When people ask, "how do you cope with it all," I tell them faith, along with my family and friends, is what gets me through it all. In the post entitled, Spiritual Health, I spoke about the need to have spirituality in your life. For me, my faith is what gets me through all the unpleasant things that Sickle Cell throws my way.
On the facebook page, Sickle Warriors, I read that a young man with Sickle Cell recently took his own life because he was tired of the difficulties the illness brought into his life. I feel for him and his family. On more than one occasion, despair nearly drove me to take such actions.
In the post entitled, Depression, I spoke briefly about my struggles in that area. There were many years in my life when suicide occupied my thoughts on a daily basis. The cold reality was, had it not been for my faith and religious beliefs, I would have taken my own life. Once I acknowledged I needed help and received it, those dark thoughts left me and have been a thing of the past for a long time now. Thank goodness.
As Sickle Cell patients, we struggle with so much; it's natural for our minds and spirits to fall into dark places sometimes; as does everybody at times. To counterbalance that darkness, there must be a greater light in your life. That light is God.
Though I am very devoted to faith, it's not my purpose here to promote any particular religion. My purpose is to encourage you to find your own faith. I personally cannot imagine enduring what we do without having God a part of our life.
As everybody whose endured a pain crisis knows, there are times when the pain is so high that one minute feels like an hour, and a day of it feels like ten. When those agonizing minutes come, the light of Christ and God's love is the lifeline that will pull me through the sea of agony. Without it, I would surely drown.
The Lord has provided more miracles in my life than I can count. At times I've been pulled back from the brink of death; at times I've had agonizing pain entirely removed; other times, most of the time unfortunately, it's my lot to endure the pain. Whether God lessons my discomfort or not, He always sees me through it with the comfort of His Spirit; as He can do for you.
Faith doesn't mean we are going to be protected from hardship; rather, it gives us the strength to endure it. If faith and spirituality are not yet a part of your life, I beg you to seek it out. If faith is a part of your life--whether it's Muslim based, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, or Christianity--always be vigilant to cultivate it; do things that will help the light of your spirituality burn brighter. For that light will see you through the darkest of days.
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