Today’s a new day! As most of you know, I am using a walker these days to assist me getting around. The last two weeks were tough, as I went through multiple test and treatments at the hospital. As I was sitting here thinking about everything that’s been going on with my health the last few weeks, I had to stop and give God praise. You see, the enemy thought he got the best of me because of my limited ability to get around and having to deal with two weeks in the hospital. But the truth is, my limited ability to be get around does not effect my ability to continue serving God. Never allow the enemy or anyone else to shackle you with their limitations. Keep your eyes focused on God and finish strong. ~OC
Lessons Along the Journey
Today’s a new day! As I spend the week in the hospital receiving treatments and recovering, I have been reflecting on my long health journey and many hospital stays. The lessons learned over the years are many. Here is one that came to my mind this week. ~OC
As I have run this crazy beautiful health journey, I have learned to set myself free from impossible expectations. To let go of my own agenda and not allow anyone to force their agenda’s on me. I have learned to let God do His thing while I learn to rest in Him. To lean into His promises and asked, “God what do you want me to learn from this health journey and how can you use me as I travel this road?”
The life lessons that God wants to teach us through the storms of life can be life-changing. Learning to release my own agenda was only the first lesson for me. I thought my plan was a good, even a God-honoring plan, but it turns out that God had a different plan. A plan that included chronic health issues. A plan for me to be a missionary at medical appointments and hospital visits. A plan that I never would have chosen for myself. But even in the pain and struggles of this health journey, I have learned a second lesson that I believe we would all be better off by learning.
The lesson is this: God is working everything out for our good in life, even when might not believe it or cannot see it.
Now, let me just say that this lesson is a hard one to believe when your life is filled with medical appointments, hospital stays and a crazy amount of pain. If you’re having a hard time believing it today as you read this, let me encourage you with the following words from God’s own heart:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” ~Romans 8:28
I confess that in some areas it has taken me years to see the good that God can bring out of a situation. Sometimes our heads must choose to trust when our hearts cannot muster up the courage to do so. And that brings me to the next lesson I have learned.
Sometimes, God allows us to experience broken bodies so that we can realize we have an even greater need—a broken heart. A broken heart that needs Him. If we will let Him, God wants to take our broken hearts, and pour His love in. That is part of the “good” that He wants to work for us in the scripture verse above. He wants to heal our brokenness, and in so doing, bring good out of it. And then, as only God can do, He wants to work through us to show a world of hurting and broken hearts that He can do the same for them. That is part of what He means when He says that we have been “called according to His purpose.”
God actually has a purpose for us. No matter how broken our lives feel, God has a purpose for each and every one of us. God can take broken people and use them for His greater purposes. All He needs from us is a willing heart.
Maybe you feel your life is too messed up for God to accept. The truth is, God desperately wants us to turn to Him in the middle of our big old mess and lift our hearts and lives to Him.
As I continue to run this health journey, I have learned that all God needs is a willing heart. Because if you are willing, even though you may feel like you are a mess, God will honor whatever faith you can muster, and take your brokenness and turn it into something truly beautiful.
So today, I pray the following for each of us:
Dear God, I pray that You will take our pain and brokenness and use it for Your good. I pray that You will use our “I can’t “ situations to show us what You can do and want to do in our lives. God, we thank you for hearing our prayers today. It’s in Your powerful and matchless name we pray. Amen.
Trust in God
Today’s a new day! Here is another writing from the vault. I pray it brings you some encouragement.
I am always amazed and saddened when I hear Christians teach the false doctrine that because we are children of the Most High, that makes us exempt from suffering. This is simply just not true.
Nowhere in scripture do we read where God promised any of us that this life would be easy. But God does make this promise: That He is bigger than any storm we will ever face in life. God does promise He is always working for our good, even during the raging storms when it can be hard to see Him. God does promise to never leave or forsake us, even during the biggest storms of our lives.
Each of our storms may look different, but they each have the opportunity to change us. To make us stronger. To help bring us closer to God. He is the only one that has the power to take the toughest moments of our lives and turn them around for the good. It usually never happens as quickly as we would like, but life lessons and blessing will come from it. The good will eventually shine through the darkest moments of our lives.
As I have walked through this crazy beautiful health journey, I have learned the power of praying God’s words back to Him. The words of God have the ability to soothe our souls and help us rise above the pain and challenges we might be facing.
And even if our circumstances are not immediately changed, God’s word reminds us to set our eyes on Him. To lay our burdens at the foot of the Cross. And believe me when I tell you, that’s the best place for them to be.
