Stress

The past couple of weeks have been challenging for me. MG has been an especially big pest. He has thrown all of the hissy fits in his repertoire. I am concerned if the new IVIG that I am taking is working at all. It feels like I am getting weaker instead of stronger and my symptoms are becoming more pronounced instead of less pronounced. Part of it is stress though I know. MG does not like to be stressed.

My first cousin died a week and a half ago. Since I am an only child, he and his brothers and sister have been my siblings. He has not been well for many years and struggled with a lot of issues both physical and emotional. Almost 6 weeks ago he fell one night. An ambulance took him to the hospital and he was admitted to intensive care where he stayed for 4 weeks until he died. The doctors never determined what happened to him. His mother, my aunt, had a heart attack on the day he died. My aunt has been a mom to me for years but especially since I lost my mother 12 years ago. I think the stress is part of what caused her heart attack. She is doing better but is still very weak. It will be a slow recovery for her.

I don’t think that God intends for us to stress ourselves even in the midst of real struggles. He is our comforter and our refuge. It is my responsibility to remember to lean on Him and to look for Him for strength in every circumstance. “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9