I belong to a Facebook group called the Fibro Blogger Directory and we’ve been challenged to send in and answer questions relating to Fibromyalgia in the month of November. One of the members asked this question:

Do you have spiritual beliefs that help you cope with living in this hell?

Before I answer, let me ask you a question. If you live with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain or an Invisible Illness, has someone ever said to you “I’ll pray for you” or “You’re in my prayers”?  What does that mean to you? Do you have Spiritual Beliefs that make those prayers easy to accept? Do you believe in a Higher Power? In God? Or do you believe that when we die, that’s it…there is nothing afterwards. No afterlife, no Heaven or Hell, no God of any type?

I am a Christ Follower. I call myself that because too many things have been done by “Christians” in the name of Christ that taint the Holy name, and I refuse to be associated with them. I’d rather try to live my life the way Christ modelled it, and so being a Christ Follower is a much better way of describing my religious leanings. I believe that He is the only way to Eternal Life and I believe in Heaven and Hell. I don’t talk about this often and almost never in public, but when I say I’ll be praying for you, trust me…I WILL be praying for you.

I also believe that everyone has a right to their own Beliefs, and I will never push my beliefs on anyone else. If you want to talk about God with me, I’m happy to do so, but I won’t raise the subject first. It’s not that I’m shy or embarrassed about God, but more that I’m respectful of others, and I prefer to wait to discuss religion until the subject is brought up by others first.

So, in regards to the question that was asked, yes, I have a God who loves me dearly and who has a plan for my life. Right now, that plan includes Chronic Pain and Chronic Fatigue from the many conditions I live with. Have I ever asked God for healing? Yes, I did once. I prayed:

“God, if it be Your will, please remove all sickness from my body and return me to good health. If you leave my body the way it is Lord, then please give me the right attitude to learn to live with the pain and fatigue that I experience. Please help me learn to not complain because I know that there are so many other people out there that are worse off than me. Give me an attitude of grace, help me to be humble, let me have patience and let me always be of help to others so I’m not always focused on me. I know I can be selfish and self-centred so please help me to change that part of me, God. Make me a better person than I am today. Help me in my relationship with my husband because I know this is going to make things tough for us. Thank you God for everything you’ve done for me, let me always be grateful to you. Amen”

God’s plan for me was obviously not to heal me, and in fact, my health has become worse in the 5 years since I said that prayer. Am I bitter? Not at all. None of us has ever been promised anything. Why shouldn’t I have health problems? Why not me? What have I done to make me so special so as to avoid bad things?? Nothing. I’m just as susceptible as anyone else, and I know that. And I think that’s where acceptance comes in. I’ve accepted that this is what my life is. I probably will not be healed on this side of Heaven, and that’s okay. I DO know that I’ll be renewed IN Heaven according to my beliefs and that’s a comfort to me. I can put up with what happens in my life because I know the promise I have for Eternal Life in my future.

And that is how I cope. I cope because, for me, I can see beyond what happens to me on Earth. My Spiritual side believes in Life after Death, and in an Eternal Heaven, where my body will be renewed. There will be no pain and no sorrow and I will be free of everything that troubles me in my Earthly life. There won’t be any more Chronic Pain or Chronic Fatigue, my body will finally be free of all restrictions and for that, I can withstand whatever it is that I have to go through while I live my life here.

What about people who don’t have a Spiritual belief system? What about the people who don’t believe in an Afterlife, a Heaven or Garden of Eden? What happens to them?  Well, according to MY beliefs, anyone who doesn’t accept Christ as their Savior goes to Hell. According to THEM, they likely believe that nothing happens when they die; that there is nothing after death. We could delve into a huge discussion of Theology now, but my point is, without some type of Spiritual belief, what in the world are you living for??

My Spiritual beliefs are what keep me going. That promise of Eternal life is what I cling to when I have days of intractable pain. When I think I can’t possibly handle another new condition or illness and God decides otherwise, I have no choice but to hold on to the hope of Heaven

One of my favourite Bible verses comes from Jeremiah 29:11 (King James Version)

#FibroQuestionsAnswered

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