Happy Monday, friends! Today we have a special guest on the blog, Sara Willoughby! Sara is going to share with us some things God has taught her through her battle with chronic illness. Thank you so much for joining us today, Sara. <3 Sometimes, I wonder why God chose to allow this illness in my life. Actually, I wonder why often. I mean, I know that His plans are good, and I see many of the ways He is working in my life through this illness. For one, He is shaping and growing me in so many ways through it. He’s also allowing others to see Himself through it in ways that never would have happened had I been healthy. But still... sometimes it seems like I would have been able to serve God better had I been healthy the last few years. You see, I have toxic mold poisoning, Lyme disease, and MCS. And it limits the ways that I can interact with the world; the things that I can do. There are so many things I want to do... I want to be an author. I want to be a missionary. I want to be a wife and a mother eventually. I want to be able to disciple younger girls now. I want to be a good sister and daughter and friend. But so often, my sickness seems to hinder those things. Maybe you feel the same way I do. Maybe you, too, have a long-term illness of some sort. You feel stuck, unable to do things that “really matter”. Unable to “make a difference”, or pursue your dreams. Maybe you feel like you could serve God more effectively or be a better Christian if you were healthy. So often I feel like I’m not enough. Like I fail too much. But today, I want to share something with you that God has been teaching me over and over again the last weeks, months, and years through this illness. Here it is: God’s grace is sufficient for you and for me. In our weakness, His power is made perfect. When we feel overwhelmed by our weakness, our sickness, our shortcomings, God’s grace is sufficient. When we are physically too weak to tie our shoes, when our bodies cry out in pain from illness, when we can’t think clearly enough to string words together, His grace is sufficient. It doesn’t matter if we can’t live up to what we think we should be able to. Because God is so much bigger than us. It’s not about us, it’s about Him. When we are too weak, His power is so much bigger than our weakness. When the sickness looms like a huge mountain, God is bigger. Our weakness actually glorifies God if we choose to rely on Him. When we can’t do it on our own, it shows that it is only in God’s power that we are able to do anything. So if you are struggling right now, take comfort. God’s grace is sufficient for you. He loves you so much and has given you the power to overcome: His unending grace. "But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) Sara Willoughby is a 16-year-old girl who loves to write and have adventures. She is a TCK, a Lymie, and a B.R.I.G.H.T. Lights leader. She writes for Romans535Blog, FoundWhoIAm, and Th!nk Magazine. Wow - I just stumbled on to this blog and I guess it was just the right time to do so. Thanks for the post, Sara! I can relate with a bunch of what you said. I'm 25 now, but still working through health issues from having Lyme disease for a decade. And, although I'm not a TCK, I have so many great friends who are, that I nearly feel like one myself. Thanks for the post! 3/13/2018 02:38:10 pm
I'm glad that this was timely! :) I'm both sorry and glad that you can relate ;) I'll be praying for you! 3/12/2018 01:57:15 pm
I had Lyme for two years, but even though I'm now cleared, I also have an autoimmune disease, so I really relate to this. Lovely article, thanks for sharing! :) 3/13/2018 02:40:07 pm
Ugh, that's no fun! :( Sending spoons and prayers! I'm glad that this article was encouraging to you. :)
Lori Ann
3/13/2018 03:47:30 pm
Wow. I read, "But still... sometimes it seems like I would have been able to serve God better had I been healthy the last few years. You see, I have toxic mold poisoning, Lyme disease, and MCS. And it limits the ways that I can interact with the world; the things that I can do." And I did a double take to see if I'd written this post without realizing it! 3/29/2018 03:03:45 pm
This was so encouraging and inspiring, Sara! Thank you for sharing this and changing this world through the ministry of encouragement! =) Comments are closed.
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