Exhaustion and Prayer Request

I am exhausted after working 4 days this past week. I know some of you are saying “I do that all the time” or “I work 5 days a week.” Please don’t judge me too harshly. I haven’t worked a job since the middle of January 2009 when I went on medical leave.  Since that time, I became sicker before I started getting better.

Hypothyroidism doesn’t just make you tired or cause you to gain weight.  These are the symptoms that most people know but the thyroid produces hormones that are necessary, YES NECESSARY, for proper functioning of every cell in the body.  In hypothyroidism, the thyroid isn’t producing these hormones; therefore, the cells in the body are not receiving the hormones they need to function properly.  That’s why there are so many different symptoms and why many people are misdiagnosed.  In my case, I believe this is what happened.  My symptoms included: emotional changes misdiagnosed as depression for 19 years; joint pain, especially the knees; fatigue (at my worst, I was sleeping 18-60 hours each day); I went from having hot flashes and being warm all the time, to getting cold. It started with being cold when I was tired, to being cold much of the time.  I was having a lot of difficulty remembering things.

It wasn’t until I told the doctor about sleeping for 14 hours in bed and then falling asleep in the chair for more hours, that I was finally properly diagnosed.  Wow!  Once he said hypothyroid I started putting 2+2+2+2 together (some nurse huh?!).  I immediately started reading about hypothyroidism on the web.  A cousin of my husband told me about Mary Shomon and the work she is doing as a patient advocate, so I bought her book, Living Well with Hypothyroidism.  It is an excellent book full of wonderful information.  I learned about the disease process – how the thyroid works and what it does to the body when it doesn’t work properly.  I learned how important it is to take my medication at the same time and when the optimal time for me to take mine.  I learned I’m not going to get better in a short period of time. It took years for me to get as sick as I was and that just because I now have a diagnosis and medication, I’m not all better. Sometimes I push myself too hard, and then it takes days for me to recuperate. It’s now a part of my life and something I have to plan for, even though I hate it! I’m thankful, that the longer I’m on my medicine, the less time it will take to recover – I look forward to that!

Now back to the beginning where I mention being exhausted. I work 4 days this week: 7am to 3 pm on Monday and Tuesday, then 3 pm to 11 pm on Thursday and Friday for more orientation.  On Sunday the 17^th, I start my 3 pm to 7 pm shifts and will do the same on that Monday.  So I’m working 6 days out of the next 8.  I’m sure to be extremely fatigued during that time.  I’m asking for your prayers to help me through.  I know I can do it with God’s help, as He says in Philippians 4:13“ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  What a blessing that we can call on Him for help and KNOW that He will help. It’s not a case of if he remembers but it is a guarantee!  Haw many guarantees do we get these days!

Til next time!

Linda

Citation –Withdrawn! Answers to Prayer!

This past Wednesday, hubby and I had to go to a hearing at district court for the citation received in August for driving a vehicle with a suspended registration.  You can read about that dilemma here and here.  The fine for this is close to $300 and since we were never without insurance, we decided to fight the citation.

The officer involved met us there and we were able to show him the information proving we were never without the insurance and he decided to withdraw the citation; we didn’t have to go before the district justice!  What a wonderful answer to prayer!

Today we had another answer to prayer.  Financially the past several months have been a struggle and I have been looking for a job and even though I had placed several applications, nothing came through.  I know that is because the job God had planned for me wasn’t available yet.  This past Tuesday I had an interview and today they called and offered me the job!  An answer to pray!

If I didn’t trust that God has my future planned, I would have become very discouraged by all the applications I had placed and not hearing anything from them.  I thank God for His love and concern for me, especially knowing that I do not deserve any of it.  I’m thankful that I am a sinner saved by grace!

Til next time!

Linda

It's All In The Timing

My Pastor preached on John 11 this past Sunday morning; the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  It was a powerful sermon and very timely for me.

In case you do not know the story of Lazarus, I will give a short synopsis here.  Lazarus was ill and his sisters, Mary and Martha sent for Jesus to come.  Jesus did not go right away and Lazarus died.  They believed that if Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died; what they did not understand was that Jesus had a plan.
Why did Jesus wait and why didn’t he heal Lazarus?  He could have done so from where he was, he did not have to be where Lazarus was to do that.  What we need to remember is that God does things in HIS TIME not ours.  What is wonderful about that is God often does better than what was asked for!  PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT!

You see, Mary and Martha had wanted Jesus to come and heal Lazarus but Jesus did even better – He raised Lazarus from the dead giving him a new body.

Times of trials and testing provide a time for God’s glory to shine.  It is not important that we are comfortable.  Why does God deal with us like this…SO THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED AND THAT OUR FAITH MIGHT GROW!

Last week I was disappointed because I did not receive a job that I wanted.  I know God’s timing is perfect and so knew he did not want that job for me, at least not at this time but hearing this sermon reinforced that thinking in my head!  I needed that.

There are other situations that I am praying about and I need to remember that His timing is perfect and wait on Him for an answer.  The waiting part is hard for me; I want things to happen now so I frequently get frustrated while waiting for God but if I remember that He gives in His timing and that He gives even better than what we have asked for…well, I just need to keep trusting Him.

Till next time…
Linda <3