Care for me, feed me, visit me

I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. Matthew 25:36

I’ll never be able to thank God enough for the way my mother took care of me when I had trigeminal neuralgia. She wouldn’t let go of me; my mother was determined to defeat the pain. Her determination and faith spread to me, and that is how I got well. Although the process wasn’t simple, the premise is: Lord, I believe You will make this pain go away. How can people believe such a thing when it feels as though the face is being electrocuted over and over and over?

As I fought the good fight of faith, I remember feeling as though my body had imprisoned me. I wanted to escape it, but I couldn’t. I found solace in a song that Dottie Rambo wrote, “The Holy Hills.”

This house of clay is but a prison
Bars of bone hold my soul.

How desperately I wanted to escape the prison, but I couldn’t. Captured by pain, I sought hope. If nothing else, I knew that the present sorrow could last only a lifetime and not for eternity. That’s how Dottie’s song encouraged me:

But the doors of clay are gonna burst wide open
When the angel sets my spirit free.
I'll take my flight like a mighty eagle…

I longed for a day of freedom, either by way of healing or through death. The thought of my death didn’t depress me, and it still doesn’t. It’s simply a longing to be in a better place.

The pain is gone, but I can’t forget about others who are suffering. I can’t forget, either, about people who are in prison. I’m involved with Prison Fellowship Ministries, and what a blessing it’s been. I’ve been teaching Set Free by Jan Coates to a group of women who are incarcerated. It’s about overcoming childhood abuse, and the curriculum is wonderful.

When I first met the group of women, I told them that I had never been arrested or in custody but I know what it’s like to be imprisoned by pain. They could relate to that, and I can relate to them. We all need someone to minister to us, whether it’s a need for food, clothing or shelter; a need to be attended; or a need to be visited when we’ve been punished. Think of someone who helped you along the way, someone you didn’t know well. For all the people who helped me – and there have been many – thank you. Because you helped me, I can visit people who are in prison.

More about the green olive tree

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8.

This is the second in a series. To read the first part of this entry, scroll down a little to see the green olive tree. It's been several months since I wrote the first part of the olive story, and you may wonder why I've waited such a long while to write in my blog again. So many reasons exist, but I’ll share just one with you. I’ve known that writing this portion will make me cry.

Before my tears begin, I’d like us to look more closely at the green olive tree’s awesome fruit. The beautiful olive decided to “go green” long before this world had issues with energy, pollution, and other environmental concerns. Boasting more than beauty, an olive has taste appeal, a subtle but delicious aroma, and some other wonderful properties worthy of discussion.

Just think about what happens when an olive is pressed, squeezed, or crushed. Instead of being destroyed, the green olive produces an oil that helps us humans thrive. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat, a healthier type of fat that can lower the risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels in an individual’s blood.

A fountain of health, olive oil was popular with the Greeks and Romans of Jesus’ time. Olive oil was used to treat open wounds, insect bites, headaches, to counteract poisons and to aid stomach and digestive problems. These ancient civilizations also applied olive oil to the body before bathing (as a soap) and then again afterward to moisturize the skin. It forms a barrier against dirt and the harmful effects of the sun.

Today we believe olive oil may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease because it is full of antioxidants and contains Vitamin E. This fabulous oil is known to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure, making it even more tempting to serve and consume this food with Italian herbs. Ever dipped your bread in that?
Traditionally olive oil is extracted through a grinding process that is accomplished with mill stones. Today they are ground in steel drums. In both cases, a paste forms and the olives are pressed again.

To get to the really good stuff, the olive must be crushed. It loses its shape and firmness. If olives could talk, I wonder if they would tell us how much it hurts as their oil is extracted. We cannot even see a trace of the fruit by the time the oil makes it into the bottle and onto our table. If it could be seen, then we wouldn’t have the expensive and highly regarded “extra virgin” oil.

I think we humans have much in common with olives. Refinement isn’t easy, and being ground and crushed hurts terribly. And who wants to lose their firmness or beauty? The very process that leads to a product containing helpful properties is the same process that causes the young but ripe olive to be destroyed.

I don’t know if it is possible for us humans to bear the fruit of the Spirit if we haven’t been ground or crushed a little or if we haven’t lost something we that once was part of our identity. It’s easy to admire people whose strong relationships with the Lord are apparent. We all know these blessed saints; they have words of healing at their fingertips. But would we want what they have if we had watched them being crushed, ground, and filtered?

