Overcoming The Storms of Life

"Peter said to Him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to You on the water'. And He said 'Come!' And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out 'Lord, save me!'. Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'.(Matthew 14:28-31)

We all have storms in our life. Some of us have the storm of epilepsy (combined with all other storms we face) and others do not face the storm of epilepsy. It does not matter if you are suffering from epilepsy, have someone you love with epilepsy, or you just simply have a storm in your life, Jesus Christ is still calling to you to step out in the midst of the storm and come to Him. The safest place the Apostle Peter could have been at that moment was in the presence of Jesus Christ.

There are storms we may be able to come up with ways to "fix" ourselves and then there are going to be those hurricanes in life that we can't fix. Perhaps it is a simple rainstorm you are going through or perhaps it is a hurricane blowing through your home. It matters not the severity of the storm of the magnitude of the destruction and heartache, Jesus Christ still reaches through the storm to save you and to be right beside you.

One of the most heart warming story I heard today was the story of one of the rescued Chile miners who was quoted as saying "there were actually 34 of us down there and not 33 because God never left us". If God would not leave them while they were thousands of miles underground in a trapped mine shaft then I can promise you the storm you are going through is something Jesus is right beside you in the midst.

Perhaps the most damage we do in our life is to try to "fix" the storms of life with no help. The two greatest mistakes we could do are:

1.) think and be convinced there is something you can do to fix every storm you face in your life

2.) Attempt to "fix" the storm alone or endure the storm alone

There is no greater joy than to reach through the storm of life that you are facing, (whether it be epilepsy, cancer, AIDS, diabetes, financial problems, marital problems, or whatever it may be), and grab the hand of Jesus Christ and allow Him to walk with you through the storm.

Epilepsy Webinar

If you have a child who is epileptic or if you know someone who has a child with epilepsy, this is a must see FREE webinar that can assist in ensuring your child's experience at school will be productive and happy.
Don't miss this incredible opportunity:

http://www.epilepsyandmychild.org/webinar.html

For The Loved Ones of an Epileptic

It's important to understand your role as a support for an epileptic. Support and love from those around us is important so that you know you are not helpless. Education is important in understanding what is going on with your loved one during their seizures but also before and immediately after.
By taking the time to talk to your loved one about their seizures, how they feel, what they think and how they handle and deal with their seizures you will be able to identify how you can help them. The risk of depression is very high in epileptics so it's important that you provide loving support and encouragement to your epileptic loved one but particularly after they experience a seizure.
Education about epilepsy and the type of seizure your loved one suffers from is key also in easing your confusion and fear. Fear is a large part of epilepsy. The epileptic has fear as well as the fear of loved ones. Fear exists primarily due to the unknown. Not knowing when a seizure will happen or not knowing how bad it might be when it does come. The fear of not knowing what is happening or how it may end up damaging your loved one is also an ever present part of life for those who love someone with epilepsy.
It is important you find support while you are there to support the epileptic. You should find someone who suffers from epilepsy, perhaps other family members of an epileptic, and support groups are always good for providing yourself support and encouragement because you will need it as well as the epileptic

Safety and Epilepsy Series

During the next few posts I will be discussing some safety measures you can take while dealing with epilepsy. Safety should be a priority if you are an epileptic and by being prepared with safety measures you will increase your probability of recovering from the effects of the seizure as well as decrease your chances of being harmed during the occurrance of a seizure.

One of the most important things we can do to ensure our safety is to notify those we are around and explain our situation. This becomes crucial because they know how to respond once a seizure happens.

Safety and Epilepsy at Work

Because I am an individual who is determined and committed to having a successful and fulfilling life because that is what I believe God chooses for us to have life.

While at work, it is recommended to continually utilize elevators instead of the stairs. This provides a safer environment for you in the case of a seizure. In addition, if you must use the stairs, only climb to heights that would not cause injury if you fell. You may also ensure the staircases you use have landings between floors where you can pause and have a place which will prevent you from falling down too many stairs

Again, if seizures are frequent it is important you tell your co-workers and supervisors in order for them to be aware and be able to ensure your safety to the best of their ability before, during and after a seizure.

