Finding healing in this sea of chronic pain has been a continually ongoing process. I have realized along the way that healing the physical body has a real emotional side to it as well. I so easily get on the thought pattern that all I need is to figure out what is wrong physically and BAM all my problems are solved. Nice try, but not exactly. Along the road it has become apparent to me that I need to treat my whole body, not just my physical symptoms, if I am truly going to thrive in life. I want to share with you some of the healthy habits that are inching me towards healing. These are suggestions that have brought me to a state of better emotional health so that I can successfully deal with the physical struggles I encounter.
The first in this series is Scripture Writing.
My relationship with the Lord is extremely important to me and it has been especially since I was teenager. For a long time I have known the importance of spending daily time in His presence whether reading His word, praying or listening to Christ honoring music. It is just like any relationship, it takes time and focused attention so that it can flourish.
When I started to have babies, it became a constant battle to find the time or even motivation for this to take place. This is such a hard time in a woman’s life to be able to focus on anything besides keeping those little guys alive! After my fourth baby, add to that the chronic pain, and my time with Him became virtually non-existent. It wasn’t that I stopped talking to the Lord. Oh no, I talked to Him. It was just in the form of pleading for healing and insight into my illness. It was often out of anger and in begging for Him to provide some relief.
This lack of time with Him was always met with an enormous amount of guilt on my part. (I know this feeling is not one the Lord placed on me, but I struggled with it nonetheless.) I could never understand why I couldn’t just stay consistent in His Word. My mind knew the importance of this devoted time, but my heart just couldn’t muster up the dedication to do it. I also knew my anger was not healthy and in no way was it bettering me. My relationship with Him became this up and down roller coaster of daily struggling if this was going to be a day that I was going to trust Him or a day that I fell apart. More times than not it was falling apart.
Fast forward a couple of years and during a devotion time at a meeting I was attending, I had a friend challenge our group to write out scripture. She showed us a thirty-day scripture writing plan. On it was a date listed for every day of the month and each date had several scriptures to go along with it. All the scriptures were thematic….in this case they were based on thanksgiving. The challenge was to spend time in God’s word everyday writing out the verses listed. I had written out scripture before but only when trying to memorize a specific verse or to post it on a mirror as a daily reminder. I had never written out scripture for the sole purpose of writing it nor had it ever crossed my mind to make it as a part of my devotional time. Honestly, I didn’t understand the point of this, but I decided to give it a go and see how things went.
To my surprise, I immediately loved this process! It made me focus on smaller chunks of God’s Word and really think about what it was saying. It allowed me to think through what I had written and see how it impacted my life. Not everyday was some new exciting discovery but I heard God speak to me more through this practice than almost anything I had done before. It honestly transformed my devotional time and gave me the structure I was missing. I remember thanking my friend with deep sincerity for introducing me to this new practice.
Here are some ways that daily writing out scripture as helped me, especially during this time in my life:
1. It has given me structure. I love structure! It gives me direction on how I should start my devotional time everyday and it is fun to see what these scriptures lead me to realize in my own life.
2. It has allowed me to focus on a specific topic over a month’s time. Most of the plans I have found have been based on topics like thankfulness or kindness etc. I enjoy focusing on the scriptures that fall into those topics and discover how they complement each another.
3. I have been encouraged to dig deeper into scripture. When I solely read, I honestly miss so much. Writing out scripture enables me to better process what the Word is saying allowing it to settle into my heart and mind.
4. It has given me a record of where I have been in God’s Word. Remember earlier when I said I dealt so much with guilt? Now I can see what I have studied. When the enemy throws condemning thoughts at me that I am not really committed to the Lord, I have physical proof for myself that I have taken time out to spend with Him. Now, guilt has not place to reside in my heart.
5. It has made me more consistent in my time with the Lord. I genuinely love this practice and I look forward to the alone time in the morning that I get to spend in His Word. Since I enjoy it so much I am more likely to sit down and do it rather than pass it by for other things!
6. It has helped me as a parent. I can’t tell you the number of times God has brought scripture to me that deals with matters I am trying to work through my kids. It arms me with God’s Word in my correction to the issues they are dealing with in the present.
7. Finally, it has helped me hear from the Lord more. I have spent so much time angry with God that I have had a hard time hearing Him speak at all. Now, I hear the Lord consistently speaking to my heart and I am reminded He isn’t silent in my life. I realize that God wasn’t necessarily silent before, I just wasn’t giving him the avenue to speak where I was open to listening. When I stop and realize that the God of the universe is taking time to reveal insights to me, I am overwhelmed! This makes dealing with the chronic pain a little easier since I know He is still active in my life. His voice reminds me that He isn’t done with me yet.
You may be wondering where I get the lists of scriptures to write out daily. Searching “Scripture Writing Plan” on Pinterest is the best place to find them. One of my favorite blogs to obtain these is www.swtblessings.com. This blogger has lots of plans divided either by the month or by topic. I usually write out my scriptures in NIV (New International Version) but I love using my Bible app to read them in other versions as well. There are times when I will write them out in 2 or 3 versions because I just love how the different versions bring better insight. Once I have written them out, I go back and underline key points and write out my own notes on what God is saying to me. This notebook of scriptures has become one of my most cherished possessions.
I hope you decide to delve into God’s word using this method of study. It has truly brought me so much joy and has been an important part of bringing me back to health. It is just what I have needed to encourage me during this otherwise dark time in my life. May you experience His presence in new and afresh ways as you open His book and take it to pen and ink!
“Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” Psalm 119:89