Are you living life or just surviving? Karlton explains where to find the enduring strength to live.

“When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?” (Isaiah 28:24).

Life for the chronically or continually ill can seem like one endless effort at trying to stay afloat on a stormy seas of sickness and disease. It is no wonder when we spend 90 percent of our effort on just surviving our illness that we feel exhausted, irritated, frustrated, and angry.

When there is no break from the constant struggle with our broken bodies we can find ourselves continually short on the mental and emotional resources to deal with the daily needs of endless illness. And physically we find ourselves pressed beyond our strength to cope with the daily requirements our disease foists upon us.

New challenges are daunting when we consider that we barely have the resources to deal with the “normal” daily difficulties of our illness. When we can barely maintain the status quo of our disability, additional or new obstacles to our health simply overwhelm us.

When looking at this endless mountain we must climb, I know one thing for sure–we are not going to make it without God’s help.

Thankfully we can call upon the Lord to help carry these overwhelming burdens of sickness and disease. We can ask for healing, comfort, support, and strength. When we feel isolated and alone in our struggles, we can pray for the Lord’s intervention and rescue from the tidal wave threatening to overcome us.

We are not alone in our struggles, and our Lord can help us do more than stay in maintenance mode, He can help us to rise above and overcome the adversity of illness.

Prayer: Dear Lord, too often we are barely able to maintain our everyday difficulties with illness. Help us to overcome, and not be overwhelmed when new problems arise. Amen.

About the Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. He has a full time job just maintaining his health with his numerous afflictions, but God has been faithful to see him through.

Are you in maintenance mode with your illness? Do you feel overwhelmed by the daily challenges of maintaining your affliction?

This is a comforting sing, “Grace for All” with Holly Starr. It is called a “modern day hymn” and when you hear it I think you will understand why. She sings of God’s grace, of how none of our weaknesses are hidden from God. I hope it has the words today that you need to hear. There is life other than maintenance mode. Hugs. -Lisa