Rejoice in the Lord always!

It is often easy to become overwhelmed with one's challenges in life. From personality conflicts in the workplace to losing a dear companion, each obstacle presents us with the ability to either be disgruntle or grateful.

As the years of my health trials have passed by, I have come to a new appreciation for so many bodily functions. After several years of having my GI tract constantly shut down, I marvel at my body's ability to go #2. (Yes, I often praise God for the incredible ability to poop because it truly is a blessing to be able to go!) After enduring countless pancreatitis attacks, I am amazed how much my body needs and relies on a functioning pancreas to digest food. Each bite of food I am able to digest is truly a miracle!

One of the newest areas of my life in which I am giving gratitude to God is breathing. This is one part of my body I have never thought much about. How many times a day do we breathe in and out? How many times a day do we think about this simple action? As of late, breathing is constantly on my mind. Moreover, I have been introduced to a new challenge--breathing and eating. This task has become very burdensome. If I want to eat, I have to take off my mask which pumps high pressure air into my lungs, allowing me to breathe without exerting tremendous effort. Often, I can only eat a little bit of food and then have to hook back up to the ventilator for an hour or two before I have the energy to attempt to disconnect from the ventilator to eat again. Although it can be very frustrating trying to manage feeding my tummy with filling my lungs with air, it is another reason to glorify God. How precious it is to be able to eat. How precious is it to be able to breathe. How precious this life is! "LORD, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, You have made my days as a handbreadth; and my age is as nothing before You. Surely every man at his best is a mere breath" (Psalm 39:4-5).