How To Keep Your Faith When You Are Sick

Today, I'm not feeling well; but, I have FAITH.  I have faith that one day I will feel better.  I have faith that God is working through me, toward something remarkable. I have faith that I am dealing with my illness for a reason.

Now, I haven't always been this faithful. In the past, I have wallowed in my self pity.  I have questioned God's motives and existence. I have allowed fear to cripple me.  I have allowed the darkness to envelope me.

And, for what?  Misery? Unhappiness? Fear?

Then, one day, I had enough! I decided to be thankful. I was thankful for the things I had. I was thankful for the time I had been given with loved ones who had passed. I was thankful for the loved ones I still had around me. I was thankful for the many blessings God had bestowed on me.

I decided to be giving.  I volunteered at my church's resale shop.  I volunteered to teach religious education classes as well.  I donated, what I could afford, to charities and food pantries.  I did good deeds on a daily basis. I offered compassion, empathy, and a listening ear for those in need.

And, then I got sick.

How do you keep your faith when you receive a life-changing diagnosis? You CHOOSE to.

I never questioned why God allowed me to get sick. I simply knew there was a reason.  I CHOSE to live the way I thought God expected me to live. I CHOSE to use my illness to help others who were suffering.  And, God CHOSE me to help them. My illness gave me a purpose.

Sometimes, it's just a matter of changing the way you think about things.  I could easily have decided to stop teaching my religious ed class because I just didn't have the energy anymore.  But, instead of thinking of myself, I thought of the kids. God would give me the energy I needed to continue to teach His children.  And, He does, every other Wednesday.

Always see the little miracles.  For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that I've been renting cars, trying to decide what car I want.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go read my post titled Faith and A Fiat 500.  Anyway, after driving the Fiat, I decided I wanted a Prius. The rental car I had after the Fiat was, very possibly, the worst car I'd ever driven.  I was anxious to get rid of it. I poured through used car websites, looking for a reasonably priced Prius.  I kept coming across reviews from Prius owners about the expense of replacement parts.  It also seemed like the same issues were occurring over and over again.  I started thinking a Prius might not be such a good idea.  My husband agreed.  So, I had to find another car I liked.  Finally, I decided to take a serious look at the Mini Coopers. I had wanted a Mini long before the Fiat.  Plus, there were quite a few used Minis available, at reasonable prices.  Well, two days after that decision, my rental was up.  I wanted to trade the car I had for another more reliable one.  Unfortunately, they were out of other compact cars.  But, he did have a Mini Countryman getting washed in the garage.  My husband and I just looked at each other and busted out laughing.  No way could this happen twice! It did.  And, because they had no more compact cars, I was able to negotiate the rental price down to just $1 a day more.  Now, I get to test drive a Mini for a month.

Understand that God will always give you what you need.  Turn yourself over to Him.  Trust Him fully.  You will be amazed at how relaxed and comforted you will feel when you know everything will turn out as it was meant to.

When things are hard, ask God for help.  I hate to complain. But, sometimes, I can't help it.  When my hair was falling out in clumps, I cried.  The pain, I've been able to handle. My hair falling out, not so much.  That's when I asked God for help.  I prayed like I had never prayed before, pleading for help.  I know you're probably thinking I'm going to say my hair stopped falling out, and all was right with the world.  But, that's not what happened.  My hair is still falling out, although not as much.  Instead, I became at peace with it.  I can honestly say, I don't care about it anymore.  I'm sick.  This is what happens when you're sick sometimes.  If anyone wants to make judgements against me and my thin, stringy hair, that's on them.  I'm still alive.  My life is worth more than my hair.  I'm at peace.  Don't be afraid to pray for help.  God will not judge you for needing a break once in a while.

Vow to be happy.  Yes, you've suffered a blow.  Maybe, you've been told, as I have, that your disease cannot be cured.  Or, perhaps, your chances of recovery are not good.  Don't let that news define you. Miracles happen everyday! Why not to you?  A positive attitude and faith can do your health a world of good.  I refuse to let this disease get me down.  I made a vow to be happy. And, darn it, I am happy! I make it a point to laugh every day.  I choose to laugh at even the most annoying things.  I live in the same world you do.  It's not always rainbows and gumdrops! I'm up on all the politics, world events, and bizarre happenings going on right now.  I choose to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.  Those things I can do nothing about, I don't let myself get upset about.  The things I can do something about, I do.  Once again, everything will work out the way it's meant to.

