I knew Julie B. Cosgrove had gone through health
issues, and I asked her to share how she manages them. As most of my readers know, we take care of a
declining daughter. This situation brings me emotional pain and recently, I had
a knee replacement. The present physical and emotional agony made me reach out to
friends. I hope their comments help you too.
You Choose
Julie B Cosgrove
In the Bible, Job was a man who lost everything
in a very short time. Everyone thought he must have done something horrible to deserve
such a fate. Yet, Job kept his faith. Eventually, God came through and restored
his life with blessings to offset the tragedy. In the meantime, Job’s faith,
though challenged, grew enormously. In fact, he said, “Shall we indeed accept
good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10). Many people, like me, have
had a “Job year.”
I have been housebound in a one-bedroom
apartment for almost a year due to a failed surgery. I could barely walk across the room with a rollator, much less navigate
the stairs to the parking lot or drive. Getting to doctor visits, trying to
find one who would take on the challenge of repairing the failed hardware in my
body wiped me out for two days! After five doctors and five small in-office or
day surgery procedures, I finally found a doctor in a larger city’s medical
school an hour away who agreed to try. Now I just had to wait ten weeks for an opening
in his schedule. Progress.
During this time, I have also undergone
two unrelated, unexpected surgeries which debilitated me even more and
challenged my ability to live alone. But with the help of my son, who lives
forty-five minutes way, and some close friends, I have muddled through. And of course,
by the grace and mercy of my Lord!
All along, I have had a choice, just like
Job, and perhaps just like you. I could get depressed, sulk, and moan…or I
could thank the Lord for being right there with me through this and watch Him
working it out for the good. Notice the little serendipities that come my way
or concentrate on the plight and pain. Cast my eyes down onto my problems or
raise them up in prayer.
Ten years ago, I started my own blog, "Where Did You Find God Today." I have written hundreds of blogs about the little
ways I have seen God moving in my life in the hopes of encouraging others to do
the same. Now, I wallowed in a trial which challenged me to “walk like I had
talked.”
Being unemployed, I admit that after a few
months, I began to feel anxious. For reasons I won’t get into, I fell through
the cracks in my state’s rules and did not qualify for unemployment
compensation. I had no income. But God took care of that! Two people from my
old job decided to branch out on their own and hired me virtually to be their
administrative assistant. Now that commute I could handle! In thanksgiving, and
repentance for not trusting Him more, I bought myself a mug to remind me to
CHOOSE JOY!
Like Job, my faith has stretched and
grown. Growing pains are painful, but worth the effort. I have greatly
diminished my pride―something I have struggled with for a long time and I knew
I needed God’s help. There was
little I could do to repay my friends for their kindness. Or my son for his
diligence and patience. He spent his only day off every week running errands
for me, helping me with housework, and playing chauffer to
doctors. I learned to concentrate more on the important things in life and
to be patient with myself. I often imitated the Little Engine that Could. I
think I can, I think, I can … put on my socks, dust the shelves, fix my own meals.
You also have a choice. Don’t let the devil steal your joy anymore! And when people ask how you maintain a great attitude, wink and point upward, saying, “by the mercy and grace of God.” May all you come in contact with during this trial see you as a testimony.
Freelance writer Julie B Cosgrove writes for several Christian websites and publications and was an editor/writer for The Life Project, the digital ministry of CRU Canada’s Power to Change for ten years. She now edits for Roaring Lambs publications services as well as selectively on her own. Awarded one of the 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading in 2015 and 2016 by the Internationally syndicated radio program, The Authors’ Show, she has had three Bible studies, a devotional collection, two inspirational guides, three novellas, and fifteen faith-based novels published, with five more contracted through 2025. Several of her novels have won statewide and national awards. Julie lives in Fort Worth, TX.
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