Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

I will give thanks to You

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are your works,

and my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14

When our kids were little, I remember making for each of them a set of 3x5 cards strung on a binder ring with each card holding a verse of Psalm 139.  We worked on memorizing the Psalm.  It has stuck with me!

Tonight I watched a video depicting the journey we have all taken from conception to birth.  It was incredible.  Truly the miracle of our creation shows how fearfully and wonderfully we are made.

Earlier in the day I had an appointment with Dr. Matt, which in itself is an answer to prayer.  And as we talked, it became apparent that this "fearfully and wonderfully made" aspect of us is so far beyond anything we can comprehend.  Science scratches the surface, and the little bits we can fathom are mind-blowing.  

Matt had read my test results from earlier this year, and once again they are pretty normal.  Nothing to indicate major problems anywhere.  He then started to explain that he thinks my issues are based in an autonomic nervous system (ANS) that has jumped the track, so to speak, and just doesn't know how to function properly anymore. (In my case, this is due to major stress 4 years ago.)  The simple explanation is that the ANS is comprised of two branches; sympathetic and para-sympathetic, and is responsible for regulating most of the body's automatic internal functions. Like digestion.  Where it gets so fascinating to me is how the heart plays into all this.  Here's a quote that says it better than I can:

"Most of us have been taught in school that the heart is constantly responding to “orders” sent by the brain in the form of neural signals. However, it is not as commonly known that the heart actually sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart! Moreover, these heart signals have a significant effect on brain function—influencing emotional processing as well as higher cognitive faculties such as attention, perception, memory, and problem-solving. In other words, not only does the heart respond to the brain, but the brain continuously responds to the heart."

The Science Behind HeartMath

So what does this mean for me?  The nutshell version is that the heart and nervous system (physiological) and mind and emotions (psychological) are so intertwined that when they are not synchronized properly, there is imbalance and illness, both physcial and/or emotional.  Matt's recommendation is to pursue using a treatment that has been developed to help re-train the body to synchronize all the systems (in my case, get the ANS back on track) and thereby achieve better health.  It's something I can do at home, which is awesome.  So, we're praying about it and looking into it.

Thank you for praying for me.  For us.  Your kind words and support have been a balm for all of us and we are so grateful.

I will keep you posted on how things go from here.

Bless you, each one.

If you are interested in more information and trying to get a better understanding of what I've only touched on here, the "Science Behind HeartMath" link above will take you to an article about it.

ALSO.....

For you local people, Matt has opened his practice here in Chehalis at Thorbeckes, Room 105.  Here is a link to his website.  I highly recommend him.  I've never had a better doctor.  Seriously.

Angove Family Medicine

He is the LORD.....

"He is the LORD;

let Him do what is good in His eyes."

1 Samuel 3:18

"If I see God in everything, He will calm and color everything I see. Perhaps the circumstances causing my sorrows will not be removed and my situation will remain the same, but if Christ is brought into my [situation] as my Lord and Master, He will "surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7). To see Him and to be sure that His wisdom and power never fail and His love never changes, to know that even His most distressing dealings with me are for my spiritual gain, is to be able to say in the midst of my [situation], "Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

From Streams in the Desert

September 17

Indeed, He is the LORD.  Let Him do what is good in His eyes. For I/we cannot see as He can and His sight is perfect.

I have delayed giving updates this summer during this waiting time.  But as it continues to extend, I had the prompting to write today and at least give a short status report.

Dr. Matt is still setting up his new practice and as such has not been able to see me yet.  We are grateful that he will be closer to us, in our own city even, and look forward to his care for our family.

In the interim, I have tried a couple of new things in the hopes of taming the nausea.  Earlier in the summer, I tried essential oils, which kept it at bay for 9 days.  It was wonderful.  But then it came crashing down again.  In the past 3 weeks, I've also tried acupuncture.  After the first treatment, I felt amazingly well for 3 1/2 days. The best I've felt in about 4 years.  And then it came crashing down again, and after subsequent treatments, I have had very rough days.

In reflecting on the various treatments I've tried over these 4 1/2 years, there have been several times that I've felt better briefly, but then the nausea returns.  Still no clues on what is causing it.  Humanly speaking, it seems there should be a discernable cause that can be treated, but no light yet.

In the midst, I am, as always, so very grateful for my wonderful family members who stand with me through it all, showing their love and care in so many ways, and for my friends who are an extended loving support network.  Thank you all.

Yesterday, in the midst of a very difficult day, I had the blessing of this loveliness, through the hand of my dear daughter and the gardens of friends.  Bless you all.  You know who you are. :-)

I think what we would appreciate prayer for right now is perseverance and endurance in the midst.  We, of course, don't know what the future holds.  We don't know when I'll be able to see Matt again.  We don't know if anything will ever help.  But we know that James says, "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its perfect result that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,"  and we want to appropriate that truth.

Thank you for praying with us through all these years.  You are a great blessing to us all.