My Strength Is My Shield

In my previous post, I talked about strength, physical, mental, and spiritual, and how having mental and spiritual strength allows people to handle situations that arise much easier than if one doesn't have it. Not only does mental and spiritual strength help one deal with situations, but it also serves as a shield. When I was growing up, before I knew I had MD, I was normal in many ways, but I was also different in other ways. I was the kid that got picked last for teams, the one that walked a bit weirdly, the one that would rather sit and read a book or color instead of playing on the playscape, the one that would trip and fall and known as "clumsy one." As a result, it made activities and certain situations difficult for me especially because of the comments that kids and even adults were made. I remember when kids, especially boys, would tell me to get my butt out of their face when I would get up on the floor. They would ask me why I broke so many bones, why I walked a bit differently than they did, why couldn't I run like they did and as fast as they could, they would call me lazy, and teachers would yell at me to run faster. I was asked to leave various activities such as gymnastics, karate, dance, and had to stop other activities because of my clumsiness. Things like this could really make a person feel like they aren't good enough or strong enough or even make them feel rejected, but for me it was what helped me to become strong, and toughen up. These experiences helped me to develop the shield of strength I have today. I could of let it upset me and make me feel as though I wasn't good enough, but instead God used those experiences and made them into a shield, just like Captain America's. Not only do I have my shield of strength, but I also have God and my faith as a shield. I am reminded that God is my shield in in Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and My shield." Having a progressive disorder like Muscular Dystrophy is very challenging, and its easy to let it get you down and feel as though you don't have the strength to deal with it. Even though I didn't know that I had MD when I was younger, God helped me to use those experiences to create my shield of strength, so that I wouldn't let difficult experiences, like dealing with my progression, get me down. When we find ourselves going through challenges, or dealing with rejection and negativity, we have two choices, we can let it get us down or we can let it strengthen us. If we let it strengthen us, we can then use that strength as a shield to deal with whatever comes our way.

Strength

When we are little we are taught that strength is physical, but it isn't until we are older, or until we experience certain circumstances, that we learn that strength is also mental and spiritual. I have never been strong physically, I was never the fastest kid, and I was the one who wasn't good at sports.
even though I wasn't strong physically, I learned that I was strong in other ways. Because I have always had things be more challenging for me physically, it has toughened me up in way. It helped me to realize that physical strength is not nearly as important as how strong I am mentally and spiritually. When you have a progressive disorder like Muscular Dystrophy, and you get weaker over time and you start to lose your ability to do things you have to find your inner strength just to deal with it. Yes, physical strength is important, but if you don't have the mental strength to deal with a situation, it makes it much harder to deal with. Since I have learned to tap into my mental strength, and my spiritual strength, it makes losing my physical strength easier to deal with. Even though, I have always had difficulty with physical strength, and things were always harder for me physically and that has increased over time, I was able to tap into my other sources of strength much earlier in life than most. When people ask me how I have the strength to deal with all of this I refer them to Philippians 4:13, which says, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." This means that my strength to do deal with what I am going through each day doesn't come from my physical ability, it comes from God. God is what gives me the strength to get up each day, God gives me the strength to do my chest therapy and to hook up to my feeding up. It's because of God I have always, ever since I was little, had the strength to enjoy life despite the challenges I have had and continue to have. Just because I am not strong physically, it doesn't mean I don't have strength.

Being Thankful

When you have a disorder like MD and you are constantly getting weaker and having more difficulty with just daily tasks and there is nothing you can do about it, you find it difficult at times to be thankful. You think, how can I be thankful that I can't eat, how can I be thankful that I need help dressing and bathing, how can I be thankful that I have respiratory problems, how can I be thankful that I have to use a wheelchair? A lot of people that I come in contact with are surprised to hear me talk about how thankful I am and how blessed I am. They think, how can you be thankful and be blessed when you deal with such challenging circumstances on a daily basis. At first, you can understand why some people think that. The truth is, I have so much more to be thankful for than to not be thankful. I am thankful to have a family that loves and cares for me, and will do anything for me. I am thankful to have a home filled with love and laughter. I am thankful to have friends who see me as a person, not as someone with a disability, and who make me laugh and are always there for me. I am thankful to have a church community that loves me and my family and will help if and when we needed. I am thankful to have group of doctors and nurses who work hard to ensure that have the best quality of life possible. I am thankful and blessed to have health insurance so I can get the medicine and medical equipment that not only keep me alive but allow me to get out of the house and go to church and be with my friends. I am thankful to have my faith in God which helps me to stay mentally and spiritually strong through all thatI have been through. During the November, everyone thinks more about all that they are thankful for since it is the month of Thanksgiving, and you will see what I am thankful for each day on Facebook. While I think that is great, we shouldn't just be thinking about what we are thankful for in November, but all year around. By thinking about what I am thankful for all year around, it helps me to stay grounded in a way because I don't get into the poor me mindset saying there is nothing good in my life. On the rare occasion I find it difficult to be thankful about things I think of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for You in Christ Jesus." This verse helps me to remember that no matter what is going on in life, God wants us to be thankful. We can always find something to be thankful for, and its important that we should. By being thankful in every circumstance, we are not only honoring God but we are remembering that even amidst the toughest times in life, there are always blessings and a bright spot that we can be thankful for.