Chronic Illness Archives - Rest Ministries - Chronic Illness and Pain Support

If God Never Gives Me More Than I Can Handle, Why Is Life So Hard?

August 12, 2012 By admin 19 Comments

If God never gives me more than I can handle, then explain what is going on in my life! Have you ever felt this way? By Lisa Copen, this is a reprint from http://thinkingaboutsuicide.com where Lisa is a contributor. The web site is a good place to turn during those rough days to help you remember that God cares about you and is here beside you even when you don't feel like it. Over and over I have heard the saying, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." But what about the pain. . . the grief. . . the depression. . . the darkness? It is more than we can handle. Much more. There are days that we wonder is life worth living if we have to get up every day and fight to be strong? We look enviously at others who seem to not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Articles - Read, Depression, Spiritually Struggling, Suicidal Thoughts, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic Illness, depending on god, god doesn't give you more than you can handle, Health, lisa copen, Matthew West, Pain, Rest Ministries, Rheumatoid arthritis

Devotion: How Sitting on The Floor At the Store Reminded Me Weaknesses Show Strength

June 11, 2012 By admin 5 Comments

"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." (2 Chronicles 15:7) Last week I made a trip to one of my favorite stores, IKEA. We go about once a year or so, and had made a trip, a twenty-minute drive, the week before. But I had a rug to exchange and wanted to go without my son, who quickly had become bored. It was my first trip down "south" on the freeway with my new car and I was feeling confident. I could easily see my car's blind spot with the special mirrors and I felt free! As I went to look at lampshades, however, I backed up by a pallet on the ground and flailed in the air in slow motion before falling down on it. I had to sit there about five minutes before someone noticed me. I asked the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, Founder's Blog, What's New? Tagged With: allow people to help, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, fall, ikea, lisa copen, pallet, stubborn

Devotion: How Those With Chronic Illness Have a “Pentecost” Type of Experience

June 6, 2012 By admin 6 Comments

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). I write this on Pentecost Sunday, a day set aside in the church year, fifty days after Easter Sunday, to commemorate the event of Christ’s apostles being filled with His Holy Spirit. This promised Comforter was to lead them into all truth and to teach them. On Pentecost, the Spirit came in tongues of fire, hovering over each recipient, personally filling each one to walk out his life in Christ with boldness. (Acts 1) I have known this Scripture from my childhood, was confirmed in the church of my youth with the sacrament acknowledging the Spirit’s presence within me. Yet today, one phrase in this account stuck out for me with new meaning. I thought of our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: Christ, Chronic Illness, Comforter, Easter, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, language, lynn severance, Pentecost, unspoken understanding

Devotion: Trusting God That Nothing Is Too Hard, Even Illness Challenges

June 4, 2012 By admin 6 Comments

“This is what the Lord says, 'He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar--the Lord Almighty is His name.'” (Jeremiah 31:35). . . . "Ah, Sovereign Lord, Yoy have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17) There have been some times lately, when I have felt like giving up. Sometimes I just get sick of how hard life is with a chronic illness. Even when I think things may have settled down into something a little easier, there seems to be new challenges that come along. I can allow my days to become weighed down by problems, worries, and fears. The meager efforts … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic Illness, trust god

Devotion: The Highs and Lows of Living with Illness During Summertime

June 2, 2012 By admin 6 Comments

"For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah." (Psalm 32:4) Summer. As the temperatures rise, and kids get out of school, many people, are celebrating. Summer is a time of vacations, memories, barbequing with friends, going to the beach, camping, and so much more. For one who lives with a chronic illness, however, it can be bittersweet. Last weekend my family was invited to a birthday party--about 4 hours before it began. I told the host we would come, but I was physically worn out from my rheumatoid arthritis, sore from falling the day before, and didn't think I could sit outside, in any hard chair for six hours. I did not know anyone and I just didn't feel up to making small … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, Founder's Blog, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic, Chronic Illness, God, heat, humidity, lisa copen, Psalms, Rest Ministries, Rheumatoid arthritis, San Diego, seasons, summer

Devotion: When You Cannot Meet Everyone’s Expectations of You

May 28, 2012 By admin 23 Comments

"When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion." (Ezekiel 19:5) In the expectations game everyone loses when it comes to living with an illness. We can become discouraged and depressed when we find our hopes dashed, when we have a few "good days" and expect them to last, only to be knocked flat again by affliction a short time later. Expectations can create all sorts of problems between spouses and friends and family. We say we will do something, or make plans ahead of time to go to some event, only to have our hopes dashed and the injury multiplied by disappointing those close to us. And the situation is not improved by those who have little understanding or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, Hurt Feelings, What's New? Tagged With: Anger, Chronic Illness, disappointment, expectations, Ezekiel, God, Hurt Feelings, Illness, karlton douglas, Lord, Ohio, Pain

