Ever since I was a young girl I have always marveled at the way that God is a personal God who knows not only the hairs on my head, takes cares of the birds of the field, but also uniquely and personally shows Himself over and over again. One of those ways for me has been through dates of times and days over the months and years. Three years ago at the exact time that this book was released I had my first appointment for Lyme Treatment. While I have since switched doctors, that time and treatment was the foundation that the Lord used to first save my life, discover my battle also would include a battle with Skin Cancer, and to begin the work of fighting Lyme.
These past three years have been beyond difficult and many times I needed the gentle reminder that there was hope despite feeling incredibly hopeless. I turned over and over and over again to the book of Psalms, and continue to find incredible strength and hope from those 150 chapters.
The timing of finalizing things with this book release and finishing up last minute items with this book has not been lost on me. The journey through this disease has brought a myriad of different emotions: excitement at the progress of healing that I am slowly experiencing, joy at finding a wonderful and experienced medical team to help me, anger over the lack of understanding and support in the political arena of Lyme, discouragement at the extreme lack of energy I have and the way that fighting Lyme Disease prohibits me from living life fully the way that I wish I could, and sometimes hopeless at feeling this journey will never end.
These past weeks alone brought some news that was completely unexpected to me and another delay in this long road of healing. My heart was broken and I have cried more tears, found myself discouraged again, and have laid out my broken heart once again to the One who loves me more than life.
But these weeks are also completely reflective of the entire journey. I have found that there are so many emotions and issues that accompany this journey in fighting Lyme Disease, and yet there is incredible hope to be found in the book of Psalms for the different experiences that we face as Lyme Warriors.
Even as I am sitting here writing this I am humbly thanking the Lord for His strength in helping me complete this project. This was a book that resonated deep in my heart and was written out of a love for those struggling with Lyme Disease and this journey of walking this difficult and painful path. I started writing this book over two years ago ... writing on slips of paper, napkins, medication bags, pharmacy bags, magazine pages, etc... and in a variety of different places... in hospitals, doctors offices, the IV therapy sessions, detoxification protocols, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, etc. Finally, these reflections of my heart and precious Bible verses were combined into a book that is a heartbeat and passion of mine throughout this illness... Path of Hope.
This book, "Path of Hope", is the first and only Lyme patient specific book that focuses on finding hope from scripture in the Lyme Disease Journey. There are 31 topics covered in this book to match the days of the months of the year. Each days devotion has a portion of scripture from the book of Psalms, a reflection, a prayer, an inspiring quote, and highlights a specifically chosen song that relates to this reflection. "Path of Hope" can be used as simple encouragement to those who feel hopeless in this journey or as a guided daily devotional. Either way, "Path of Hope" will provide spiritual encouragement and offer hope to those who feel hopeless in this journey.
On this journey with Lyme Disease patients may experience all of the emotions I listed and more, including feeling hopeless about the present and the future, but our God of Hope quietly and tenderly reminds us to hope even when everything feels hopeless. Our greatest hope lies in the fact that death is not the ultimate answer and that we have a full and perfect life, with no pain, no brokenness, and no Lyme Disease in Heaven. This hope- this beautiful and living hope (I Peter 1:3-4) is for the future but gives us hope for our present. I have always found great comfort in the Psalms, but none so much as since this journey began. As I approach another anniversary of when this season began and everything was shattered, I look back on the now tattered pages of the book of Psalms in my Bible with a smile. These 150 chapters have provided much comfort and hope, especially on days where I felt I could do nothing but cry.
I am SO excited to announce that it is OFFICIALLY released as of yesterday!! You can purchase it where books are sold or on Amazon (also available in Kindle form) and you can click HERE to purchase it!
Thank you to each of you that have already purchased it!! Thank you so much to ALL of you that have been walking this journey with me in prayer! TRULY you are a blessing!!
With Love,
Post a Comment