Caring for the Sick...

Caring for the Sick

I have lived with type one diabetes since I have been 14 years old. A chronic illness that you can’t always see the outside effects of. As i have gotten older the complications have gotten worse. You do the best you can to control your diabetes and sometimes your best is not good enough. The complications overtake you and control. You are no longer able to do the things you want to do or be the person you want to be. It seems you hopes and dreams slowly slips  away and your focus is now on this stupid disease and how to stay alive. 

At first people come to your aid and they help you out. And then the days become years and people have lives and the world goes on. it goes on for them and feel like you are forgotten. You hear a lot of the same stuff as a Christian. Read your Bible more, pray more. Only if you would have more faith you would be healed. In the Christian world and non-christian  world people don’t understand there is a difference between type one diabetes and type two diabetes. They are very different! 

I think most chronically ill people struggle with depression. If you think about that would make since. Being home alone all the time. Being in the hospital all the time. Fighting for there lives off and on. Feeling a since of hopelessness is a common thing. 

Whatever the sickness is or chronic illness is it is important that we as a church show love and compassion to the hurting. Below is some tips that I have come up with over the years from my own suffering. Ways that church’s can reach out and love. This is not and exhaustive list but it’s a start. 

So how can the church help?

1. Be present! Visit the chronically person weekly.
2. Bring them some kind of food or snack if they can eat. Ask them in advance what they can eat and what there favorite food is. And don’t question them. If there diabetic and they want ice cream bring them ice cream the probably know what they are doing. 
3. Ask them if you can do a chore for them. For me the hardest thing for me to do is laundry. I had a lady at my church do all my laundry one time and it was such a blessing. 
4. Get them out of the house. Ask them if they want to get out of the house. Not to got to an appointment but just go somewhere fun. I know when I was not driving it was nice to just leave the house. 
5. Just don’t ask if you can pray for go to their house and pray for them. 
6. Listen to them! We tend to want to give advice. Sometimes sick people just want people to listen to them. 
7. Let them be part of. Being sick makes you feel worthless. So if there is some type of ministry that a person can be a part of that will help them still feel a part of your church. 
8. Just don’t send emails and Facebook messages but send letters and cards of encouragement. 
9. Chronic Ilness Sunday where the whole service is dedicated to praying for those who are sick and having the elders laying hands on those who are there on Sunday and praying for them. 

Resting in Him

That deep depression that just does not go away. I have this pain in my heart that keeps hurting and I don’t know why. I am reading my Bible and praying and I am reaching out and I am still depressed. I feel like I am in this pit and I can’t get out. I guess I am tired of being alone all the time. Being sick and alone. I have my hope in Jesus so why am I depressed? I guess many Christians who struggle with depression ask that question. I have been diagnosed with bipolar and sometimes it gets hard. I take my meds when I am should but it is a battle. Somedays I feel like giving up, but I know that I can’t.

I have learned through the past few years feels come and go but I don’t have to act on them. That’s why I need to know the Truth of God’s Word. His Truth never changes! Even if I don’t feel like it, it’s true! The more I can read His Word the better I am when I get when I get depressed. It’s o.k to be down but it’s not o.k. to have bad actions when I am down. I can cry and cry out to the Lord, that is o.k. He cares and listens when I cry out. But my old ways of dealing with things are not o.k.

When David was struggling he wrote a Psalm. We can see through his writings he struggled with depression. There is something about writing and writing to God that helps us out. My heart might be down cast right now but my love for Jesus never fades! During the last few days I have been reading the Bible more and praying and crying out to Jesus. He hears me and loves me! I just want Him to take away my sickness and pain, but for some reason God sees fit to have me in this situation. It’s hard, but when I am weak He is strong! Today I am going to rest in Him!

My Hope

What keeps us going? It is Hope. Any time someone takes there life they have lost hope. When people throw themselves in the bottle they might have lost hope. When we give up on a marriage, it is the lost of hope. When we give up on ourselves it is the lost of hope. Hope keeps us going. A Hope for a better tomorrow. Some times it is easy to loose hope. I can now more understand those who are shut in and the struggles they must have. If you live with any kind of chronic illness you probably have had times where you have lost hope.

 

My Hope is in the Lord. Even though some days my faith is shaken. If I take my eyes off of Jesus it is so easy to start loosing hope. The day in and day out of my illness can get to me. I have asked questions the last few days like, where are you God? And why me? I know I am in trouble when I start asking those two questions. I need to turn around the why me to why not me? Would I wish this on some one else. Well.... no. Even those who I don' like very much, I would not wish this on any one. So today I am going to try and not ask that question. And where is God, He is right here with me. I don't know how people go through stuff like this without God.

 
Just took a little walk today. It is a really nice day. As I was walking this song kept coming in my head. " I need thee every hour...." I do need God every hour and every minute. When no one is around I need to encourage myself with things like this. Encourage myself through reading His Word. My strength is low. It is a big deal for me to just walk these days. But as I walk, sit, stand, sleep, cry or whatever I need Him and He hears my cry. Some days I feel forgotten by everyone I know, but God will never leave me nor will He forsake me. Pressing on and pressing forward not alone, but with God.

