Often, we are blinded to an ever-present truth that surrounds our weaknesses and inner strength that will arise and give us the courage to move forward during our most challenging circumstances. How we perceive our own individual limitations and our innate ability to overcome will determine if the many disappointments of life will shatter us or cause us to rise to the challenge and be the best version of ourselves that we can be despite what presents itself in our lives.
Honestly, as I ponder my own life I can testify of many disappointments that have left me wondering just how I could move past one more setback, one more unanswered question, and the prevailing pain that I experienced while trying to mask my sorrow. There has been one thing that has remained constant in my life and no matter how dark things got, God ministered His love for me. He gave me the strength to push past discouragement and hope for a brighter day despite the discouragement that I faced.
Twelve years ago, while thriving in a new real estate career where in just under two years I earned my place in the top 20% of my firm, I had a life-altering illness that changed my life forever. I was diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri, a condition that causes increased intracranial pressure in my brain and swelling of my optic nerves. The swelling resulted in severe vision loss and the accumulation of fluid on my brain, which resulted in me having a VP shunt placed in my head to control the pressure on my brain. For the next several years, I was in and out of the hospital and doctor’s office suffering frequent headaches, difficulty walking, memory loss, inability to speak, and depression. I lost my career, my home, vehicle, and my independence.
There were so many days when I felt like I was having a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from. One minute I was building my business and pursuing my dream and the next I was struggling to comprehend basic directions. Words cannot begin to express the amount of disappointment and frustration that I felt because of my circumstances.
Despite my deep loss, my biggest joy in life had not been crushed. You see, I love God and He is the joy of my soul. He had proven His faithfulness to me multiple times throughout my life. The reality of His presence was something that I grew to depend on. At every crossing of my life, He was there to protect me and guide me as I walked through the unknown.
Just ten years earlier God interrupted my life and brought me back from the brink of death after overdosing on drugs. As I walked with Him, I experienced the miraculous work of an ever-present God who wants to reveal His love to His people. He placed healing in my hands and I ministered to many who were physically, mentally and emotionally broken in the years preceding my illness. Having experienced Him in such a real way caused me to press past the sorrow, pain, and disappointment and seek the peace that was beyond my ability.
I began to pour myself into the scriptures to seek the comfort that I knew could only come from He who made me and knew the purpose for which I came into the earth. As those words of comfort and peace penetrated my soul they reconstructed my brokenness and spoke to the deep longings of my heart. As light and truth entered my being, it overcame the depression, discouragement, and disappointment. I began to share this new-found peace with others who were suffering and battling with trials of life and those who simply lost hope. I created Eye Opening Expressions a spirit-inspired greeting card company that ministers to deep places of the soul.
My experience caused me to seek for the hope and victory that is beyond circumstances, beyond sickness, and even beyond pain. I made it my passion in life to press into the unseen world and realize the mystery of the grace of God that’s sufficient for any challenge in life.
You too can discover the grace of God that is on your life. This grace is beyond any challenge or disappointment that you may have faced and will give you the ability to overcome. Christ our Savior promises to be with us to strengthen us during life’s ups and downs even when things do not appear favorable towards us. Our Heavenly Father looks upon us to lead us in new paths of mercy. He is inviting you this day to lay down your disappointments, sorrows, and heartache and experience His peace that is beyond human understanding. His unfailing love and commitment toward us is the true reality that He wants us to live our lives from this day and forever more.
