Learning About Invisible Illness

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Today, I am writing about my favorite non-profit organization other than my church-related organizations.  Normally, I would not write about non-profit organizations, but it is my God-sized dream assignment for today, so I thought, "Why not?".

And I think that my readers who suffer from chronic illnesses will appreciate my choice of an NPO, which is one started by Lisa Copen, when she felt led to offer Christian support to those who have invisible illnesses in 1996.  You can read about that in  About at Rest Ministries.   There is a little bit of paying it forward here as well, because if you are ill and have not heard of Rest Ministries, you may be missing something that perhaps would be an aid and an inspiration to you.  Also, Rest Ministries started with a God-sized dream, because I have no doubt that Lisa Copen, the creator of this ministry was inspired to do so by God.  

Being afflicted with invisible illnesses myself, it was a comfort for me to find there were other Christians that understood.  Actually, I had never even heard the term "invisible illness."  However, I understand the indignities and misunderstandings conveyed in the term, because I had experienced them.  An invisible illness is an illness which inflicts damage and discomfort on the body of a person;  but when other people look at you, they see a normal person.  

For instance, you may have Fibromyalgia or Arthritis and ache in every place imaginable, but other people don't understand why you cannot do the activities they do.  In fact, many times people with invisible illnesses are made to feel like they are faking it, or they are lazy.  There are many, many invisible illnesses, and sometimes sufferers have more than one.  However, they tend to look just like everyone else looks.  They work with you and go to church with you.  Or they may stay home, because they are too exhausted to go anywhere.  Or maybe they can't go out around many people, because the additional input into their psyche and brain is actually overwhelming and painful.  

One day, a person with an invisible illness might have a good day and go somewhere fun, but they will probably pay for several days afterwards.  You may see a healthy looking person park in a handicap space or use an electric cart at the store.  What you don't know is that person would probably not be able to shop without those services.  One should not make judgments about another person by their outside appearance, because one does not know what is going on in his or her body.

Invisible illness has always been with us.  However, sometimes in this society of the health conscious and exercise cures all, the sadly sick, often incurable are  blamed for what they did not ask for.  I found Rest Ministries to be an oasis in the midst of misunderstanding and ignorance.  Rest Ministries was there when I needed to find help for what I was going through in trying to deal with my illnesses.  Rest Ministries helped me to get a handle on dealing with illness, when I lived somewhere that other people had no conception what I was dealing with.  Truthfully,  I often didn't have much understanding myself.  I  could not understand why nothing I tried was making me well, or why I always had relapses.  But restministries.com was there, and from what I can see, they are even better today than they were when I discovered them.

I'm linking up with other God-sized dreamers at Holley Gerth's.  Come join us each Monday for encouraging one another in our God-sized dreams.  A God-sized Dream = A desire in your heart for more of what God has for you.