Day 10: What little things make your life easier?

Little things making my life easier? Like having a dishwasher? The existence of Amazon, since I buy everything online so I don’t have to leave my house? I’m not too sure any of these things are “little,” but these are the things that make my life easier.

For celiac disease, the fact that my dear husband does all the cooking is a wonderful thing. I don’t know that I would have had the fortitude to figure out gluten free cooking. I know I can always count on him that my food will be safe because we don’t have any gluten in the house (except his beer, but I hate beer anyway.) And not having to worry about my food, which is the primary focus and sole treatment of celiac disease, is a help. Along the same lines, the fact that my family members and a few friends have educated themselves on the intricacies of gluten free cooking makes me feel that I can safely eat food they have worked hard to prepare.

The fact that gluten free diets have become a fad diet is actually helpful in terms of the fact that it’s not too difficult to find pre-packaged gluten free foods, such as flours, pasta, cereals, and the forever unhealthy but always craved snack foods, such as cookies. Taste is another thing entirely, but what can you do?

As far as the rest of my chronic illnesses are concerned, having supportive family and friends makes all the difference in the world. It’s easy to get down on yourself when you’re having a bad day, when the pain is bad or when the depression comes knocking. But David always tries to cheer me up and force me to look at the bright side of things, reminding me that everything will happen the way God has planned it will.

Being on leave from work, while not necessarily a small thing, has been the best decision I have made for myself. My body is going through a lot right now. Being able to rest keeps me from pushing myself to go to work and have my health decline as a result. It’s also given me time to devote myself to the Lord; while this year has been the greatest hell of my life, it’s also been my greatest personal spiritual awakening and revival in response to walking through that valley. Both David and myself have turned back to the Lord after a long period of spiritual complacency. None of that would have happened had these trials not happened to me. Now having Jesus back in my life gives me the strength to keep pushing forward every day. He is the reason I am still here.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”              James 1:2-4

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