Thankful Thursday

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Psalm 73:26

Thank God for seeing me through another week. The last 1 week have been quite a difficult week for me as my health has not been good and I have gone through many difficult challenges. But thank God that though my flesh and my heart failed at times, God is the strength of my heart and my portion through the past 1 week and forever more. So I have many things to thank God for :-)

I am thankful to God for sustaining me daily and giving me grace and strength to live for Him. I am still learning to manage my condition. As you probably know, I suffer from a condition called bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness). This is a neurological and medical condition that can be treated. It alternates between manic and depression. There are pockets of time when I am more "normal" :-)

Besides medication there are various helps available in coping with my condition such as regular exercise, minimizing stress, healthy meal, regular sleep and recreation, etc etc. In the recent weeks, my health has been fluctuating as I am managing more stress in terms of my freelance work and other challenges in my life. The last few days have been particularly trying as I have been experiencing panic attacks due to some stressful situations. Stress and strained are my main triggering factors in my condition and so I am looking to the Lord daily for grace and wisdom to manage. I thank God for His faithfulness in seeing me through the many challenges and for strengthening me.

Thank God that His Words have bring great encouragement and comfort to me this week as I searched through them in the face of various challenges.

Thank God for the joy of worship and fellowship on the Lord's day. Thank God for a soul-searching message on maintaining a right relationship with God's children that will please God.

Thank God that the church Aunty who went through the surgery last Tuesday was able to come for worship last Lord's day and we had a blessed time of fellowship.

Thank God for family and friends who puts up with my many limitations and loved me just the way I am and help me to grow in many wonderful ways. Their love and support is precious to me. Thank God for my mother who takes such wonderful care of me even while I seek to care for her. Thank God for my sister's family for spending time with my mum and me this week.

Thank God for 2 friends who helped me to brain-storm some difficult decisions recently and helped me to learn and grow through these difficult experiences.

Thank God for enabling me to complete one freelance assignment ahead of time and enabling me to start on a new one now. Thank God for His provisions.

Thank God for providing for my daily bread and so many blessings in His wonderful ways, and through the kindness of His beloved people .

Thank God for Iris' labours of love in hosting Thankful Thursday.

Thank God for the joy of participating on Thankful Thursday. Reading the various encouraging Thankful Thursday posts on so many blogs have helped me to count my blessings and be more thankful. Sometimes when the road is tough and the days are difficult, it is easy to forget that God is still with us and have shower us with many blessings. So I am thankful to God that through Thankful Thursday I can step aside from the challenges of the day, the tiredness, the stress and whatever else, to just reflect upon God's blessings and goodness to me. Praise Him that I do have many things to be thankful for!

Thank God for all of you, my dear blogging friends, other friends and readers, for stopping by, reading my posts and encouraging me by sharing with me your thoughts and reflections either via comment or email.

Thank God for the many blogs that I can visit daily and all the encouragements I derived from your blogs. Thanks for sharing your life with me. It is so wonderful to find such friendships and support online. God be praised!

How about you? How has the Lord blessed you through the past week?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed and thankful day!

For more participants of Thankful Thursday, do visit Iris at Sting My Heart. It will be a very blessed and spiritually uplifting experience for you!

Word-Filled Wednesday : the LORD sustained me (Psalm 3:5)

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. Psalm 3:5

Thank God for restful night and each new day that we can walk with our Lord and serve Him.

One of my friends and sister-in-Christ, Joyce L., gave me this lovely gift. She put the pieces of jigsaw puzzles together and frame it up.

I scanned the picture and put in this Bible verse that reminds me the Lord sustains me while I am sleeping or when I am awake.

For more Word-Filled Wednesday participants, do visit Amy at The 160 Acre Woods. It will be a very blessed and spiritually uplifting experience for you!

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed day!

It Matters to Me about You

Today, I found this encouraging poem that reminded me afresh that God cares for me. No matter what I go through in this life, He is with me. The difficulties, trials or afflictions that pained me at times, are actually working together for my good in God's wonderful providence.

God is doing a deeper work in my soul to make me what He wants me to be. God is conforming me more and more to the image of Christ. The process is painful but necessary. This is the only way I can bear fruit for Christ.

This reminder helps me to see my difficulties and afflictions due to bipolar or depression, panic attacks, stress and other difficulties, from a different angle and to value what God is doing in me through them. It helps me to face every tomorrow with God's strength and grace.

I know God loves me and He is with me. God has His purposes in all that I am going through and He will accomplished His purposes in and through me. I am a weak vessel and an instrument in the hands of a mighty God.

I humbly submit to His will and pray that I may learn to glorify Him even in the furnace of affliction because He has promised never to leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).

If you are going through a very difficult and painful time now or suffering in some ways, I hope this poem and the reminder that God cares for you will bring some comfort and uplift your heart to Him Who loved us and gave His Son for us for nothing shall ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)

IT MATTERS TO ME ABOUT YOU

My child, I know thy sorrows,
Thine every grief I share;
I know how thou art tested,
And, what is more - I care.

Think not I am indifferent
To what affecteth thee;
Thy weal and woe are matters
Of deep concern to Me.

