If you follow me on Instagram then you would have seen this great blessing that came to me this week:
The Lord overwhelmed me with the gift of a new wheelchair through a dear friend! And then another friend mailed me the beautiful mug that expressed my cup-of-joy heart overflowing with gratitude to a God who truly sees.
But what you may not have known was that at the same time these gifts of grace were flowing in, the pain and a feeling of being unheard were also flowing in.
It has been a long summer of reducing the dose of prednisone, the only medication that affects the inflammation of this chronic disease my body carries. But the lasting poor effects of prednisone outweigh the help that is given, so my new Doctor has been reducing that dosage. Of course, the disease itself has responded in kind and flared up with increased inflammation and pain again.
My nurse advocate recommended a call to the Doctor, to inquire about a possibility for reducing the dosage more gradually. But when that request was met with a flat-out “no, I will not increase the dose at all,” my heart once again felt the sense of being shut away, minimized, and left stranded on my own with no help.
Jesus met me in the middle of that drowning, with His own gift of compassion flowing in and around me. And I knew I was covered in GRACE when nothing else could meet me, as He gave me a prayer for myself and for those dear sisters and brothers who are part of the Chronic Joy Prayer Pond ministry of Chronic Joy. You can read the prayer by clicking here: on the Facebook group, where we come together to encourage each other in prayer. Or click here to go directly to the beautiful Prayer Pond page of Chronic Joy Ministries.
But what of those who have no other help? My heart broke as I was led to listen to their similar stories. The opioid crisis has left many stranded, with no pain relief offered.
An informative website RheumatoidArthritis.net that I have followed for several years offered this article by one of their long-time contributors who was recently confronted by a similar sense of being shut-down and stranded: “Just Take Tylenol?!”
And then I read this article and listened to this recording from a Canadian Newscaster who is researching more deeply into this international crisis. Click here to go to the website of Global News, Roy Green.
Yet these are stories that have only arisen recently because of the Opioid crisis. What of those who have struggled for years without a diagnosis, or with minimal help given for illnesses with no cure in sight? What of those whom the church has forgotten, those who have been unable to be part of fellowship for so long that no one even remembers the time when they were there?
As I sat with those stories resting in my hands, my heart broke open. I heard the tears of Jesus falling next to my own.
Tears are Falling
The tears fall
drop by drop
till the torrent
is a flood
My heart aches
for my own pain
for the same pain
I see in my sisters
We are left out
cut off and stranded
Accused of complaining
Not listened to
How could a whole group
How could so many
Hurt in such different ways
Become kindred in the leaving
The tears of Jesus
fall next to mine
drop by drop
He cries and sees
But when the world
Walks coldly away
Jesus calls warmly
Come here with Me
His compassions
Never fail
–bg
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
Into the hardest of days, my Lord has met me with gifts of grace. And I continue to learn that His compassions never fail. He wraps me in the gifts of His love while the grief and pain try to shut me away.
His boundless grace is new every morning.
How my heart longs to pray with you today. I know such small pieces of your stories, but Jesus knows every hidden part. Will you join me as we pray?
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for the gift of Your grace that meets us in our darkest days. Will You open our eyes to see You waiting for us and weeping with us, and will You open our ears to hear You calling our names to come? Will You open our eyes to see those around us who are walking a lonely path with such deep heartaches? Help us to share the grace that we have been given. Help us to let Your true compassions overflow. Only in You are we truly blessed.
In Your Name, we pray,
Amen.
I pray this song might bless you even as it so blessed me:
I am linking with:
BettieGsRAseasons 
Thinking of you today and praying for you. Have a blessed week!
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Thank you so much for your sweet prayers and thoughts today Melissa! I am praying for you also. Blessings and love to you!
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I really pray your pain gets better. It’s so hard. I know it is for my mom many days. She has fibromyalgia. I don’t have bad pain, like you, just stiffness of the muscles so I am trying hemp oil (very small amount) and it seems to help some. Praying for you!
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Dear Lisa,
Thank you so much for your prayers, and for your understanding. I will keep your mom in my prayers also–fibromyalgia can be so baffling! I do use a variety of essential oils, and find a little relief also. Prayers and blessings for you too.
