{"id":1887,"date":"2015-11-22T00:32:22","date_gmt":"2015-11-22T00:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1887"},"modified":"2015-11-22T00:32:22","modified_gmt":"2015-11-22T00:32:22","slug":"chronic-illness-just-starting-out-part-five","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/11\/chronic-illness-just-starting-out-part-five.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Illness: Just Starting Out – Part Five"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Second<\/a>One of the hardest parts about a diagnosis of a serious, life-altering chronic illness is just that: it will alter your life. But often we focus on the word “alter” (or harsher pronouncements such as “mess up” or “destroy”) and forget that the word “life” abides. Yes, although we might have an illness that requires radical changes to how we live and how we feel, where we spend our money or even where we live, the important thing to remember is that we still have life. Perhaps not “the life” we thought we should have or used to have. But we\u00a0have<\/em> life. And that’s a mighty powerful thing to have to work with!<\/p>\n

I believe that God gives each of us a purpose. Sometimes more than one. And sometimes it might be difficult to discern just what that purpose is. However, as long as we are alive, we do\u00a0serve<\/em> a purpose (my emphasis, on purpose, on\u00a0serve<\/em>). A life with a chronic illness is a very good opportunity to learn more about ourselves in our weakness and find ways that we can bring strength, light, and support to others in similar situations. It usually is peppered with time spent alone, and in this time, we can come closer to God. A life lived with grace despite illness shows others that we need not give up striving for good, for better, because of sickness. And our lives with frailty and need serve the purpose of showing others (and allowing them) to care.<\/p>\n

This all might be hard to digest if you’ve just received a dire diagnosis. And it isn’t meant to sugar-coat the fact that illness is really, really hard on us and on our loved ones (and even our doctors, who deal with the sick each day for hours at a time). But as you start to take those first steps into your new life, remember that it is still a miraculous, wonderful life, and God loves you through it all. Let this knowledge be a comfort. Let it deepen within you as you see the days pass, your life unfold, and God work around and through you.<\/p>\n

It’s a remarkable journey – and it’s only just beginning!<\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

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

One of the hardest parts about a diagnosis of a serious, life-altering chronic illness is just that: it will alter your life. But often we focus on the word “alter” (or harsher pronouncements such as “mess up” or “destroy”) and forget that the word “life” abides. Yes, although we might have an illness that requires…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1242,4,1047,578,379,1420,1245],"tags":[29,325,1956,1955],"class_list":["post-1887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food-for-thought","category-words-of-encouragemnent-and-info-for-all","category-good","category-goodness","category-lupus-2","category-pain-2","category-positive","tag-chronic-illness","tag-life","tag-life-changes-with-illness","tag-wonderful-life"],"yoast_head":"\nChronic Illness: Just Starting Out - Part Five - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Life is just beginning if you have a diagnosis of a chronic illness!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/11\/chronic-illness-just-starting-out-part-five.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chronic Illness: Just Starting Out - 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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\/1887","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=1887"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1888,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions\/1888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}