Philippians 3:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
I have lived in poor neighborhoods infested with crime in inner city Philadelphia among drugs, gangs, and violence. I have lived next door to a meth lab while rearing my four babies. I have also lived next door to a violent cocaine addict who beat his girlfriend. However, I have learned that the scariest place to dwell in is the broken, shattered, human body.
Nothing compares to the fear one feels when the body spins out of control and symptoms seem to play first fiddle in the symphony of every day life. Sometimes the simplest tasks like turning your head to roll out of bed become a dreaded nightmare because the room starts swaying and spinning with you stuck inside a broken brain. Even the easiest tasks become so scary because even if you are mentally fit, physically you are as weak as a newborn kitten, and those tasks become obstacles that seem insurmountable. The physical overrides the mental and you become captive inside the bars of this broken body, willing and trying to break out but stuck and trapped instead.
But, the reality of this is, it’s your own reality. No one else can enter into this prison because they are locked out. Here’s what I said to my friend one day regarding this:
“I think they’ve given up on me as many others have too. It’s hard when we know the reality of our condition but others disregard this reality and make our health a reality that they don’t believe. Therefore, it’s in their thinking not a reality at all but only in our minds. It feels like a nightmare sometimes…..”
Image by Todd Trapani on pexels
I’m well aware that these words feel weighty at the moment but I hope that others who struggle with the VERY real reality of living inside a broken body can relate and know they are not alone.
We are loved by the One who fearfully and wonderfully made us.
He is always with us in every challenge we face.
Nothing is impossible with Him.
Wonderful things await those who love Him.
One day we will be rid of our broken bodies and that means being in the presence of Jesus.
Never ever give up.
Never lose hope.
Jesus cares always and forever.
He gets it.
By His strength and grace we will be set free from these bodies and given new ones in glory.
As believers in Jesus his Spirit dwells inside of us and in our suffering we find true comfort in him. It’s because He suffered so much while here, we too gain deep fellowship with him that nothing but in our suffering can come even close. So really, our suffering is a gift. Simply put; it’s a unique way to have intimate communion with God. It’s hard, yes, but what it’s accomplishing in us is priceless because in our refining we are becoming more like Christ as we grow in faith.
Much love,
Viv 🙏❤
I always appreciate you Vivian for being so honest and sharing your real life stories. I’m praying for you. I agree any suffering we endure for the sake of our Savior is not in vain. The times of suffering do deepen our faith.
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And I greatly appreciate you too Dawn. 🤗💞 Your prayers mean so much and I praise our heavenly Father for this wonderful way to fellowship here on WordPress. Much Love! 💞💞
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💕😊💕😊
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Awwwww😘
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I am thankful that Jesus keeps his promises such as I will never leave you nor forsake you. I have days that his presence is the only thing keeping me going.
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Amen Brother Matt. That promise comes to mind often, especially on the bad days….I’m praying for you daily! 🙏God bless you!
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Thank you for praying 🙂
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Of course! It’s a blessing to pray for you.
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Well said, sis. ❤ Yep, it's hard, but it will all be worth it when we see His face. It's worth it right here and now too, but some days are more difficult than others, so we definitely need those reminders that when we're feeling alone in this He is guiding us every step of the way as well grow. Good stuff is coming out of it. ❤ Love you. Thanks you. ❤
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Oh, that will be a wonderful day dear Tina! He is guiding us, every step of the way. Psalm 23. I’m so blessed by your comment. Praying for you Tina!!🤗💞
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Thank you. Your in my prayers to, sis. ❤
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That means everything to me!💚🙏
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❤ ❤ ❤
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😘😘😘
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Vivian, this is my favorite post of yours…………we have also lived in very bad neighborhoods and you are RIGHT ON, that is nothing compared to feeling trapped in a broken body. But yes, we are so lucky that Jesus knows our suffering as He suffered so much for us………..what a blessing that some day, for sure, we will be healed. God bless you my friend.