But, child, I have a purpose
In all that I allow;
I ask thee then to trust Me,
Though all seems dark just now.

How often thou hast asked Me
To purge away thy dross!
But this refining process
Involves for thee - a cross.

There is no other pathway
If thou would'st really be
Conformed unto the image
Of Him Who died for thee.

Thou can'st not be like Jesus
Till self is crucified;
And as a daily process
The cross must be applied.

Just as the skillful gard'ner
Applies the pruning knife,
E'en so, I too would sever
The worthless from thy life.

I have but one sole object -
That thou should'st fruitful be!
And is it not thy longing
That I much fruit should see?

Then shrink not from the training
I needs must give to thee;
I know just how to make thee
What I would have thee be.

Remember that I love thee!
Think not I am unkind,
When trials come to prove thee,
And joy seems left behind.

'Tis but a little longer
Until I come again;
What now seems so mysterious
Will all be then made plain.

Take courage then; and fear not!
Press forward to the prize,
A crown of life awaits thee,
Glory before thee lies!

- Alice C. Lefroy

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings,
and not one of them is forgotten before God?
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.
(Luke 12:6,7)

This photo is taken by my brother-in-Christ, CW Fong. Thank God for his kindness to share this lovely picture with us.

Thank you for stopping by.

What do you think of this poem? Do you also see God's works in your life through your trials, pains and sufferings? Can you find comfort in God's love even through your difficulties or sufferings?

Take care. Have a blessed day!

Coping with Panic Attacks

Thank God for giving me a good rest. I woke up today feeling very refreshed!

Thank God that the effect of the panic attack yesterday have finally subsided. This is the first time I have felt the effect of the panic attack almost for a whole day. Hmm... maybe this is a sign that my nervous system is getting weaker. I need to be careful to manage the stress and strain so that my condition will not worsen.

Thank God for discipline to take a break yesterday and rest so that my condition can stabilised. I prayed and read God's Words, and found much encouragement. I also listened to some instrumental music. They are very relaxing and soothing.

I used to take long walks along the beach and listen to instrumental music on my portable mp3 player whenever I am very stressed up with work. My old workplace was near a beach.

So yesterday, I laid down on my couch and closed my eyes while I listened to the instrumental music. I imagined that I was walking along the beach and watching the sea and the waves. I missed the beach! Somehow walking along the beach and watching the sea and waves have a calming effect on me. I am reminded that God Who creates the Heavens and earth, created me, loves me and will take care of me.

Thank God that today I feel ready to face a new day.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed day!

Some Encouraging Quotes to ponder while managing my panic attacks

A few of my friends seemed to be going through a difficult time now either due to coping with clinical depression or other stressful situations in their life.

I am also learning to manage my mood swings as I have been experiencing them recently. I pray daily that God will give me the grace and strength to manage the challenges in my life so that it will not escalate into either manic or plunged me down into depression. That's the tricky part with having a mood disorder. A simple mood swing which anyone else may experience can trigger off relapses in me due to my bipolar.

This morning several things happened at the same time. I was taken aback by something that happened and it triggered off a panic attack. Then something else needed my urgent attention and it intensified the panic feeling that I was having. In the past years, I have experienced panic attacks whenever I am very stressed up or very tired.

I found myself kind of breathlessness, a little giddy and my heart was pounding away. Thank God for strengthening me. I prayed for grace to calm down. Thankfully, I was able to talk to a friend and she helped me to brainstorm on an urgent decision I have to made. She kindly suggested some ways for me to cope. I spoke my mind out aloud to her and it did helped me to see things from a clearer perspective.

I am thankful to God that the several situations this morning are all settled. But the panic attack didn't seemed to quite go off completely. I realized that this is the reaction of an over-sensitive nervous system and I need to be patient for it to go away. It's just like clinical depression happens when the chemical in our brain malfunctioned. It takes a while for the chemical in our brain to be restored. So in the case of panic attack, there is a surge of adrenaline flooding my brain and giving me this "fight or flight" feeling.

I did a quick search on the internet and found the following useful resources on coping with Panic Attack:

Coping with Panic Attacks by The Counselling Service of University of Liverpool

Coping with Panic Attacks by Merck Source

10 tips for coping with panic attacks by Daily Mail

I can't seemed to concentrate on my freelance work that I need to do. My heart is still pounding. I am taking a break. I am praying that I will feel better soon and can get some work done.

I am going to spend some time to pray and read the Bible. I hope to get some rest too. I am going to pray for some of my church friends, blogging friends and penpals as they are going through very tough time now. Maybe that's what God wants me to do now :-)

Meanwhile, I am going to leave you with these encouraging quotes. Hope you have a blessed day.

Courage : the power to let go of the familiar.

Happiness : it is not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.

Friends :

~ your friend is the person who knows all about you, and still likes you.

~ a friend is the first person to come in when the whole world goes out.

~ in my friend, I find a second self.

~ I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.

~ we do not remember days, we remember moments.

People:

~ the greatness of a man can nearly always be measured by his willingness to be kind.

~ great people are ordinary people with extraordinary amounts of determination.

~ tough time never last but tough people do.


















Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28