Hi Bobber- I am such a newbie to the forum, and for such a different reason, as I only suffer chronic neuropathic pain following tramatic injury in a car wreck a number of years ago. Having viewed a number of your posts of encouragement on the threads, I know well you are among the fibers God has woven into this loving tapestry known by the name of love. Certainly, you, and each of those numbered among the visitors to these pages either experience pain overwhelmingly as a personal thorn in the side or lovingly support one who does. Much of life we once knew has been seeminly robbed from us, as though a thief snatched cherished things from us not once, but time and time again.

Times come when in the throes of pain we are not as loving to those round about us as we might rather be. It is in those times I find I have to lean on my faith relationship with God to put myself forward once more, looking back over my shoulder to realize those prints in the sand are not mine, but the one who carries me [heck, if the prints in the sand were mine, there would be the little mark from my cane alongside a foot, or I would just be bogged down altogether in my wheelchair, because that wonderful device likes neither sand nor snow].

So many are praying for you now, as am I, that I believe you have to be feeling the or given to lift you from such moments even as they are bound to recur tomorrow or a few days from now. None of us are without blemish. It's the human condition. May you know fully the love of ALL who are around you in those times of doubt.

Blessings upon you Bobber,
Mark56

Mark
God does know when and who to use to encourage his people. I have had a aggressive spread for about a year,but it in the last few months it really started to go internal,bad.
My hope is in God,his word is eternal[internal as well] " For God does speak -now one way.now another though man may not persieve it " Job 33:14
So I always am on the look out for him. And it ironic that you mention that we feel robbed of what we had in our past,,our flesh with afflictions,,our thorn,,,,,I was a sponsored player for e-force 2years ago before this tragic event,,I was always on the move,,very competitive in every sport I entered,,I was playing 4 hours day, 5-6 days a week,,,now i dont like even going to the mailbox...Its heart wrenching,,,But I know that God has plans for me,,he does not make mistakes,,and if rsd didnt happen,then I would not have met all the wonderfull people that i have ,because i would be too consumed with being on the courts,running around like a little beagle chasing a little blue ball.
I thank God for the people like yourself and others on this board who he has touched to give me hope,knowing that he hasnt forgot about me,and he has work for me to do to honor his name,,May he be for ever be praised,,,There are things in my mind,heart,soul,and inner most being that no one but the Almighty knows,,And he confirms my thoughts and encourages me,corrects me and guides me,thru his Word and touching others to encourage me by speech and pen,,he answers me...i have not been forgotten .
" Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away. yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far out-weighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal " 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18
" For a while we are in this tent,we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit,guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith and not by sight."
2nd Corinthians 5:4-6

Mark 56 and Bobber...Enjoyable...no matter the level of ones faith.we al can be and should be touched by your writings as thru our illness, we need help and strength to make it thru each day.. Allow ourselves to be open and ponder..how does this fit for us and how do we fit into our new life?? Our life with a devestating, never ending.. always changing...heartwrenching rsd illness??

Bless you all as we all need love to get thru each day and we gotz it here!!

love, Kathy:grou phug:

Kathy, a big AMEN to that. Another of my favorites "Love one another. As I have loved you" John 13:34 is a wonderful standard by which to live.

Mark56