Trust me, I know how hard it is to admit to someone you are limited and struggling with epilepsy. However, in order to have the quality of life God has intended for you to have. Your limitations do not have to be the barrier to your success and a fulfilled life.

True Freedom In Christ

Jesus Christ offers hope and freedom to those who will receive Him and allow Him to have control of their life. In coping with epilepsy, it is crucial for information to be shared and for us to allow those around us to support us. Our friends are individuals who are placed in our lives in order for us to be used in their life as well as in order for them to have an impact in our life.

The most difficult thing I had to do in suffering and dealing with my epilepsy is sitting down with those I love and care about and telling them I had epilepsy. I had to sit down and speak with them about what happens if I have one, what they will face if I have one while they are with me, what they need to do in response to it and to provide them the information they need in order to help get me through it but also to allow them to be able to manage it if they were with me when I had one.

A wide range of emotions can come with this when we consider having to tell someone about them. Emotions such as embarrassment, pride, fear, and a feeling of being less than others all run through your veins when you even contemplate telling others.

Perhaps your seizures are of such a frequency and severity that everyone around you knows anyway. However, for those of us who did not have them frequent enough where we could try to hide them from some of those we love, I want to stress the importance of telling those you are around and who love you and those you love about the seizures and enabling them to be empowered when the situation arises to help you and to deal with it themselves emotionally as well as obtaining you medical treatment if necessary.

However, Christ will set you free from your burdens of fear, embarrassment and pride if you allow Him to set you free. You see, when Christ sets you free from those then you are enabled to a greater degree to accept who you are and to begin to love yourself for who you are and what you are facing.

The Neurologist Visit That Changed My Life

Since my seizures were not very frequent, I only ended up having to go to a neurologist about once to twice a year. If I was careful with sleep and with stress and eating right and taking care of myself, I would be able to limit my seizures to about one a year.
So, I was a senior in high school and went to one of the best pediatric neurologist in Nashville, Tn and there I sat after my regular exam and we found ourselves in a discussion about the future. Since I was a senior, I was about to be 18 and we were talking about moving from a pediatric neurologist to an adult neurologist and continued care, etc.
Well, I informed my neurologist of my goal and desire to go to college, graduate, have a career of my own and be successful in what I chose to do. However, he looked at me and told me I needed to forget about going to college and having a career because I would never do it with my seizures and my seizures would limit my ability to have a successful career. He informed me I should just go ahead and apply for disability and not set myself up for failure and disappointment.
Disappointment? I was heartbroken that this "specialist" was telling me I basically didn't have a future because of my seizures.
So, just because of the type of person I am, I sat out to prove him wrong. I applied and was accepted to college and had a scholarship to go along with it ! So, I set off for college, joined a sorority, and was very happy with being a college student. I graduated in the traditional 4 years with a Bachelor degree and set out with my goals to have a career and trusting God would show me where He would have me to go and what He wanted me to do.
He certainly did. I now have a career and have been a government employee for over 4 years and am also Director/Co-Founder of an International Ministry and a published author.
I do not say all of this to brag about myself but only to say that with God all things are possible and though a neurologist, family member, friend, or anyone else may tell you that you do not have any future or hopes or should not create goals and dreams then they are wrong.
I am living proof that God can take the most ill-equipped, problematic, and cracked vessels of individuals and do what He does best....show His glory through their life and what He does.
If I do nothing else with this post, this blog, and my life's message it is this....God has a destiny for us all and He knows our seizures and limitations but has a destiny for us NOT in spite of those limitations and troubles but by His holy providence....because of them !!

Dealing With Limitations

It's funny how one problem and limitation such as epilepsy will cause you to doubt many things within your life. I have been blessed by God Almighty to have success in many areas of my life and most importantly, I have success in serving the Lord Jesus. Perhaps not as fully or perfectly as I would desire but it has been a life worth living while living it for Jesus. However, epilepsy seems to make you feel as though you have a stigma on you in which the world thinks you are lower than them in some weird form.
I mean, doctors will tell you that you should get on disability and many doctors and other "experts" tell you that you can't drive or can't have a job or can't have a career. It's almost like thorugh epilepsy you lose your ability to live life.
Against advice of many individuals and "experts" in the past, I have pursued a career and a life and have had success within that life.
There is hope on the other side of epilepsy. There is life through the trials