Eight and a half years ago I was diagnosed with asthma. It wasn’t what I thought it would be like or how it looks in the movies. There was no gasping for air or breathing into a paper bag. It started with a cough that cracked a rib.
Every July for about 3 years, I developed a cough that persisted for weeks. In the summer of 2013, I actually coughed so hard that I cracked a rib. I had a chest x-ray and Mammogram that all came back normal. After two months, my doctor recommended that I see a Pulmonologist. I was skeptical, but my husband convinced me to keep the appointment. I told this doctor my issue and right away he told me I had asthma and had me do a breathing treatment. Holy cow! I immediately felt a difference!
The little things I had been feeling the past few years finally made sense! I didn’t have as much breath support while singing and just thought I was tired. Earlier that summer, I saw a doctor because my breathing felt like I was pregnant when I ran. I struggled through a half marathon where I should have felt fine. But because it was all so small, I never realized how it was impacting me.
After the treatment, I was able to take a full breath — one that I hadn’t been able to do in years. From then on, my runs felt better, I was energized, and had full breath support when singing! Now, I know exactly what to look for and how to fix it.
A Life Lesson
I remember telling my dad that this story would make a great sermon illustration. 😉 Well, it definitely is a mirror of my spiritual life the past few years.
I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts how God has brought me back to life the past seven months. For years, I was drawing from an empty well. I left church services frustrated and tired, trying to fill my heart and soul through personal worship and devotions alone.
This past August, God led me to a new church. From the moment I stepped in the doors, I felt alive. Since then, that empty well is full to overflowing and I feel as if I have fallen in love with Jesus all over again.
And I have seen huge changes in the little things! I am more open and vulnerable with people. I’m reaching out to others more (where I used to keep to myself). My desire for church and community has grown. Most importantly, my worth is found in Jesus and not in my husband or anyone else.
Just like the air in my lungs, my love for others and my love for Jesus was slowly fading away. But God has used my experience to breathe new life into me!
Praise God that he uses everything in our life to guide us, to point us to him, and to fill our souls!
