I've been itching and itching for weeks now. This poison ivy is just the pits. If you have a secret family cure for poison ivy please email me ASAP....if not, go find one! You'll be happy to know that I didn't take any pictures of my poison. So no worries, there won't be any oozing blister photos in this post. (whew!) However, I have gotten some perspective as I've been swabbing, whining and applying lotions. I realize that it's just poison ivy. There are so many people around me that have much greater things that they are dealing with. I've got a friend who's son is on a machine 24/7 to help him breathe. I've got another friend who's dealing with a marriage in crisis, one who's hoping he'll see his son more than every other weekend and a neighbor who's sister has terminal cancer. There are tumors and depression and major stuff going on all around me. When I really stop and look around, I've got no time to spend whining about my poison, I need to be on my knees praying for those who are hurting and scared and needing a touch from the Lord. So, when I'm ready to scratch...I pray for someone else. (in all honesty, sometimes I'm praying while I scratch) I know God hears us when we pray. I encourage you to turn your itching into prayer too...whatever that thing is that's causing you to keep your focus on yourself...allow it to turn your heart to prayer for someone else. "We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:20-22
Thursday, September 17, 2009
in perspective
I've been itching and itching for weeks now. This poison ivy is just the pits. If you have a secret family cure for poison ivy please email me ASAP....if not, go find one! You'll be happy to know that I didn't take any pictures of my poison. So no worries, there won't be any oozing blister photos in this post. (whew!) However, I have gotten some perspective as I've been swabbing, whining and applying lotions. I realize that it's just poison ivy. There are so many people around me that have much greater things that they are dealing with. I've got a friend who's son is on a machine 24/7 to help him breathe. I've got another friend who's dealing with a marriage in crisis, one who's hoping he'll see his son more than every other weekend and a neighbor who's sister has terminal cancer. There are tumors and depression and major stuff going on all around me. When I really stop and look around, I've got no time to spend whining about my poison, I need to be on my knees praying for those who are hurting and scared and needing a touch from the Lord. So, when I'm ready to scratch...I pray for someone else. (in all honesty, sometimes I'm praying while I scratch) I know God hears us when we pray. I encourage you to turn your itching into prayer too...whatever that thing is that's causing you to keep your focus on yourself...allow it to turn your heart to prayer for someone else. "We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:20-22
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17 comments:
You've been so inspiring to me. My worries are so minor. The other day when my type A personality was rising instead of fuming I kept repeating "I am so blessed " It didn't take long for me to calm downand refocus. I'll add in a prayer next time.
It's so true, sometimes minor things seem like it's the end of the world when there are so many people suffering. Makes you realized how blessed you are.
Hope your itching does go away soon. :)The only advice I know is to run it under cold water, it realives some of the itching for a small amt of time.
Technology, what a neat thing. I was so inspired by this post, and wondered how to get the Scripture passage without copying it out: Click, edit-copy, open word document click-edit-paste. Done. It will be with me always. In spite of the fact that good is coming out of it, I hope your itching soon passes.
poison in one life, cancer in another. I'm thanking Him that He cares about each and every struggle we go through. and the prayers lifted up on our behalf help us each and every moment.
Thank you for the reminder. Always good to be reminded to get outside of ourselves.
As for the poison ivy...I love Hylands. http://www.hylands.com/products/poisonivy.php Helps me every time!
Such a lovely post. We bought our house in the winter and had no ideas that the vines we were pulling up in the spring were poison ivy because the leaves hadn't come out yet. Our doctor recommended Aveeno oatmeal baths, Caladryl Clear and taking Benedryl, even though it makes me drowsy. Sometimes drowsy is better than itchy. I too would add prayer to that list.
well said. I realized the other day what I thought was my unfortunate job loss was God's way of saying be home taking care of your family. They need you. So the pocket book is a little thinner and cupboards a little more bare but my heart is full and my family is happy. That is what it is all about. Life is full of many blessings.
Great post Mom. Way to be positive even when things look bad. It's a lot harder than it seems. Satan is always trying to bring us down with things. (take Job for example) But we need to trust in the Lord and look see the glass half full and not half empty.
~Maggie
Still itching? Oh, my...so sorry you're having such a time with this poison ivy, Lisa. But the power of prayer is a great thing! :o) Suffering is suffering, and when we acknowledge that, our hearts soften and turn to ourselves and others. :o) Hope you will be feeling better soon... and able to enjoy the weekend. ((HUGS))
Thank you for this post. It was good reminder of how the small things can seem big, but there are so many others out who are suffering so much worse.
I hope that you are feeling better soon, and I wish I had a remedy to contribute
Thank you for another beautiful post Lisa. it's impotant to take a moment and put our problems in perspective to those of others'. I was reminded of this today as i was showering at the gym - I was concerned about how I was going to dry my hair, volunteer for lunch duty at the kiddos school, and pick up some groceries for dinner with enough to spare to finish up my quilt when I overheard the women in the next stall say that she had to drive 2 hours to a rehab hospital every day for the next month to care for her husband who was recovering from a stroke. The woman she was taking to told her that her son was fired from his job while recovering from a car crash leaving his family with no income. suddenly having enough time to quilt became far less important.
I so hope you are better (and less itchy) soon! so many depend on you for so much.
thank you for the good reminder...easy to focus on our worries that are small in the light of eternity!
Too true !
I hope your itching passes soon! Thanks for the "my worries are minor" reminder, such an important realization.
My husband works part-time doing landscaping and in July in had a ferocious case of poison ivy! I stopped at a local homeopathic drug store and they have these wonderful little pills that, not only help the itching, but actually can keep you from getting it again. They worked wonders and cleared his poison ivy up pretty fast. When my husband comes home today I will try to find the name of them for you, Lisa.
very true, I often remind myself, when I'm having a bad pain day (chronic neck pain & frequent severe headaches) that I know so very many people are in much worse shape than me, and some of them are dear friends, it's sobering...
I do pray that your itching will stop soon!
I have also decided that when God gives me a pain somewhere or a sickness it is to be used in order to glorify Him. I have a lot of pain in my right arm - probably carpal tunnel, however, like you when the pain gets bad, I turn my thoughts to God and how blessed I am and how much others need prayer.
Thanks for the beautiful words.
I do pray that your poison ivy heals soon.
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