On Easter a few years ago, we had flip cards, and we had one side saying what we lost, and one side saying how God had sustained us during that loss. My board said on one side:"MS (Multiple Sclerosis) took my eyesight, my legs, & my future" And the other side: "daily I'm sustained by God with miracles of healing."
These are the prepared questions and answers. I know that I shared other things besides this and left out a bunch, but this is the general idea. Brian Rhen "opened the door" mentioning that I always said I would like to highlight the top of his hair and he wouldn't let me. So I replied, I really like the highlighting God gave you, it is exactly where I would put it!
So these are the questions and the prepared responses:
1.BRIAN: Can you tell us what happened after you participated in sharing your cardboard flip?
BARB'S THOUGHTS: I realized that after I held the poster on that Easter 3 years ago, my life got much worse. Within 3 months, the MS attached my cerebellum and other parts of me. My cerebellum atrophied, causing tremors, memory loss, cognitive impairment, I lost the ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide, my taste buds quit working, I couldn’t drive, and my hands shook so much and I was so dizzy, I could no longer earn a living.
Medicine and doctors became more costly and I could not help myself, let alone anyone else. I couldn’t drive, or work. I finished my career at the top of my game, but was now in the bottom of a pit. I was removed and isolated.
2. BRIAN: During that season, how did faith and hope in Christ sustain you?
BARB'S THOUGHTS:
I survived because of Faith and Hope. Hope in Jesus that My life was in His capable hands.
Some say that if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. Oh Contraire!! If you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have anything, no matter how healthy, rich or successful you are. Those things come and go, and if my hope is in them, I will be sorely disappointed. If you have Jesus, you have everything you need for this life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
I may not have the tangible things that most think they need. But I have what counts: Jesus. Faith in Him gives me hope moment by moment. His Hope proves His presence every minute off my life, removing fear and giving me stability. Without fear, and in His presence, I can be who I am, as imperfect as I am, and be okay. Alone or in a crowd, I am okay. With money or without, I am okay.
His promise of heaven and to be like Him in the end is a hope that is more glorious than I could ever imagine. Yes, there is something far better than health and wealth, it is Hope fueled by Jesus my Lord and Savior.
3. BRIAN: Today and moving forward what are your keys to sustain your faith and hope in Christ? And what do you need faith and hope for as you look into the future?
BARB'S THOUGHTS:
Every day is a challenge physically, I have to take a nap after I get ready in the morning some days. Mentally, God gave me most of my cognitive function back, and I can drive!
Since my mom died last year and Gloria fell and broke her hip 2 weeks later, my days are filled with administering my mom's estate, administering Gloria's finances and making sure that she is well cared for, being a wife and friend, being a small group leader.
All of this would be impossible without the relationship I have with Jesus. Recently I was so very tired and couldn't accomplish much (we moved in February), and I realized that I had neglected time in the Word and with God in the morning. He is in every part of my day, but I had not set a specific time each day. For the last 2 months, I have been back to the regularly scheduled time with the Lord every morning, slowly going through the new Testament a sentence at a time, and have found the stability and energy to do what I need to do, and the ability to say no when I need to. My hope in Christ sustains me and keeps me sane. Believe me, without Him I am a crazy person who can't sit still. He allowed me to lay still for several months to remind me that without Him, I can do nothing. He is my Hope. He is my Future. He is my God and my Friend. I would be lost without Him.
These are the prepared questions and answers. I know that I shared other things besides this and left out a bunch, but this is the general idea. Brian Rhen "opened the door" mentioning that I always said I would like to highlight the top of his hair and he wouldn't let me. So I replied, I really like the highlighting God gave you, it is exactly where I would put it!
So these are the questions and the prepared responses:
1.BRIAN: Can you tell us what happened after you participated in sharing your cardboard flip?
BARB'S THOUGHTS: I realized that after I held the poster on that Easter 3 years ago, my life got much worse. Within 3 months, the MS attached my cerebellum and other parts of me. My cerebellum atrophied, causing tremors, memory loss, cognitive impairment, I lost the ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide, my taste buds quit working, I couldn’t drive, and my hands shook so much and I was so dizzy, I could no longer earn a living.
Medicine and doctors became more costly and I could not help myself, let alone anyone else. I couldn’t drive, or work. I finished my career at the top of my game, but was now in the bottom of a pit. I was removed and isolated.
2. BRIAN: During that season, how did faith and hope in Christ sustain you?
BARB'S THOUGHTS:
I survived because of Faith and Hope. Hope in Jesus that My life was in His capable hands.
Some say that if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. Oh Contraire!! If you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have anything, no matter how healthy, rich or successful you are. Those things come and go, and if my hope is in them, I will be sorely disappointed. If you have Jesus, you have everything you need for this life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
I may not have the tangible things that most think they need. But I have what counts: Jesus. Faith in Him gives me hope moment by moment. His Hope proves His presence every minute off my life, removing fear and giving me stability. Without fear, and in His presence, I can be who I am, as imperfect as I am, and be okay. Alone or in a crowd, I am okay. With money or without, I am okay.
His promise of heaven and to be like Him in the end is a hope that is more glorious than I could ever imagine. Yes, there is something far better than health and wealth, it is Hope fueled by Jesus my Lord and Savior.
3. BRIAN: Today and moving forward what are your keys to sustain your faith and hope in Christ? And what do you need faith and hope for as you look into the future?
BARB'S THOUGHTS:
Every day is a challenge physically, I have to take a nap after I get ready in the morning some days. Mentally, God gave me most of my cognitive function back, and I can drive!
Since my mom died last year and Gloria fell and broke her hip 2 weeks later, my days are filled with administering my mom's estate, administering Gloria's finances and making sure that she is well cared for, being a wife and friend, being a small group leader.
All of this would be impossible without the relationship I have with Jesus. Recently I was so very tired and couldn't accomplish much (we moved in February), and I realized that I had neglected time in the Word and with God in the morning. He is in every part of my day, but I had not set a specific time each day. For the last 2 months, I have been back to the regularly scheduled time with the Lord every morning, slowly going through the new Testament a sentence at a time, and have found the stability and energy to do what I need to do, and the ability to say no when I need to. My hope in Christ sustains me and keeps me sane. Believe me, without Him I am a crazy person who can't sit still. He allowed me to lay still for several months to remind me that without Him, I can do nothing. He is my Hope. He is my Future. He is my God and my Friend. I would be lost without Him.
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