If we want the Lord to load us with spiritual antioxidants and healing properties, we’re going to lose something, part of our identity. To have more of Jesus and less of us is going to hurt. We may experience something that will help us relate to the olives: it could be that no one might notice our pain.

Sources regarding olive oil

www.healingdaily.com
www.mayoclinic.com
www.wikipedia.com
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/the-health-benefits-of-olive-oil-ga1.htm

You'l be seeing me

Write from the heart. That's what I told my students a few years ago. It doesn't matter if you're writing fiction, poetry, or a factual presentation. Present facts as facts, fiction as fiction, and opinion as opinion and you can't go wrong.

Here are the facts: I hear from someone with trigeminal neuralgia or facial pain every day. I thank God for this fact because I am given the opportunity to pray with someone, to lend support, and to be a friend. I am thankful for you.

Now how about some fiction? I've been reading more of it lately, and I am disappointed with much of the Christian fiction on the market. I'm looking forward to the next book I'll begin, Healing Stones. It looks promising.

Opinion: There's no better place to write than on my recliner, where my two toy fox terriers like to snuggle with me. They'll be helping me with my next entry, part two of Green Olive Tree. It's coming right from my heart.

A book and a bottle: why men should cry

Hi everyone, I recently had the opportunity to guest blog for Aaron Reddin. We've been reading each others' tweets for a while now, so when he asked for guest bloggers I decided to give it a shot. He's doing a series on "things men should never had to teach themselves." I was so intrigued that I decided to tackle the topic. I hope you'll visit Aaron's blog and read "A book and a bottle: why men should cry."

Click here to visit Aaron's fabulous blog



Thanks a bunch. I'll be getting back to the WGM very soon.

Like a green olive tree

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8.

To understand why this verse might be significant for a person who experiences so much pain, it is necessary to know the characteristics of a green olive tree. This robust tree can live for centuries, even in dry, barren, and rocky places. To harvest the olives in Biblical times, the green olive tree would be beaten with sticks to knock the fruit from its branches. In spite of that, the tree would continue to produce new fruit. The strength of this tree comes from its roots, which go deep into the earth. The green olive tree’s roots are so deep and so strong that they survive even if the trunk is burned or cut down. The roots will send up new shoots, and they will bear fruit. The green olive tree knows how to survive and thrive even in the harshest of environments.

If you live with trigeminal neuralgia or other types of face pain, you have experienced a hostile environment. Years ago I felt that my body had become my own prison. By God’s grace, I was released from the pain. I went back to a “normal life,” and was teaching a Bible study for the ladies’ group at my church. In the course of the study, we discussed Psalm 52:8 and another verse about an olive tree, Deuteronomy 24:20. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

I cautioned the ladies to preserve some of the fruit that they bear for people that God will send to them. It’s so easy to get depleted, to have every piece of fruit (or every bit of energy) taken from us. Today’s demands are heavy: careers, children, aging parents, ministries, volunteer activities, and church functions. The list is endless, and our heavy obligations can leave us with no time or energy to help someone that the Lord puts in our path. At the time I wasn’t working, but a few months later I returned to the work force.

Last March, I went on a business trip to meet with a group of people who were experiencing facial pain. A couple of hours before I departed, I was gripped with terrible pain. It radiated from my jaws and into my face. The pain left during the last leg of the flight, but when I arrived at my destination I was exhausted. I enjoyed the visit, and it was soon time to return home to Florida. I was on a tight schedule, with an appointment the day after my return.

I learned that my schedule was going to be much tighter than I expected. The weather caused flights to Florida to be cancelled for the day. I left the airport and went to a nearby hotel. The first thing I did when I walked into my room was take the Gideon’s Bible from the desk. I don’t ordinarily open the Bible and read it where it falls, but on this day I was desperate. I wanted a word to calm my frustration. I looked at the open page and began to read Deuteronomy 24:20. Tears fell down my cheeks as I realized that I had ceased to bear fruit. I had nothing left to give to strangers, to the fatherless, or to widows. In fact, I had nothing to give to my family. I was always in need of their strength and support.

I surveyed my life that day and realized that my roots had not found the nourishment they so desperately needed. In Gainesville I had not found a church that I could call “home.” I was living away from my family and saw my husband only on the weekends. I missed him terribly. My noisy neighbors got home from work every morning at 3:00 a.m., and sleeping through the night was difficult. Worst of all, my own pain continued to increase.