Bring a Meal and Make is Special With Free Printable Labels

May 7, 2012 By admin 21 Comments

When one is chronically ill, and a friend wishes to help her, the first thing that comes to mind is to bring a meal. In fact, since the most popular gift to bring is a meal, I wrote the book, Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend to get people to think beyond food. Sometimes all we can think of is to bring a meal! Why is that? Well, a meal is a gift of comfort. And even though we --who are chronically ill--may be physically able to cook, it takes a burden off of us so that we can use the energy we would have spent cooking doing something else. I have discovered that many people who cook for the chronically ill and offer to bring a meal to them, are actually ill themselves. Though it is easy to understand new … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Articles - Read, Beyond Casseroles, Caregiver, Cooking, Free Printables, Friend Has Illness, Invisible Illnesses, Ministry - Personal, Need to Know, Support Group Leader, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic, Chronic Illness, Conditions and Diseases, deacons, free labels for meals, Health, meal delivery, meals for family, meals for recovery, organize meals, organize meals for sick friend, printables, Rest Ministries, take a meal

Share Your Pinterest Account to Connect with Others!

April 30, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Pin this image to makes sure to spread the word so we can find one another over at Pinterest. Want to join Pinterest, but need an invitation? Just drop us a note here and we will send you one! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hobbies-Crafts, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic Illness, craft ideas, craft therpy, diy, Pinterest, tutorial, what is pinterest?

Devotion: When Illness Creates a Habit Of Disappointment

April 25, 2012 By admin 11 Comments

"They are distressed, because they had been confident; they arrive there, only to be disappointed." (Job 6:20) After a long period of continued decline with my health the disappointment of my situation seemed to stamp itself upon me. There is something terrible about continually expecting disappointment, always preparing for more problems. It's like anxiously awaiting rain under a stormy sky. I believe disappointment has the power to imprint itself upon us, because even after I saw gradual improvement with my condition, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sometimes it feels as if the nerve endings of our soul is frayed. Continued friction from additional hardships and trials can leave us in a state of mind where we are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Depression, Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic Illness, cronic pain, disappointment with god, habits

Devotion: Hold on to Hope When Our Chronic Illness-Related Fears Come

April 23, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). A few weeks ago, I got up one morning with severe pain in the middle finger of my left hand. There’s been mild osteoarthritis in my fingers and wrists for many years, but with little pain, except occasionally with extra impact on specific joints. That generally hasn’t lasted long. So the intrusive persistence of this particular pain terrified me. My thoughts quickly went to other people I’ve known who’ve suffered terribly with joint pain, and have had surgery–perhaps several times--to improve their condition. What would something like that mean for my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic Illness, daily pain, facing illness, grace, mercy

Devotion: The Words of My Heart When Coping With Pain

March 31, 2012 By admin 2 Comments

"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:45) "You are being so selfish! Can you think of someone other than yourself?" "Why doesn't anyone else seem to care that our house is trashed? If everyone would just pick up their own stuff I wouldn't be so tired all the time!" "Stop making that screeching sounds! and turn down the video game! And pick up your dishes and take them to the kitchen." Uh. . . Yeah. Those are my words. Not very polite, are they? I said them politely the first five times, but then I started to seethe and said nothing, and then, as I couldn't walk through my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, Founder's Blog, What's New? Tagged With: Christ, Chronic Illness, God, Lego, lisa copen, losing our temper, Luke, mad mom, moods and medications, prednisone and temper, Rest Ministries, San Diego, side effects of prednisone, Word

How to Save Money – My Quick Tips

March 30, 2012 By admin 2 Comments

HOW TO SAVE MONEY: These are a few ideas that are easy and helpful for both online shopping or even small businesses. (Personally, I have gotten backk hundreds of dollars from Ebates over the years!)

Wondering how to save money but without getting so overwhelmed by coupons and codes you are losing your mind? Here are a few ideas (ebates is especially easy) By Lisa Copen Illness is expensive! Have you noticed? Those doctor bills, medications, rehabs, equipment. . . even when you have insurance it can quickly add up to the thousands of dollars. There are a variety of steps you can put into practice when shopping on the Internet and locally. Oftentimes we get so busy buying the item we need we simply forget one of the steps and we miss out on additional savings. Here are some of the ways I have been saving extra money recently. Feel free to print this out and sit it beside your desktop to refer to before type in that credit card … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Articles - Read, Links, Save $, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic Illness, coupons, Disability, ebates, finances, groupon, money saving tips, rebates, save money, savings