“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.”
MATTHEW 5:3-5
As some of you know, I am very sick again. Doctors think I have the flu and a nasty infection brewing. I’ve been in bed all week, and it got so bad last night that it gave us quite a fright.
Praise God, we were able to get in with doctors, due to my sepsis history, and they rushed flu meds, antibiotics, and an emergency inhaler to help me breathe. If I don’t improve by tomorrow, we are heading to ER. Please pray I can stay home.
To say I’ve been shaken is an understatement. We have all been triggered by this event—something we thought was behind us. But just as I shared the other day on Instagram, as a sepsis survivor, I am always at-risk. Living with Post Sepsis Syndrome makes daily life extremely difficult.
It’s National Sepsis Awareness Month, so at least this scare can help raise awareness and compassion for the many who suffer from sepsis.
Each day, as I’ve rested in bed, and I have been clearheaded enough, I have been offering up blessings for chronic illness sufferers like me, which I want to share with you below.
Again, these pains feel so intimate and remind me how quickly tragedy, diagnosis, or loss can find us all—quite unexpectedly.
I heard the Lord speak to me again today in my tears and desperate prayers, “Tender, tender, my dear Daughter. Tender to yourself. Tender to all.”
I was humbled.
I repented.
How quickly we can forget this tender place of suffering that comes for us all. How quickly we forget what drowning feels like. We quickly fool ourselves. We fall into old habits. We think we’ve learned.
This past week is teaching me again. Those insights are in the blessings below.
Please feel free to share this with the chronic illness warriors you love or their caretakers. Please help raise awareness about Sepsis if you can. I’ll be sharing more about sepsis here and there throughout this month here and on Instagram.
Thank you from the deep wells of our hearts for your hundreds of prayers and check-ins we’ve received from many of you. You bless my family richly, and your petitions are keeping me home. I just know it.
These blessings below are my offerings to you.
You belong here,
♥️me
BLESSINGS FOR CHRONIC ILLNESS WARRIORS by Kimberly Phinney May any good drop be enough to fill us whole. May any good day be enough to drown out the hard ones called “suffering.” May the warm moments when our bodies held us and saved us hold us close when our bodies say, “I can’t this time.” May we choose—again and again—that love is a higher calling than the problem of pain. May we see a soul to love and not a stranger to loathe when we find ourselves in mirrors. May we hold and embrace our bodies who have kept us alive this long —no matter their flaws. May we be full of fortitude in the very weaknesses that have taught us how to be strong. May we search every corner of our being to find the bravery required to carry us on in the hard silences, missed opportunities, and dashed hopes. May we close our eyes to see God’s face when our homes become our worlds and our beds become our homes. May our imaginations, poetry, and prayers raise us up—again and again— even as we cannot raise ourselves. May we also rise up inside our dreams and run with the angels so we might remember what it’s like to be free when we awake— and we are not so free. May the good Lord keep those who wish us harm or say we did this to ourselves far, far, far away from us. May we find gentle friends and partners who go slow and love long, who see our hearts and not what the world says is wrong. May we drink at mercy’s draught so we can give mercy to ourselves and to every last one of those who hurt us most or went away when we needed them. And above all, when our lives feel small and squandered, may we choose His holy significance and may we choose to stay. And in the staying—may we learn to truly live as the warriors we are.
Receiving your email this evening was the first time I learned of yet another battle you're waging and I'm so sorry, Kim. I will pray that the Lord will strengthen you body and soul and that this latest sickness will subside so you can, indeed, stay home and heal. You are such a dear person and I admire you and your talent and ministry so much and hope the day will come that I am fortunate enough to actually meet you. God Bless You, Kim.
A beautiful prayer. God bless you, His love and healing wash upon you.