It's all about choice. You can CHOOSE to keep and grow your faith.  As the quote above reads, you will see the light with your HEART, even when the darkness is in front of you.

Lastly, be kind to yourself.  Forgive others and yourself, to release your burdens.  Holding on to hate and regret will not help you to heal.  Be at peace in the now.  Let go of the past. Trust in the fact that God has your back in the future.

As always, I'd love to hear the ways you've kept your faith alive.  We should all support each other in healing.  Even though you may feel like no one can benefit from your experiences, someone will.  You may be able to connect with someone, in the exact way, they needed at that moment. Your life is valuable.  Your experiences are REMARKABLE.

Goodnight and God Bless!

Faith and A Fiat 500

Now, you may be wondering what a Fiat has to do with a person's faith. Well, let me explain.  Over the last eight years, my husband and I have purchased six used cars, two for him, two for his son, and two for his daughter. Meanwhile, I was driving my sturdy 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

It was Momma's turn to get a new car!

However, Momma didn't know what she wanted.  I knew I wanted something small. So, I started looking around. I finally settled on a Fiat or a Prius. I figured by early 2014, I would decide. I had some time. The Jeep was really good in winter weather; so, keeping it over the winter months was sensible.

Then, life hit! My stepson totaled his car in a collision. He, luckily, was unharmed. But, he needed a car.  Rather than spend our money on a third car for him, we decided to give him my trusty Jeep. I would then rent a car until I could decide what car I wanted to buy.

I researched the cheapest rental I could find. I ended up in a little Hyndai. I don't remember the model because it really wasn't what I wanted to buy. It was a cute little car though. We rented it for a month.  On Wednesday, my husband received a call that the car was due back at the rental place. Wow, did that month go by fast! We had planned to simply re-rent the car for another month because we hadn't had time for me to test drive the Fiat 500 or the Prius.  The rental place had other ideas.  They wanted to charge us almost double the rate we'd paid before for the rental another month! We brought the car back at once!

My husband got on the phone and started calling different rental companies to get the best rate. He found a place nearby and scheduled a pickup for Friday because they were going to be getting a few compact cars in on Thursday. They would have them cleaned and ready to go Friday morning.

On Thursday, my husband asked if I had made my final decision yet. I was pretty sure I wanted the Prius.  He asked if I wanted to go to a dealership to drive the Fiat 500. His reasoning was that I had talked about the Fiat for so long and pinned a photo of one on my wish board, maybe I was settling on the Prius because it was less expensive ( We don't usually buy new, always used.)  I assured him that was not the case. But, it definitely was a consideration. So, I was almost sure I wanted the Prius.

Friday morning, we headed to the rental company.  When we pulled up to the storefront, a Fiat 500 was parked in the spot beside us. I looked at it a laughed. My husband asked, " Wouldn't it be funny if that was your rental car?" I replied," That would be hilarious!" We walked into the place and sidled up to the counter.  After the pleasantries, the rental agent announced," We have you renting the Fiat 500 out there. But, you can choose another one.....".  We busted out laughing! My husband told him he could stop right there because the Fiat would be perfect! Then, we told him the story so he wouldn't think we were off our rockers. He probably thought that anyway!

I am now doing a monthlong test drive of a Fiat 500.  I should definitely be able to make up my mind after this!

How does that story teach anyone about faith, you ask.  You see, I live my life knowing that everything happens according to God's plan. When something happens, good or bad, I never ask why. My faith is so strong that I just know everything is going to turn out the way it's supposed to, according to what God has planned for me.

In the past, I questioned and pitied myself. When I lived like that, I was miserable and depressed.  Then, I started to understand that the more I fought God's will for me, the more unhappy I became. The minute I started to flow with the signs and put my TOTAL trust in God, I became immeasurably happy.  This doesn't mean that bad things never happen to my family. But, when they do, I am comforted by the fact that there is a reason to lead us to a better path.

That is how a Fiat 500 helped strengthen our faith. It's funny how things work out sometimes.

Have a blessed week!

Oh, and on a side note, the Fiat had just been driven in from Wyoming! What are the chances?!