So as we walk through whatever storm we’re facing, we can be confident that God sees our pain. He has not forgotten us. God is still at work, through the most difficult moments of our lives. Today, lean into God and place your storms in His hands. Trust in Him. ~OC
Hope and Joy
Today’s a new day! The following post is one that I have been writing and rewriting for months. I am not sure it’s exactly everything I want to say, but sometimes you just have to put it out there and not worry about the response.
What if I shared with you that when I look at this crazy beautiful health journey I am on, I do so with hope and joy in my heart?
In the midst of countless hospital visits, treatments, pain and surgeries there has been indescribable hope and joy that has surrounded my every step.
Let me share some truth with you. It has not been my health journey that has that brought me this hope and joy. Far from it. The hope and joy that I live with comes from someone else. You see, as I have experienced my health declining over the years, I have become intimately aware of how fragile life really is. I have become more aware of how short, and how painful our time can be on this journey called life. This has led me to crave for a life that God promised to those who would follow Him. A life where there is no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death.
As I have run this grueling health journey, I found myself more desperate for God’s word and the peace of heaven. There were days I fixed my eyes on heaven just to get through the day. But then something amazing began to happen. The more I focused on God’s promises and heaven, the more I felt alive and renewed. Even though my body continues to decline, I have experienced more hope in the promises found in the Bible than ever before. I started leaning more into those promises because that’s where I find my hope, peace and strength. I have to make a daily choice to totally embrace God’s promises or allow this health journey to consume me. To become my identity.
I began to see the scriptures in a whole new way. Verses like the following:
“My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. And you must allow this strength to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.”~James 1:2-4
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” ~Romans 8:18
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18
I know as some of you read this post, you’re facing major storms in your life. Life seems overwhelming at times. So, when some guy is telling you to “think of it as pure joy”, it might bring out feelings of anger rather than joy. I get it. But just for a second asked yourself, “What if these verses are true?” What if even during the toughest moments of your journey, the cancer diagnosis, the Parkinson’s diagnosis or some other challenge is actually being used to make you perfect and complete, lacking in nothing? And that even the deepest hurt will someday be replaced with insurmountable love, peace, and joy.
The hope and joy I am writing about may not always look like happiness the way we understand it. The hope and joy that comes from following God and focusing on heaven is not the same as what the world defines as joy. I believe it’s far more rewarding.
The world connects joy to a moment, experience or circumstance. So, if life is currently full of sunshine, we have plenty of reasons to celebrate. But the amazing thing about God’s joy is that nothing in our life could be going right, but with God’s help, we can still find the strength within our soul to praise, to help others, and ultimately, still have hope and joy.
The darkest moments of my health journey are filled with hope and joy because I continue to cling to the beautiful promises of God. They are my lifeline. And as I continue to hold onto that hope, my head miraculously stays above the raging seas. The storms that surround me haven’t changed, but I know even the biggest battles in my life cannot take away my most precious gift in life, my relationship with God. And for that, I am forever grateful.
As I close out this post, I want you to hold onto the following truth: The hope and joy that comes from Heaven, far outweighs the trials we will face here on earth. ~OC
God Knows Our Future
Today’s a new day! We don’t know our future, but God does. He not only knows it, but God has carefully planned and designed it and has full control over it. From this point of view, our future, although different from what we may have imagined, it is in the most secure place: in God’s hands.
Whenever we feel scared and confused, we must remember that we know the One who knows our future and everything about us. God is the One who knows us on the most intimate level and knows our earthly life from our first breath to our very last one. ~OC
A Flicker
Today’s a new day! As this crazy beautiful health journey gets a little tougher each day, I want to take some time to share a few lessons I have learned along the way. The following has been written over a series of weeks and months. I hope it brings a time of reflection as you walk out your own journey.
- Do not waste your time on things that you don’t enjoy. I have learned it’s hard to succeed in something that you don’t like. Patience, passion, and dedication come more easily when you love what you do.
- Do not be concerned over other people’s opinions. Being caught up in others opinions can weaken and paralyze you. If you let it, it can grow worse and worse every day until there is nothing left of you, but a empty shell of yourself. Listen to God’s voice and go with it. Some people may call you crazy, but many may be encouraged by your choices.
- Do not allow any person or situation to control your life. Take full responsibility for your actions. Limit bad habits and try to lead a healthier lifestyle. Find a hobby that makes you happy. Most of all, do not procrastinate. Make the most of each day. Let your life be shaped by the decisions you make not by the ones you didn’t.
- Do not be so busy, that life slips past you. Appreciate the people around you. May your friends and family always be a source of strength and love. Never take them for granted.
