Monday, May 23, 2016

A Light in the Window

I grew up in a family of readers and I’ve always been an avid reader too. To this day we always share books with one another. Back when I was a young woman and still living at home my mother gave me a book called, A Light in the Window by the author Jan Karon. After reading a lot of Steven King novels this book was a refreshing change of pace for it takes place in a small town and revolves around the life of the local minister.

One of the things in the book that hit home to me was that the minister and his neighbor would always say “Philippians 4:13” whenever they were dealing with a difficult situation. This stayed with me over the years because Phil 4:13 means; “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Over time I’d forgotten the exact line but would think to myself Philippians 4:13 when life got difficult.

I’ve mentioned breaking my hip previously and let’s just say I did a really good job. It was no simple fracture. I needed surgical repair. The only reason the doctor didn’t do a total replacement was because of my age. I was only 53 at the time and hip replacements only last so long so he chose to “fix” it instead. I use “fix” a bit loosely because it’s nothing like what it was. It’s not the same shape, my leg doesn’t fit in the socket the same and it’s now considerably shorter than my other leg. All of this adds up to a physically challenging lifestyle for me. As a result I lean on Phillipians 4:13 more now than ever before. It’s difficult enough being floxed but adding my new reality with my hip I find this simple quote helps me every day. As I try to take a few lopsided and painful steps here and there without my walker which can be frightening I find myself repeating it over and over.

Not everyone has the same type of faith or belief system but whatever you need to do to give yourself the strength to face the challenges of living with chronic illness then do it. Whatever provides you comfort, eases your pain and brings you peace then hold on to that. For me it’s; I can do all things through Him who strengthens me and inch by inch. For others it might be taking it one day at a time or just pushing through. Where I find comfort in prayer for others it might be meditation or chatting with a friend in a support group. Whatever it is that cuts through the darkness and allows you to find your light in the window hold onto it and embrace it. My hope is that we all find our light.


Love and Light, Betsy


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