We can immerse ourselves in God’s Word and remain tethered to the Lord through prayer and combat the attacks of Satan.
However, there are other strategies available to us.
One is to learn a coping technique. When Fibromyalgia came into my life in May 2010, I suddenly lost the ability to walk, some of the motor skills and strength in my hands and arms and was left with a great deal of pain.
During my treatment I attended a pain clinic and received a lot of guidance about the effects of stress, worry and the pressures of life on our bodies.
In order to deal with the stress and worry in my life, I developed a strategy that works for me. It can be adapted to fit someone else’s context.
Worry was one of the hallmarks of my life until I realized that I must end the cycle. Learning to deal with the forces assaulting me and my family, I was better able to handle their attacks.
While studying biofeedback at the pain clinic, I began to construct a cabinet in my mind. This cabinet is in front of me, but not attached to me. It has plenty of room to facilitate my needs. I placed all of my worries and fears in that cabinet.
The contents of that cabinet are real and viable. The responsibilities still need attention and the stresses of life still exist. But their weight is no longer on my shoulders. I can look at them and attend to them whenever I need to but they are not in me, eating at me like acid.
By removing them from within me, I feel liberated.
Self-preservation can push us to do things we would not normally do. I now handle stress and worry better than ever. I am calmer, more loving and gentle than before.
My fibromyalgia is still real and painful. I still stumble around and have trouble with my arms and hands but I am freer from the viciousness of worry. In that respect, fibromyalgia has been one of the best things to enter my life because it finally pushed me to cast off the beast.
The worrier, the addict, the obese and the sinner all face the urgency to turn their lives around. In some areas, we succeed and in other areas we fail. However, God can lead us through the wars if we will allow him to have the throne of our lives (Philippians 4:4-9).
— by Richard Mansel