It is difficult for me to fully express my feelings about the importance of these simple realizations, but I hope that you will listen to someone who has experienced how valuable time is.
I am not upset or scared about what lies ahead because this health journey has helped bring meaning and purpose to my life. Each day is a beautiful gift to be celebrated. So every day, I take some time to take it all in. Time is truly a beautiful gift.
As I continue to run this health journey, I have learned that everyone has potential. But potential means nothing without the courage to realize it. To believe that God has given each of us purpose in this life. To turn that purpose into amazing opportunities.
We can move through a life created by circumstances, missed moments and opportunities or we can strive for what we believe in and write the amazing story of our life. I hope you will make the right choice.
I pray you will leave a positive mark on this world. That your life will be filled with hope and meaning. Life is a beautiful playground, where dreams are possible. Yet, we are not here forever. Our life is a short spark in this beautiful world that flies by with incredible speed. So, live your life with meaning and passion. Embrace every moment. Make it spectacular. Make it count! ~OC
Men and Mental Health
Today, I am writing about a tough subject but one I believe is very important. As many of you know, my current health issues make it very difficult to share or write down my thoughts. I have actually been working on this piece for several months. I know it’s rather long, but I hope you will take the time to read it. Also, even though my health issues are of a physical nature, this health journey has been filled with moments of sadness and feeling a bit lost.
Today’s a new day! June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. I speak with so many men who feel the need to take care of everyone else, but tend to ignore the issues going on in their own lives. So men, today I want to share a little about taking care of yourself.
We have all heard the age-old saying, “Real men don’t cry.” As I have walked this crazy beautiful health journey, I have tried very hard to take a stand against this toxic perspective because real men indeed cry, laugh, hurt, and heal. It’s about time that we stop being afraid to talk about men’s mental health, the different struggles we deal with and start speaking some truth. It’s time to get real.
So, why is it that men’s mental health is still stuck back in the 1950’s in so many ways?
In a world that often misunderstands and judges men for showing some emotions and having real conversations, it can be frightening to bare our souls, not for sympathy or attention, but for connection and understanding. I am often asked why I have chosen to be so open and transparent about my health battle? Well, simply– it is therapeutic for me, and I hope it offers a beacon of hope and understanding to someone out there, walking through their own struggles.
From a young age, the world dictates a playbook on “How to Be a Man,’ essentially promoting a culture where men feel the need to wear a mask, suppressing their true feelings and emotions.
But I believe it’s time to ditch that old playbook and rewrite a new one. A playbook that is open to real conversations. A playbook that encourages men to reach out to other men and discuss the tough issues that we have been taught to suppress. It’s time for real talk. It’s alright to feel, to break down, and to reach out.
I believe many men are concerned about being judged for sharing their feelings and being real. Sharing my experiences and being vulnerable hasn’t always been a walk in the park. In fact, at times it’s like walking a tightrope balancing between being open and the fear of being misunderstood or judged.
But, we must get past the fear of being judged so we can experience true healing. As I have shared my own story, not only have I experienced healing but have seen the power of healing touch other lives around me.
Yes, men’s mental health is indeed a real thing and let us not turn a deaf ear to this issue, but lend a listening one, a shoulder to lean on, and an encouraging word to someone walking through a tough season.
So, how do we rewrite the playbook on men’s mental health? It starts with you and me. It begins with acknowledging that mental health is not a sign of weakness, it is not a cry for attention, but a genuine call for help.
If you or someone you know is dealing with some mental health issues, I encourage you to reach out to a mental health professional. Remember, seeking help is not a sign of weakness but a testament to your strength and courage to fight back.
The road to unmasking and understanding men’s mental health is a journey filled with speed bumps, turns, and rocky roads. But I encourage you to embrace the journey with all its imperfections and challenges.
In conclusion, remember that it’s alright to stumble, to fall, but most importantly, to rise again, with a life filled with hope, passion, purpose and laughter. Never forget you matter, you belong and you’re loved. ~OC
Embrace the Moments
Today’s a new day! Love those around you. Stay true to them. Take time with family and friends. Laugh together. Cry together. Celebrate together. Mourn together. Grow together. Cherish what you have right in front of you. Embrace it all. ~OC
Serving. People. Prayer.
Today’s a new day! On the final night of his life, Jesus washed feet, ate with friends, and prayed.
Serving. People. Prayer.
It’s no coincidence that those things are central to God’s vision for our lives. I believe if we put our energies there, we will rarely have any regrets. ~OC
Don’t Give Up
Today’s a new day! You never know how much purpose and blessings are wrapped up in your battle. Don’t give up! ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 