I'm not sure how many of you reading this post know about the health issues I have encountered the past month. It has been a difficult 3 weeks and I feel like God is breaking me.
About three weeks ago I broke out in a case of hives. We still don't know what the cause of them is. But I still have them. They last for about 24 hours but every morning I wake up with new ones. They itch and sting and are very irritating. When I first got them I thought they would go away after about a week. Now I am not at all sure when they are going to go away.
My Mom has been incredible. She has researched, talked to doctors, bought me medicine, loved me, etc. Everything any human could do, she has done. I went to an allergist but the things I am allergic to would not be causing hives for this long. I didn't just start taking an antibiotic that I might be allergic to. I didn't change my diet. Nothing has changed. The doctors say I have very sensitive skin. I switched to all natural shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I am now washing my clothes in a fragrance free laundry soap. I got some medicine I can take and a cream that seems to reduce the itch. It has helped to make me more comfortable but it doesn't seem to get rid of the hives. Desperate times call for desperate measures so I am also trying to avoid wheat, nuts, and sugar. Even though the allergy test didn't say I was allergic to any of these, I could have an intolerance. I've been recording what I eat and I seem to get more hives when I eat wheat, nuts, and sugar. Right now I am willing to try just about anything to get rid of the hives.
The past 3 weeks have been very hard for many reasons. The hives is a major cause but God is teaching me through this. I am a very disciplined person. I like to get up somewhat early, exercise, and be productive with my days. This has not happened since the hives. I went for a run and the hives spread and were even more irritating. Exercising made them worse. I decided to stop exercising until the hives were gone.
God is breaking me and stripping me of anything and everything I have put above Him. You don't realize how important something is to you until you can't have it. Revelation 2:4 says that the church of Ephesus forsake their first love - Jesus Christ. When we put anything above God, when anything is more important to us than God, we have forsaken our first love. I didn't realize how important exercising, eating whatever I wanted, and being in control was to me. The hives have forced me to give it all up and over to God. I am not in control of these hives at all. For all I know I could wake up with an eye swollen shut (this has happened twice already).
I have cried more in the past 3 weeks than I have in a long time. I see God working. I feel broken and empty. All I have is Him. All I need is Him. I thought I would feel a lot different in the weeks before I left for Nigeria. I didn't think I would feel empty. I am going to Nigeria to pour out to others. But how can I do that if I am empty? But that's just it. I'm not empty. I have Christ.
I am leaving Charlotte on Tuesday, February 4th at 12:30pm. I will be flying to JFK and out of New York at 4:25. I will then go to Paris and should arrive in Paris at at 5:30am. Both Paris and Nigeria are 6 hours ahead of North Carolina. I will leave Paris at 11am Wednesday, February 5 and arrive in Abuja at 4:55pm. Someone from SIM is going to pick me up from the airport and I am going to stay in a guesthouse in Abuja Wednesday night. On Thursday I will drive about 3 or so hours to Jos, where I will be living.
I am excited for all of this to happen and to share my experiences and adventures with you! Please pray for me.
Pray
+for good health - and even if these hives don't go away for a while, pray that I would rejoice and find joy
+Energy and strength
+safety
+quick adjustment to time change and living on my own
+good company in Jos
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
No comments:
Post a Comment