Focus

I broke the streak.  Since the inception of this blog, I had not missed a Monday or Thursday post.  Saturday night, I experienced the beginnings of a migraine.  It caught me completely off guard. I had not experienced one to this degree in many years.  The signs are usually an upset stomach, vomiting, a headache, and vertigo for several days.  Vertigo can be described as feeling off-balanced and dizzy.  I would also encounter an occurrence called known as “aura” where you see black dots.  The attack happened at 1 am when I was in the bed. I will leave out all the fun details. 

I proceeded to spend the next two days in bed.  I missed church. I called out sick at work.  I didn’t write a new post and used a blogger sick day.  When I do not feel well physically, it oftentimes makes me sad.  I always pray over myself but then get frustrated the healing is not coming fast enough! (Just being honest.)  I feel useless because I don’t have the physical strength to do anything productive.  The list of complaints goes on.

This time was a bit different though.  I will not lie, Sunday was tough.  I really wanted to push myself but I felt the gentle nudging of God to stay home.  A friend texted me midday because she did not see me at church.  I told her about my situation.  She recommended I get a diffuser and peppermint oil.  I took heed to her advice because I had nothing to lose! After pushing myself to pick up the necessary items on Monday, I was curious to see if it would really work.  As the fragrance filled the air, my body felt relaxed.  Th nauseous began to subside.  The throbbing in my head was practically untraceable.  I am low key obsessed with diffusers now.  You can send me some organic essential oils if you want to!

Throughout this ordeal, when I found myself getting down, I fought to move past it.  I used the time to pray and study the Word. It was amazing! I sat in my bed, feverishly taking notes and asking God tons of questions.  I saw things I never noticed before and it was exciting! In the midst of my pain, I choose to cling to God and found comfort.

Tuesday, when I returned to work, I still was not 100% myself.  Nausea and light-headedness were rearing their ugly heads but I just kept praying over myself and asking God for strength to get through the day.  To give insight, I stand most of the day at work so it is challenging to push through when your body feels weak.  I also work directly with the public so putting on a smile and a cheerful countenance required my acting abilities to be put on display.  As the day progressed, I felt my body strengthening.  By the end of the night, one of my colleagues expressed I seem like myself again. Thank God!

I decided to share this story with you because I think we can all relate in some way.  We have all had experiences where we could either be sad about our situation or we could look to God for help and the proper perspective.  The Apostle Paul actually boosted in his weakness because it was an opportunity for God’s power to be on display in his life (See 2 Corinthians 12:9).  Every day we can decide where we will focus our attention in the midst of discomfort. I decided to look to Jesus and He never disappoints.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.  Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.  Hebrews 12:2-3 NLT

Until Next Time,

Live Audaciously!

Kay Naomi