Amen Treasure House! Ditto. I’m so there!
Fibromyalgia is one of the many “diagnosis” that I have. (By the way Wobenyzme is awesome for inflammation–ok if nursing too).
My list is LONG. Each thing seems ESSENTIAL. The priorities many times seem EQUAL. So I live in this conflict…cause I have only so much physical energy. Recently I started trying to work harder and longer…got massively sleep deprived–seemed crazy crazy…went to the doctor and the doctor said…sleep deprivation can look a lot like phycosis…I worked myself crazy by getting up earlier, staying up later, and working working working…cause it just had to be done…right.
Now, things are so much better. I am learning to walk in the spirit. Slowly…increment by increment. I try to walk in my day –praying without ceasing, asking about the priorities…and trying to listen and be led. Many times, God will lead me to do something that I think I just don’t have the time for…even a nap…yet the rest of the day flows so beautifully when I am walking the path He is laying…versus going along with my over the top must get done agenda.
I of course can not say I understand all of your circumstances Miranda. But I have many of these same issues, health (huge since 18) 6 or 7 incurable “diseases”–pain and tiredness NORMAL, four small littles (oldest 7 youngest 9mo), trying to get out of debt, save money, one income, natural cleaning supplies, very busy dh, trying to implement a huge diet change for all the health issues–THE GAPS diet…www.gaps.me wrap your mind around that diet…WOW…homeschooling, and many many more…must get this done first, deadlines here and there, so many things I need to get up to speed with…learn and put into practice, so many thinking changes, so many lifestyle changes…including making my own dairy items from raw milk, etc. and right now the whole house is ill right after a procedure I had done last week that laid me up–very short summers to cram in a multitude of must get done before snow…:-) and the list goes on and on…
I also have multiple nutritional deficiencies due to celiac disease-which affects my emotional and muscular wellbeing…hence the gap diet…but …
the Lord has used my health many times to make me STOP. no choice, stopped. in those times…instead of fighting to stay on my laid out -have to- course…I am learning to lean on Him, do what He says…sometimes that is rest, sometimes that is work that I would have put last, yet it makes everything better when done, sometimes it is the relationship builiding with dc and dh…the real important thing anyways…
because I just took on 10 new things to learn and implement in a kind of complete JOANNA self, family, and home overhaul project…I pushed until I collasped. Put the oxygen mask on yourself first…several of my friends remind me.
the gaps diet is vital to my entire family’s healing…yet it is on hold until we can ramp up to it. as are many different things. i am taking the Lord’s hand and taking a deep breath and relaxing into the following of the one who made me…and who KNOWS what is best for me and mine…
i thought i needed to learn to prioritize better, work harder, be better organized…and yes, some of that is definitely true…
yet really what i needed to do…was look in the right direction and submit my time, my life, my family, my agenda, my everything to the Maker of the Heavens and Earth…the God of love and of order…certainly He is way more qualified to prioritize my seemingly huge but really small in the scheme of things lists. And I am finding His priorities don’t always match mine, but don’t always conflict either…He is more concerned with the pulse of the hearts in my home…and I am learning…slowly, haltingly…but learning.
May God Bless you on your Journey during this crazy busy time. Hopefully, you won’t be as hard headed as me :-)LOL… when He has had to stop me (cause I would not could not on my own)…HE REALLY STOPPED ME! 🙂 which I am now grateful for. (and even there I am learning…at least I am not in the hospital this time!)
Look to Him , Sister,
jo