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I am so happy you were blessed with the new wheelchair and mug, sweet friend. It hurt me to know that you need a wheelchair, as I didn’t realize that. I saw on the comment above that Lisa uses hemp oil. I am hearing such wonderful things about it, but I cannot personally confirm their help. How I wish you were able to find something to relieve your pain and improve your quality of life! Your poem was so heartwrenched. God bless you and keep you ever in His care.
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Dear Cheryl,
Thank you so very much for all of your prayers and caring comments dear friend. I so appreciate you and your understanding of God’s heart through all of these trials. His mercy goes so deep for us, and for all those who are hurting. He does bring His relief to us, right here in the midst of it all. May He bless you and keep you, my friend!
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Oh Bettie, how my heart aches for you that you felt minimized again. The stories of others who are in pain are so sad, too. And the poem is so moving and true and really brings my tears to mingle with yours. It touches my heart so, every single word. What an encouragement that when the world coldly walks away, Jesus warmly calls! And I love that verse. Thank you for reminding me. The song, too, is encouraging. Thank you, dear friend! You have brightened my day with fresh hope! You remain in my heart and prayers! Love and blessings of strength and peace for each day!
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Dear Trudy,
Oh I am so encouraged by all of your heartfelt comments and understanding. Your words and your prayers always mean so much to me. Truly He does call us deeper into His warm embrace, right in these hardest of places. I’m so thankful that God allowed us to touch each other today, through our posts. He just knew what we each needed, didn’t He? May you be blessed and covered in His love, dear friend!
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Dear Bettie, what a beautiful, heartfelt post! You have suffered so much, but even though you’ve struggled your compassionate heart has come through loud and clear. You have not given in to despair or given up on God, you have been drawn deeper into His heart. May your words go forth and be a balm to all who are hurting. Thank you for your prayer and the song is just beautiful! Your poem is so touching and full of hope in Jesus. Blessings, love and hugs to you my dear sister/poet/friend! xoxo
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Dear Gayl,
Thank you so much for the encouragement and support that you bring to me. It means so much to know that you are praying for me, and sending me notes of comfort! I do pray, along with you, that He will be a balm to so many who are hurting today. He is so ever-present in our lives, even when we cannot see how. Blessings, love and hugs to you too, my dear sister/poet/friend. xoxo
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Good morning sister, in my soul I have sensed your pain each time I pray for you. I thank Jesus for doing what no sister or husband or friend can do for you, Bettie. Meet you in the pain with amazing love and compassion, the kind He poured out on those emotionally abandoned with leprosy, those masses who were hungry, those He raised from the dead. I love you🙏
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Dear Julie,
Thank you so much for offering prayers for me that mean the most–to be able to see Jesus right here with me, loving and pouring mercy. Truly He only can gift that deepest compassion that goes to the heart. I am praying for you also in the transitions that He has you walking through now. What a blessing to know that He is with each one of us, right where He has placed us. I love you too, Dear Sister!
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Hmmm, letting this all sink in sister. He places us, connects us, gives us hearts that pray when our sister’s name comes. Thank you, Jesus, for Your Covering Love and Compassion and Mercy and Grace.
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Amen, what miracles those connections are. Thank You so much Lord Jesus.
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Dear Bettie, I am rejoicing with you at the gift of a new wheelchair and mug! May God pour out His grace upon you in ways large and small. But how my heart aches with you and all the others battling such deep pain day after day with little help to be found. I’m lifting you again in prayer. What beauty Jesus brings from your ashes, for your prayer is sounds like drops of blood from the cross, touching earth. May the tears of Jesus revive your soul. Blessings and love to you always.
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Dear Melissa,
Yes, those gifts were such huge blessings of grace! I am so thankful that the Lord sees every detail and longs to bring such help. Thank you for joining your prayers with mine for others to know His grace in the midst of their pain too. I appreciate your beautiful prayers and encouragement so much dear friend. Blessings and love to you too.
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Bettie, your beautiful post makes me pause – there are SO MANY suffering. Of course I “wish” it was so simple as to eliminate red meat and your inflammation will go away but we know it is not. And, I know YOU do all these au naturale things. Why, Lord, why? Meet my friend in her desperation and pain.
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Thank you so much dear Susan! Your heartfelt prayers mean so much, even as we offer them together for so many others today too. I am so thankful that He understands our why’s, and keeps holding us close through it all! Blessings and love to you now also.
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