“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Psalms 138:8 ESV
Medication.
Meditation.
The difference is in the focus. Where we put our energy. Where we let our thoughts go. What we believe will work.
I opted for the “quick fix” back in the day. I had an inordinate amount of trust in doctors and Western Medicine. I trusted in the diagnosis. I was younger. More naive. I craved escape. I was afraid. Of everything…life, love, and losing it all. And, consequently…I nearly did.
When we are faced with life’s troubles, we have choices. We can run and hide. We can deny and bargain. We can grit our teeth. We can escape in the clouds of drugs and alcohol. Or, we can face the truth, stand as tall as we can, and surrender to a higher power than ourselves.
Control. Oh, we do so want control, don’t we? We want to control the process. We want to control the outcome. We want to control the pain. But we don’t really have the control when it comes to circumstances. It’s life. It’s messy. It’s sometimes hard. It’s oftentimes more beautiful than we have words to describe.
I remember when I first started recovering from the overdose and subsequent divorce. I bought self-help books. I was confused by terms like “boundaries” and “values”. I questioned my purpose in life. I struggled along for four years trying to get a handle on how to be a “normal”, functioning adult. Then my mom died and I turned from the self-help section to God. I was obviously not helping myself very well. I needed help from the Master. I bought The Purpose Driven Life and things started to change for me. I have come to realize the bottom line is…if you have a pulse, you have a purpose. And if you listen, God will tell you what that purpose is.
I’m being gentle with myself this week. This was NOT a big surgery. I’ve had much, much worse, but I wasn’t sixty-five then. I can’t control my age or my body’s reaction to anesthesia and medication. I can control my response. I can rest and pray and meditate instead of medicate. Each day is better than the one before it. ❤️
Amen. Rest, relax, read God’s Word, and let Him heal you.
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You will never know how much I needed this post today Ginny.
Especially the part where you say “when we are faced with life’s troubles, we have choices”. I have been burying my head in the sand, its easier that way because I am afraid. But, everything around me is crumbling. So, its time for me to stand tall and turn everything over to my Heavenly Father. Which I thought I had done but I quite obviously haven’t done fully because of that control issue.
I don’t know why this spoke to me so strongly this morning – but it did.
Thank you so much for doing what you do ❤
Mich…God brings me the words. I am just the transcriptionist. I am glad the words spoke to you today. I often go back and read what I’ve written and realized they were for me as well. Sending love and light as you climb this mountain. The view from the top is divine! ❤️
Love your distinction in one letter. This was a very good post. I still want to catch up with you some time. I’m heading to Indy this week so I’ll be traveling near you.
Rest in the Lord!
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Loved this post. When I used to react to life in dysfunctional ways I realized I was trying to avoid feeling the pain, fear, anger. When I finally realized I do not have control over other people, I actually do have control – of me. And control of how I perceive. Best wishes on your recovery.
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I absolutely love The Purpose Driven Life! I read it long before I lost my husband and it has been so helpful since!
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