"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in Him will I trust." Psalms 91:2

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Help! I'm Losing My Hair...

As I think about God, I am constantly overwhelmed by the fact that there is NOTHING He does not know about me.  In His knowledge of me, there is NOTHING that He allows that is not for my good and more importantly, for His glory.                                                          
Luke 12:1 states, "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." Wow! The hairs on my head are numbered...meaning, there is nothing about me God does not know.  This includes every little detail about me, even my hair!

I have been dealing with Graves disease for about two years now and it is a result of Hyperthyroidism.  One of the side effects of this can be hair loss.  Now, I realize there are far worse things in life, but lets be honest, for a girl, hair loss is a big deal.  In the past two months, my hair loss has become increasingly worse.  Pretty much everywhere I go, I tend to leave a trail of hair.  My husband is amazed that I have any hair left.  He joked with me the other day and said "when I lose hair, I end up bald...but, when you lose hair, you still have hair...how is that even possible?"   Well, to be honest, I have no idea.

However, in thinking about this I was reminded of the verse I mentioned from Luke.  God knows every last hair on my head and I am of great value to Him.  Yet, the words "fear not therefore" that are sandwiched in the middle of the verse are what really jumped out to me this past month.  You see all of us will face difficulties in life.  It is during these times, it will become so important to remember that we have no need of fear because God knows us and He is with us.

I know so many people who are going through such hardships...
sick and in the hospital for weeks now
health issues that have prevented pregnancy
dealing with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis
severe hailstorm ruining the roof and cars 
going through radiation for cancer
having a pacemaker put in
a baby born prematurely born and lungs not quite developed needing help to breathe
churches looking for new pastors
friends struggling financially due to job loss

The above are just a few examples from lives of people I know personally.  So much hurt and yet, so much opportunity for us to really see God working and to realize all the more that He is in control. You see whether all is well or whether all is falling apart, God is there and He still knows how many hairs are on our heads...meaning, regardless of the circumstances of our lives...He is there! 

For several months, I have been asking God for some very specific requests and answers to things on my heart. In doing so,  I did not ask to be sick for an extended period of time.  I did not ask to have to undergo major surgery in June.  I did not ask for my hair to fall out.  I did not ask for my home to flood a couple months ago.  Yet, I am beginning to see that God has and is answering my prayers.  He has been drawing me closer to Him and reminding me that I need not fear the problems that come my way...for He is here beside me.  I need not be afraid of what lies ahead...for He is there to lead the way. 

Sometimes, it is hard to trust when we cannot see, but the very thought that He knows the number of our hairs and that we are of value to Him is just enough to get us through the difficult days.  So, the next time you want to holler out "Help! I'm Losing My Hair..."  or whatever it is that you are going through, remember "FEAR NOT THEREFORE"...He is there!

Friend, Hang in there because God is right there with you and you are going to make it!

From My Heart,

Robyn