The power of God

It is always good to have  a supportive family and network of friends. Support, positive thoughts, and actions have helped me cope with illness and the change of lifestyle that comes with it. However, over reliance on some people can leave them drained. I have experienced outbursts from people because of the support they provided me over the past two years. These outbursts made me cry. But the Lord reminded me that He is there for me all the time.

It is a miracle that I am still alive, it is for God's purpose that He saved me. To my dear friends and bloggers going through similar situations, I just want to encourage you, to let you know that though the arm of flesh may fail you, the power of God will not. Be strong, stay strong.


2 Chronicles 32:7-8

⁷ “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him.

⁸ With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Life's little blessing

What a joy to feel better and stronger! I now enjoy each day as it is given and I am truly grateful knowing how bad things can be and also knowing that there are still people out there suffering. My heartfelt prayers for you all.

Isaiah 43
¹ But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:

“ Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.

³ For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

⁴ Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.

⁵ Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;

⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—


Fear not, be strong, have faith, hope and believe for good and positive outcomes. May God give you the strength you need for your journey.

Sending you peace and all the blessings of this Christmas season.

Dealing with energy crisis

Having no energy to do basic things is not fun! At my low points I barely had energy to move. I was very weak I needed help to do basic things. To me that is energy crisis. Well, some of you understand what I mean. Sadly the nature of autoimmune illness, especially with muscle weakness, is often like that.

I have decided the best way to deal with energy crisis is to have respite. When my body is tired the best cure is rest. A good book and sleep for how ever long the crisis last. I guess I am lucky that I don't have little children. Everyone in my house have learned to look after themselves. My children have been forced to grow up. This has its ups and downs. But when life throw you lemon, you have to make lemonade :)

2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Awake all night

Functioning during the day without enough sleep is not as difficult as laying in bed awake all night trying to get some sleep. There are always things to do around the house but really I'd prefer to sleep at night. So doing chores is not an option.

I was talking to a dear lady friend, Marion. Marion is 88 years old with four children, 16 grand children, 32 great grand children, and five great great grand children. She is a very interesting woman. I asked her how she remembers all their names. She told me she lays in bed at night, praying for each one of them by name. It beats counting sheep. So I decided to pray for people on nights when I can't sleep. I pray, starting with family members, friends, neighbours, and colleagues, and then for people on the news, until I eventually fall asleep. When I get up in the morning I feel energized and ready for the day. What a productive way to use time that I would otherwise have wasted!

Psalm 127: 1 - 2
Unless the LORD builds the house,
         They labor in vain who build it;
         Unless the LORD guards the city,
         The watchman stays awake in vain. 
It is vain for you to rise up early,
         To sit up late,
         To eat the bread of sorrows;
         For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Another something to cheer you up

'Agnus Dei' by Michael W. Smith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPBmFwBSGb0

Alleluia
Alleluia
For the Lord God Almighty reigns

Alleluia
Alleluia
For the Lord God Almighty reigns

Alleluia
Holy
Holy are You Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

You are holy
Holy are you Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

Amen

Something cheerful for a miserable day

'Above all' by Michael W. Smith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7Sn5rV6oM0


Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature
And all created things
Above all wisdom
And all the ways of man
You were here
Before the world began

Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders
The world has ever known
Above all wealth
And treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure
What You're worth

(CHORUS)
Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Reducing hair loss

1 Corinthians 11:15
But that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

I was reading a couple of blogs from people going through similar health situations and suffering from hair loss. I have been there and felt it may be useful if I shared some of my loss prevention tips.

I started noticing my hair breaking and thinning but assumed it was dry and I probably just have split ends. This had been going on for several months until my hairdresser told me that my hair was falling out from the roots and I don't have split ends. To my horror, I had some bald patches. I was not sure if the hair loss was due to the illness or medications. However, I learned later that hair loss is a side effect from one of my medications.

First I cut my hair to a more manageable length to reduce the weight and stress or pull at the roots. This did not stop the hair loss, but I spent less time cleaning hair off the floor, sink, etc. One of my nurses told me about a hair dresser who does not believe in shampoo but uses organic products with less chemicals. I looked at the homemade product used by the hairdresser, but it was too far to ship to where I live. So I decided to just use hot oil treatment and conditioner regularly instead of shampoo. My hair loves olive oil products, so I apply cooking olive oil to my scalp and then a generous amount of leave-in conditioner. I leave it covered with a shower cap for 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much time I have. I then rinse it thoroughly under a very hot shower. After the rinse, I give it a gentle pat with a towel and then use a warm setting on a hand dryer without brushing too hard. When it is dry enough, I style as usual.

This has worked for my hair and the breaking or falling out has reduced significantly. My new growth now has a different texture which I'm still trying to get used to. But starting with luscious hair then going through this, has made me truly appreciate my hair.

Matthew 10:
²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. 
Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.

³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.