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Wow Wendi! I’m thankful it impacted you and you could relate but sorry too. I know you have vertigo at times and can empathise. It’s not fun. I’m so blessed that we have each other and our Jesus who is so constant and faithful. We are very blessed indeed! God bless you too and loads of love. 💚🙏💞🤗
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🙂 thank you for being such a dear friend Vivian! I have a dream that one day I will get to meet all of you…….
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You’ve been so wonderful to me Wendi! I thank you!!! Oh yes, that dream is one to cling to. One day…..😃
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Yes, I know God can make it happen, one day we will have a blogging get together. 🙂
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💚🙏🤗💞💞 Amen. That’s something to look forward to!
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🙂
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This right here sis, is the crux of the matter: “So really, our suffering is a gift. Simply put; it’s a unique way to have intimate communion with God.”
We don’t readily view suffering as being a gift, for many of us, it’s a curse to be unable to do what we want to do when we want to but when we pause to remember our Father is Sovereign and nothing escapes His notice, we can get perspective and find hope knowing that our suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. Love you my Viv for VA ♥️
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Thank you precious Dee. Our sovereign Lord is so kind in giving us dear friends who love, care and pray for us in our sufferings. I’m so thankful for you!!! Love you too!! 💞😃
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Ah my sweet Viv, I’m equally thankful for you as well. Love you back ❤️🤗
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😘😘😘💞💞💞🤗🤗🤗
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Yes, Jesus gets it! Until we have walked in another’s shoes, we have no idea about the mountains they face daily, and to deny they face mountains is wrong. Viv, you are an inspiration to many. Keep sharing what God places on your heart. The world needs to hear it. 🧡
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He does! That right there is the single most comforting thought I can think of in this unjust world. He knows, understands and sees all!! Amen. Awwwww, you’re going to make me cry!!! Awwwww!!💚🤗
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Amen!
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Thank you so much for this wonderful reminder! Lately it seems like my anxiety has gotten much worse and it’s health related. I’m fairly healthy, but my anxiety tells me I’m not and sometimes that spills over into panic attacks. Thank you for this!
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You’re very welcome Michelle!🤗 Anxiety is hard, hard, hard…..my experience is that it’s the body’s way of crying, “something’s not right!!!” Have you ever tried Mimulus by Dr. Bach? It greatly helped my anxiety.💞
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I haven’t! I’ll have to look into that. Thank you!
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🤗😃👍
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Vivian, you are honest and genuine with your words. Thank you for sharing. As always, you are included in the prayers of many.
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There you are! Good to see you Richard! Thanks so much for continuing to pray! God bless you!
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Sorry I’ve been out of touch. I sometimes cannot keep up with the many blogs on my list. But always, I am one of your Prayer Warriors!
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I understand. It can be challenging. Thanks so much for stopping by! God bless you always my friend!😀
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It’s so hard for many to grasp what they have never experienced before. What’s sad is instead of trying to understand better, we tend to rely on only what we “think” we know. I’m glad you shared this and I hope it brings both perspective and encouragement to others ❤
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It really is. I’m guilty of doing this too. Thankfully this experience has made me more understanding too. 💞
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A beautiful testimony to the love and compassion of our Savior. May it give hope to others who struggle with hardship. You are a light, Viv, shining in the darkness because Jesus is in you. Blessings, my friend!
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Awwww, Cindy. Only Jesus can turn my brokenness into a blessing. For years I felt as if there was a rain cloud hovering over me but Jesus made a way for the sun to shine again. It’s still a battle though but He always shows up fighting for me. Much love and hugs always.🤗🤗
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Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
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Thank you for this Cindy! Did you know Matthew is one of my favorite books in the NT? I love chapters 5-7 especially. ❤❤
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I know this is an older post, but I needed this tonight. Thank you so so much!
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Rebekah, I’m so glad this helped you tonight! God is faithful in leading us to comforts exactly when we need them. Big hugs! 🤗🙏
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