Had I forgotten about God? No. I still read my Bible each morning. I was sad because life had become so difficult. I wondered why I was having so much pain in my jaws and neck, and I longed for home. I faced this fact: circumstances had beaten me down.

That day in the airport hotel, I asked God to restore me. Because I had experienced trigeminal neuralgia, I knew that that the current pain was very different. It wasn’t long before I began to notice some things that pointed to the root of my facial pain. For example, my teeth, which had always been straight, had become crowded and crooked.

In the diagnostic process, the facial pain and jaw dysfunction grew worse. I could not continue working, but I had answers about the root of the pain. Having a diagnosis gave me some relief, but it did not make the pain stop. It was clearly caused by my jaws, which were often locking shut. I resigned from my job and stayed home. Several months went by before I began to feel better. My body rebelled if I moved around a lot, so I stayed still. Very still.

Sometimes the Lord wants us to be still, to wait for Him. Sometimes we have no choice. It was while I stayed still that I could really focus on Jesus. My roots began to receive the nourishment they needed. Jesus is my source of strength, the One who helps me grow.

Although I was overwhelmed and beaten, my roots had not died. Your roots are still alive. You can also experience growth and restoration. We are like green olive trees, and the Lord wants us to bear fruit. We will be able to help the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger once again… with God’s help.

Have you read With Great Mercy?   A follow-up post to the green olive tree is available.

Believe: no pain, no fear

Can you imagine your life without facial neuralgias or TMD? After pain has been around a long time, it becomes difficult to remember what it is like to “live a normal life.”

I remember when my bed became my home. Hope was gone, and I was preoccupied with why God would not let me die. I wanted to escape the pain, so I prayed constantly to die. Visualizing myself as a well person was a difficult thing to do. Sometimes the seconds seemed like eternity as the pain “electrocuted” the right side of my face and my right eye. During these times, I visualized Jesus. It wasn’t long before my prayer changed.

As the Lord began to pour out His tender mercies, I gained the courage to say another prayer. “Lord help me live. Let me be free from this pain so that I can help others.” Hope returned, and I knew that better days were ahead. It was still difficult for me to picture myself as a healthy person, but my relationship with Jesus Christ had grown. I thought more about Him than I thought about me.

Faith is a wonderful thing. It transcends pain and sorrow. It gives one the courage to believe. I believed that trigeminal neuralgia would leave me. Through God’s grace, I fought the fear of the pain itself. Every day I felt that I was closer to being free of trigeminal neuralgia.

Then one day as my mother and close friends gathered around me, the pain left. The fear was gone. The Lord had intervened.

Since then, I have had plenty of challenges. My jaws have caused more facial pain, but I am thrilled to say that I am doing so much better. Six months ago, it was difficult to imagine myself doing 50 minutes of cardio, but now this is a reality. I can chew and talk, things that seemed impossible just six months ago.

The Lord gives each of us a measure of faith. It might be dormant in your life, but it is there. Don’t be afraid to visualize yourself as a well person. You have nothing to lose but fear and pain. God bless you.

Cold weather and trigeminal neuralgia

As cold weather blasts through many parts of the country, my friends with trigeminal neuralgia are having episodes of facial pain. My prayers are with everyone who is currently having this experience.

I remember last year at this time. I was hearing from so many people whose pain had been triggered by the cold weather. In fact, three months of cold weather had left many people both exasperated and exhausted. Because I know first-hand the excruciating pain of trigeminal neuralgia and glossopharyngeal neuralgia, I have great empathy for anyone who is suffering with these disabilities.

Last year I was working for TNA, The Facial Pain Association when the cold weather blanketed the country. To communicate with so many people who had facial pain was very humbling. If you talked to me or emailed me during that time, please know that your story – your plight – touched me. I may not know your name, your face, or even your voice, but I know your struggle.

The severity of this pain can transcend the physical body and permeate the human spirit. It can cause a person to lose hope, to feel alone, and to wonder how he or she can keep going.

Last year I was experiencing excruciating pain of my own. I had nerve pain in my face, but it was caused by my jaws. What triggered it the most was talking, and talking was part of my job. I don’t talk so much these days, and I am experiencing a season of quietness. The quiet is like a good night, soft and comforting. It leaves me feeling rested and refreshed.

Don’t neglect your spirit while you weather the storm. My prayer is that everyone with facial pain will find relief from the pain and will be rejuvenated. I found strength when I searched the Bible for a way to cope with the pain.

To those of you who are reading With Great Mercy, I hope you will be blessed.