Everyone has a story to tell. That story is mostly made up of a chain of non-spectacular events. We tend to think our story is not so interesting if we don't have at least a few miracles laid out in our past. Let me just say this: extraordinary events don't come very often in anyone's life. I think the real substance of our lives is found in miracles like refusing to give in to self-pity when we have every right to it; or hanging onto our principles when there is no one to notice; believing in God when we live in the midst of an unbelieving family or society; smiling when we feel like crying; or getting out of bed and taking that next breath when we would rather not. Just getting through your day without dying can be miraculous! This is what the world needs to see. Everyday people with everyday lives filled with everyday problems making it through every day!
Be ready to tell your story. It's a good idea to organize it well enough in your mind that you can write it down. Then you'll be ready for the opportunity to share yourself with someone who just may need to know.
5 comments:
Anna,
Many times I wish I didn't have a story to tell. The 'inner me' doesn't always match the smiling, seemingly comfortable and content 'outer me'. I would often like to shrink in a corner and go unnoticed. But, that's hardly possible when I still have children to raise.
I used to want to tell my story, but now, I want to forget it's real.
Thanks for your thoughtful blog entries!
Tonya
Dear Tonya,
I so agree with you that our stories may be so painful that we work to hide it from the world or lose heart even facing the reality of it. I look to Scripture for comfort.... Isaiah 64:8 says, "But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter; And all of us are the work of Thy hand."
Isaiah 64:11,12 says, "...all our precious things have become a ruin.... Wilt Thou keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?"
And I find in Jeremiah 18:3-6, "Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, can I not, O house of Israel deal with you as this potter does?"
Though this Scripture is spoken by the prophet Jeremiah to the Israelites, I believe it can be applied to each of us as believers.
Don't despair and think that your life would be better lived in another way. Your heavenly Father loves you very much and is accomplishing His grand design through you. You do have purpose! Your life is precious to Him and He has given you those children who needed a mom just like YOU. Never doubt that He has stopped using you to His glory. No matter what it seems to you - no matter how it feels to you. Trust Him just a little longer, Tonya!
Love,
Anna
Thank you Anna for these words. You really encourage me. But, as you well know, not only is the outer vessel of a PWP broken, but also the stuff on the inside(our minds, thought process) is. PWP not only battle an often times broken body, but also a mind that is altered either by PD or the drugs we use to help us (or both). Do or did you find it more difficult to be a child of God when facing issues with your mind/conscience because the effects PD has on our minds.
Thank you, Anna
Tonya
I also have dealt with mind issues. Being a full time mother to 4 kids stretched me to the max, but add to that an altered reality as a PWP and life becomes all but impossible.
I found that it most definitely drove me into the arms of God where I had to trust Him and depend on Him more than ever. The people around me weren't able to meet my needs even a little . I found profound comfort in Scripture having no doubts that there I would find truth. I couldn't be sure of that with people. I took my misery, all of my doubts and every bit of my pain to Him.
I found a sense of "home" in His presence when my perceptions (even my identity) were threatened.
Hang onto Him Tonya and when your grip begins to slip ask Him to hang onto you.
Praying for You,
Anna
Anna, thank you. I will try. Only the Father can do it for me, though. I'm a weak vessel. Thank goodness He is longsuffering with us. It seems I take the long road and always have to learn life lessons the hard way, knowing better all the while.
But, He freely forgives if we only confess and regret. Now, that is hard to fathom.
Have a good day, Anna.
Tonya
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