For What Have I Suffered? (The Disclaimer and Reason Behind the Title)

DISCLAIMER:

It has come to my attention that people may read the title of this blog and think, "My Goodness! She is one pretentious person!"

False Alarm!

You can relax because it is not true.

It is important than when reading my journey, one understands that never once have I thought that any of the good that has come from my journey has been because of me. Never once have I thought that I am better than others for suffering; that I have any of this all figured out; or that I am the creator of my ability to cope. (Well... maybe I have once or twice, but that was ended quickly by completely humbling experiences that will be returned to later!) The strength that I have been given has always and always will come from the Lord. (To him be the glory forever and ever, amen!)

REASON:

The point behind the title is as follows. Anyone who has gone through any little bit of suffering or seen someone suffer has probably raised the question... "WHY?" or "WHY ME?"

For the sake of brevity and of not jumping ahead of myself I will answer in a few short reasons.

1) God did not cause you to suffer.

2) Suffering is in this world because we are sinful humans. (Even creation was subjected to punishment because of our sin and consequent separation from God... see Romans 8)

3) Think of Joseph... he was prideful and gloated about his coat of many colors (SIN). Then his brothers got jealous (SIN) and sold him into slavery (SIN). However, the evil that was intended was turned around by God and he used it for good (Israel could become a great nation because Joseph was in a position to prevent famine from killing his family... the 12 tribes).

4) I am a little like Joseph. Something happened to me that was beyond my control, but God is using it for good. I have a passion to help others fight this disease and to share my story. I have been given a purpose in my suffering... For this I have suffered.

Why? (answered by means of a lengthy introduction)

Hello World!

I was about to fall asleep the other night when I realized that I was falling asleep with a big smile. I took a mental note of the date, March 18, 2011. It had been six months. Six months since I had fallen asleep smiling. Six months of a grueling and exhausting battle with depression. How much I had gone through in a short six months! However, this story is not about the past six months, but about the past 5 years. It is about my ups and my downs; my questioning God; my periods of praise and hope; and of despair. The blogs catalogs my discovery of where suffering fits into the life of a Christian and the wonderful truths that can be learned through such a journey as mine. This blog is devised to get my battle with endometriosis out for the world to read. I am not the only one who has ever suffered with this disease, or lost hope because of it. However, I am one of the few who are determined to make the experience of others not like mine. This blog is the beginning of my passion to give others who are suffering with anything, especially endometriosis, hope. It is the first step in starting a non-profit organization to fund research for a cure for endometriosis. It is a first step to giving tools and weapons to fight back. This blog is a symbol of hope. One last thing... your part... As my friends and family and friends of friends and friends of family and those who I have yet to meet... It is your job to give me feedback. Correct me. Challenge me. I hope to turn this into a book someday. Anything you think I should add or take away, just let me know!