IBD Awareness Week

If you told me a year ago that I would be in the position I am now, sharing about IBD awareness week because I now live with one, I definitely would not believe you at all. but here I am doing exactly that, and I have no doubt it’s exactly where the Lord wants me. This is a week to bring awareness to a disease that so many people have to fight every single day, including me. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease only 8 months ago, but it has honestly felt like an eternity. Since then, I have had many mountains and many valleys. This picture was from my lowest valley that become so deep I wasn’t sure I’d ever get out. While it may be invisible to others from the outside, it has a way of completely altering a person on the inside. No one warns you about the daily challenges you will have to fight and how defeating & dibilitating it truly is. There are a lot of days that I ask the question “why me?” because I’m exhausted from the pain and wish I could go back to my old, healthy self that I took for granted everyday. It took a really long time for me to finally realize that this is something I will carry with me forever and it’s not going away. I never thought I would ever openly share about my illness, but i’m inspired by other people who struggle with the same pain I do who share their stories. It’s not easy to be transparent, but the Lord has been teaching me that my trials are meant to be shared and they are meant to be heard. He uses our pain for good that we can’t always see and can’t always understand, but I’m learning to trust His ways more than my own. While Crohn’s disease can feel like my biggest enemy sometimes, I am far better because of all that it’s taught me and for that I am so thankful. The Lord has a way of taking what seems like our worst nightmare and giving it a purpose that is far greater than we could ever begin to imagine. I’m so thankful to have Jesus and all the people He has placed in my life who are walking along side me as I try to navigate my new normal because it wouldn’t be possible without them. So here’s to my first time celebrating this week and forever more to go!! #crohnsdiseasesucks #butGodisgood