{"id":1711,"date":"2015-07-03T23:34:47","date_gmt":"2015-07-03T23:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1711"},"modified":"2015-07-03T23:34:47","modified_gmt":"2015-07-03T23:34:47","slug":"chronic-illness-what-if-you-didnt-have-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/07\/chronic-illness-what-if-you-didnt-have-god.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Illness: What If You Didn’t Have God?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of dan\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sometimes, when we’re very ill or our pain is overwhelming, we might get to the point where God seems to not exist actively in our lives. We might not be able to feel the comfort or peace we enjoy when God’s presence is palpable. We might even doubt that God is with us at all. Such times might be very scary, but they’re not unusual. Serious, ongoing illness can have a way of chipping at our resolve and exhausting us to the point of being depressed, or out of hope. But even if God seems far away, there are ways to know He is still with us, holding us, and giving us strength. One of those ways might seem counter-intuitive (but please bear with me) – it’s to imagine your life without God, and in doing so, discovering that God is not only present, He is acting active right with us!<\/p>\n

God is the giver of life. We did not give ourselves life, God did. What’s more, as we live even now, God is ever-giving us life! We live – God is.<\/p>\n

God is always available. Others might have walked away out of frustration at our ongoing health ups and downs. \u00a0Maybe, even, some of our doctors have given up hope and said, “You don’t have to see me anymore.” But God does not close His heavenly office to us, nor does He ever walk away! Whenever we call upon Him – God is.<\/p>\n

God is the worker of miracles. I’ve been so sick at times that doctors have used the “d” word (“death”). I’ve known others whose health conditions have no medical cure, yet they flourish, and still others who by all human accounts should not be able to go about their day as productively as they do – yet, they do! God gives us a faith that transcends human abilities – God is.<\/p>\n

God is the rock. Life with chronic illness and pain is usually up and down, “good” and “bad,” unpredictable, and even sometimes very scary – a floor constantly shifting beneath our feet. Yet, God does not shift or change. God is our rock – God is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, when we’re very ill or our pain is overwhelming, we might get to the point where God seems to not exist actively in our lives. We might not be able to feel the comfort or peace we enjoy when God’s presence is palpable. 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1712,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1711\/revisions\/1712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}