicated to all those who suffer with Fibromyalgia, excruciating Chronic Pain, and any other silent illnesses.  It's especially dedicated to my old and new fibro buddies (my fibro brothers and sisters). May God give us 
hope for a healing, yet give us daily strength to endure the bodies that we have while we are waiting. 

Painting and poem 2006 (revised 2013)  By Expressive Praise                                                                                                                                                                                                                


For more information on these topics, check out these links:

The National Fibromyalgia Association 


But You Don't Look Sick 


National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 


Note: the three links above are by other authors. They are not mine, I am just promoting them.


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Ask, and You Will Receive?*

I have heard so many people quote this scripture:  "ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."   (John 14:14) So that means whatever is in this world I want, I can have, right?  Isn't that what people are saying?


"Dear Jesus,
and I would like to eat whatever I want without any health issues attached to it. Like for instance, I want right now: a monster hamburger as big as a building, a 100 oz chocolate shake, and a big house full of curly fries. and I also want 200 oz. of Dr. Pepper and 100 lbs of brownies. So God, you said that you would give me anything I want. This is what I want; I am waiting."
Do you really believe that God wants to do that? Do you really think that He WILL give you everything that you specifically ask for? I really doubt it; actually I know it won't happen. Let's look at the scriptures right before John 14:14.
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."John 14:12
If you live for God and do what He wants, than you have the mind of Christ.  Having the mind of Christ is like wisdom to decid what is best for your life. The list I made above is not real. Those things will not happen, some of them are totally impossible.  Well, actually some of them might happen.
But for the most part, I know in my personal life what God wants for me because I want what is best for him. It's easy to get caught up in the "wanting from God" stages of your life...Yet knowing you are doing God's will is awesome.
John 14:13  says" And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."  
Would God be glorified if I had a mansion or 1.2 million dollars?  Probably at first, but then I don't think I would feel I needed him, so I might just toss him to the side. I hate to say it, but it's probably true, for me. God will do things in His name, if He will be glorified.  Just because we think he may be glorified through a situation, doesn't mean that it's true either.  


The scripture says: ask and you will receive.  It doesn't say ask and you will receive the exact same thing you are asking for.  God may bless you in other ways, instead of maybe getting that healing you wanted, or that job promotion, you thought you needed; he may bless you in another way. If we stay in tune with him, he will do what is best for us.
A lot of you know that I have a tremendous list of health issues that affect my daily living.  I pray and hope for a miracle, but I also do what I can to glorify God, through all that I am going through.  If I can touch people's lives through writing my experiences on a blog, talking to people around the world on the Fibromyalgia support group on Face Book, or painting a picture to give awareness to God or the pain I go through to bring awareness to mine and other's needs, than this is best for my life, at this moment.  This is God's will for me, for now.


"these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”   

1 Corinthians 2: 10-13

p.s. I don't want all that I requested in the list at the top of the page. ha ha lol



I want 1.2 million dollars (to start out with),
an awesome husband,
some well-behaved children,
no more pain,
a mansion in CA,
a beach house in Hawaii,
my private plane with a 1000 ft swimming pool in it,
a house on the sun (without being scorched),
a grocery store where everything is free,
"the go transportation" (I go wherever I am thinking. If I want to go to Japan. I think "Japan" and I arrive a second later),

(just kidding) 

 I know, there are days that I have a pity party and want to be healed NOW, ASAP. Yet I know that God is using me to help encourage others around the world because of the suffering I have been through.  If people will reach out to God, or think about God more, or accept Him as their savior, then this suffering is worth it.



















and God Rested...*

"Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.  By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.Genesis 2:1-3 (NIV)

Can you imagine that there was nothing on this earth; there wasn't an earth, yet?  
No people working in the office or outside walking their dog. There wasn't even a dog to walk, because animals didn't exist.  No one had to pick up their dog's poop, or carry a bag to carry it. lol  (oops, Sorry...had to throw that in there).

There were no buildings; no office supplies, no desk or computers, paper clips, scotch tape,  nor paper to put in the printer....No phone calls, no faxes, no emails, no chattering employees, no bosses, no hard workers, nor were there even lazy workers...There wasn't anyone to complain about and there wasn't anyone to complain to.   

One didn't even have a bad day because there were no people, and nothing to do on these vast planets.  There was nothing out there that could be seen with our human eyes. 

So God creates the planets and everything in it.  

"Okay, let me put a "God" size pebble over here; I will call it a mountain. Hey, Jesus. Check out this mountain.  Isn't that awesome? I think I will put them all over the place.

 "Okay let me put some water over here.  Hmm, let me see...Yes, there it is, I will put  a bunch of water over here and some over there. I will put a bunch on this planet, but maybe a trickle on this other planet.  Wait, I put too much; let me take some water out of the planet and add it to this planet; I will call this one earth. You know, this is some great stuff. Yet it is missing something...Oh yeah, greenery....I am going to put a lot over here...well, actually, I think I will put the greenery all over the earth, because it's so beautiful.  Oh yes, let's see...lets add some colors to some of the greenery...Wow, it's so gorgeous...Wow, Holy Spirit, look at all this beauty. It's awesome." said Father, God (part of the Trinity).



"We see this beautiful creation, too, because we are creating it along side you," Jesus and the Holy Spirit, (who are both part of the Trinity) said simultaneously.   

"I know, but I just had to voice it because it's just so marvelous and breath taking." says Father, God.

"It's so beautiful, let's share it with others. Okay, why don't WE make some mammals, animals, birds, and some critters and than WE will make some people to help manage it's beauty,"  says Jesus.

After 6 days of creating, the Holy Spirit said: "Ta da, It's done."

"You are too funny," said Jesus.

"Okay, WE are done. Let's take a day of rest." said Father God.


I know it probably didn't  go like that, but my creative mind lets my imagination flow and think of what it could be like.

So how do you think God, who created all of this, rests?  Does He sleep in His majestic bed? Does He watch TV, play video games, read a book? lol. Probably not.  Have you ever thought of how the creator of the universe rests? Maybe He just sat down and just admired all His work... Have you ever done something like that?  May be you sat back and watched your newborn baby coo or smile for the first time.  Or maybe you planted a garden, and after a hard day of pruning, you stand back, and look at its beauty.  Or maybe you are an artist, like I am, and you paint, and then sit back and be amazed at the painting.  

Sometimes I like to observe and marvel at a tree, a flower, or the blue sky and just think of God's great awesomeness.  It totally relaxes me and puts my mind at ease.




It's okay to take time out of your day and admire God's beautiful creation.  It's so relaxing.













(Photography by Expressive Praise)