Blurb Verse

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Romans 5:3-5
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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Voice of Jesus


THE VOICE OF JESUS

 
I can feel the voice of Jesus,
Saying " Be still and know I am here;"
I know what you are going through,
And remember that I am near.
 
I know you do not understand,
But in time I will reveal,
All these things that do not make sense,
Are yet a part of My great will.
 
There is something that I am showing you,
And some day you will see;
The struggles that you are experiencing now,
Will draw you closer in your walk with me.
 
It is in this time of suffering,
That you’re gaining more wisdom and faith;
And I have so much more in store for you,
But right now be patient and wait.
 
You need some time to learn and grow,
As I guide you through each day;
And though it seems you are all alone,
I am holding you all the way.
 
In your time of weakness and your pain,
Your strength I will make strong;
I will show you life in a whole new way,
Leading you to the place that you belong.
 
Although right now it seems unfair,
Be aware on what sights are set;
Because I have a job just for you,
And I’m not finished yet.
 
You are so very blessed if you look around,
And I love you oh, so much;
I have not turned you away,
I want you to feel my touch.
 
Please don’t get angry and never give up,
Let your faith in Me bring hope;
And when you feel like you are slipping away,
Hold strong to my Hand as your mighty rope.
 
All things work for good if You’re trusting in me,
So you always have to believe;
It may not look so good to you now,
But there are many blessings you are going to receive.
 
If I can create the Heavens and Earth,
Then know I can take care of you;
So you need not worry about anything,
Just wait and watch what I can do.
 
Come to me daily in conversation and prayer,
Stay focused on My word;
And I will guide you each step of the way,
As My revelations to you are made heard.
 
Rest assured that you will overcome,
This trial will one day be past;
But the lessons learned and the gifts that are gained,
Forever they will last.
 
Live each day with glory and praise,
Be an example that others might see;
And when they ask where you find your peace,
You can then tell them all about ME!

The Biggest Fibro Lie: I'm Okay....


Who can you encourage today? Whose hand can you hold? Who can you hug when words are just not enough?

Sunday, January 20, 2013

How Long?


How Long?
My God, it is not fretfulness 
That makes me say "How long?" 
It is not heaviness of heart 
That hinders me in song, 
'Tis not despair of truth and right, 
Nor coward dread of wrong.

But how can I, with such a hope 

Of glory and of home; 
With such a joy before my eyes, 
Not wish the time were come 
Of years the jubilee, of days 
The Sabbath and the sum?
This life, how long it seems! 
And how can I in evil days, 
'Mid unknown hills and streams 
But sigh for those of home and heart 
And visit them in dreams?
Be calm, my troubled breast; 
Each restless hour is hastening on 
The everlasting rest. 
Thou knowest that the time thy God 
Appoints for thee is best.
Awake the cry, "How long?" 
Let now faintheartedness of soul 
Damp thy aspiring song, 
Right comes, truth dawns, the night departs 
Of error and of wrong.
These years, what ages they have been! 


Yet peace, my heart and hush my tongue; 
Let faith, not fear nor fretfulness, 
                          —Horatius Bonar

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Show me your pain....

Many doctors / relatives etc refuse to believe in fibromyalgia as there is only a diagnostic checklist to confirm its presence... Well, maybe not for much longer..

Scientists have long searched for a method to objectively measure pain and a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital may have the answer. 

The following is an extract from Science Daily News:
"While we need to be cautious in the interpretation of our results, this has the potential to be an exciting discovery for anyone who suffers from chronic pain," said Marco Loggia, PhD, the lead author of the study and a researcher in the Pain Management Center at BWH and the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. "We showed that specific brain patterns appear to track the severity of pain reported by patients, and can predict who is more likely to experience a worsening of chronic back pain while performing maneuvers designed to induce pain. If further research shows this metric is reliable, this is a step toward developing an objective scale for measuring pain in humans."

Specifically, researchers studied 16 adults with chronic back pain and 16 adults without pain and used a brain imaging technique called arterial spin labeling to examine patterns of brain connectivity (that is, to examine how different brain regions interact, or "talk to each other"). They found that when a patient moved in a way that increased their back pain, a network of brain regions called Default Mode Network exhibited changes in its connections. Regions within the network (such as the medial prefrontal cortex) became less connected with the rest of the network, whereas regions outside network (such as the insula) became connected with this network. Some of these observations have been noted in previous studies of fibromyalgia patients, which suggests these changes in brain connectivity might reflect a general feature of chronic pain, possibly common to different patient populations." 
If such research persists, we might have an accessible mapping technique to prove to those "nay-sayers" that we are in fact, undeniably IN PAIN

Thursday, January 10, 2013

R&R 101: Serenity

(c) Merimbula Lake, ChronicFaith 2012

Nature has an amazing way of calming and distracting us away from pain and focusing us on the world that is & God it's creator. Enjoy some amazing views captured by yours truly... Stop, Stay and Reflect.. even if it's just for one moment.. The God who designed all of this, made you & is perfectly able to hold you together. 

"You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you. 
Trust in the Lord forever, 
for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."
Isaiah 26:3-4

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, 
the world, and all who live in it; 
for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters."
Psalm 24:1-2

I remember....

Let me tell you about something that seems to be helping me get through this pain..

For a while, I've been fascinated with memory foam.. it seems to be popular, but does it really work?

If you haven't heard of it before, memory foam is supposed to remember the position of your head and body and thus conform to it. It also has the added bonus of reduced muscular pains and keeps your body cool so that you can avoid those pesky night sweats..

I've used it for two nights so far and already I can notice the difference.. Especially for a person suffering with fibro, who spends most of the day in bed, it actually helps. How, you ask?

- While I sleep, the pillows keep my head aligned. My previous pillows were too high resulting in intense neck and head pain each morning
- While I sit, it cushions my bum & my legs, thus reducing sores
- It eases my muscles so that I can get out of bed easier

It really helps! And don't worry, once you get up, the foam goes back to normal. Thus, even if you move around in the night, it will conform to your new position each time.

It can be quite pricey - I bought my set off CatchoftheDay for $100. Money well spent!
The only downside now, is that I am resting better and therefore, just can't seem to get up!