Here we go again

In the hospital again. In Ames this time. Getting great care so far. Stomach just not wanting to work. Been in here since Sunday. If my stomach does not start working they might have to put a feeding tube back in. It's sure a struggle!

Frustrated

I am growing weary of my continued sickness. My heart feels like I have been abandoned by God and His people. Just read the first two chapters of Job and read 2 Corinthians 12 about Paul's thorn in the flesh. I realize that today I am not suffering well and my faith is weak. I see no light at the end if the tunnel. My attitude has and is poor. I see my stomach doctor tomorrow and feel like there is no point. I don't feel like he listens to me.
But today right now my prayer is that God will help me change my attitude. That today I will be more like Job and Paul. I need to cling to Him.
I see two doctors this week my stomach doctor and the blood/cancer doctor. Please pray that my stomach doc listens and that with the other doc that I will get some clear answers.
I am going to keep walking today.

Good Report

Doctor visit went well. No cancer and I get to go to see all the Alaska Eaches! I leave a week from today!

It is easy to have great news but then focus on the one bad thing of the day! Still don't have the acceptance thing down as well as I would like! But, I am going to keep walking!

More will be revealed!

Finding out more about my surgery I had last Monday. The doc never really talked to me but he talked to my dad. I asked dad last night all that went on in my surgery, well the biggest thing that he told me is that they had to take a biopsy of something and had to send it out to make sure it is not cancer. He is not sure what it was they had to biopsy. So I will find out on the 12th when I have my postop appointment. The surgery  was longer than they thought it would be and the doc told my dad I will be struggling with the pain for a few weeks. This has been the most painful thing I have ever gone through. Monday and Tuesday were pretty good days. And then yesterday and today the pain has been pretty bad.
Just an update for u all and it u pray please pray for me. God is teaching me something, trying to figure out what! All I can do today is keep on keeping on!

Gratitude in the midst of pain

It's been a hard week physically for me and for some of my friends! My surgery was not planned, which is a good thing because if I knew how hard this surgery was to recover from and I had time to think about I would of tried to get out of it. But they knew I needed surgery any I needed it right away. I did not know that u could have such a bad hernia that they had to do an emergency hernia survey. What I mean by that is I went to the doctor at 3 and was on the table by 7pm. I told them that I had eaten that day, but that did not change there mind. This is probably the worst pain I have been in. I just hope it will be better so I can go to Alaska.
But even with all the pain and feeling like crap God is still good. I a very blessed first of all I get to do this sober. Secound I am blessed by having my dad here for most of the week. I would not have been even able to get off the couch some days if it was not for him. Third I have been blessed by all the encouraging phone calls and visits. Especially when one of my visitors brought me pizza! Even through the pain I can be grateful!
By the way I am going to be laid up for a few more days and I love visitors and phone calls :-)

My crazy week

It's been all most a week since I blogged last. I was on a roll there for awhile blogging almost every day. Life is good today because I don't have to drink for any reason any more! And that my friends is a great thing.
Life can be good even thou I am having some struggles. Off and on for a couple of years I have been struggling with pain on my right side and in my groaning area. Had it checked out a few times and I just concluded it was my diabetic stomach issue that I have had for years, well last week problems started again. So I went to my doctor on Saturday and after checking me she thought I had a prostate infection. So she gave me some antibiotics and some other meds and sent me on my way. She all so did a blood test to make sure it was not cancer, and it's not. By Monday the pain was very bad. So I went back to her.My doctor decided  to check me for a hernia and it was a lower hernia and I think I have had it for awhile. So I went ti see the surgeon and was on the table by seven. I guess the hernia was worst then they thought. I Spent the night in the hospital and got out Monday  at noon. I guess it's a slow recovery. When your diabetic and have surgery  I guess your blood sugars hit the roof. So I got no sleep Monday night, but the blood sugars are better. This surgery and the hernia has been the worst pain I have every gone through. My appointment with my sergan is on the 12 and the nurse told me that I will be having pain at least until then. I am thankful that my dad had been off he has been helping me out a lot. The hardest thing is laying down and then trying to get up.
I was supposed to see my kids this weekend, but I can't make it. I am suppose to fly out for Alaska on the 19th to see my mom and my brother and his family. Hoping I will be able to still go.
It seems like I have been sick a lot again. On Sunday I will have 14 months sober. Some times in recovery u think that u won't be sick and everyone will trust and accept you. But that's not all ways the case. I probably will be struggling with my health the rest of my life. What I am trying to do is to keep a good attitude and all ways try to remember that God is in full control. Selfpity is easy to to get into, but the more I focus in the good it is easier not to go there.
And the other thing I am working in this week is this, it's not my job to care what others think of me. I worry that people think I fake some of my sickness, but my sponser says that is not for me to worry about!
Any way there's where I am at today. Writting this blog on my phone while on the couch. Have a great day