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Discover Hope by Finding Certainty in an Uncertain World.

Excerpted from Ordinary People. Extraordinary Hope.™️

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:1-3

Stacy thought the numbness between her toes was from her super cute flip-flops. Yet, the lack of feeling kept creeping up her feet. She grew concerned when the numbness moved up her calves.

“I couldn’t feel much of my legs from the knees down,” Stacy recalled.

She raced to the doctor’s office, and a slew of tests was ordered. The numbness soon moved to her groin and eventually the back of her head. Finally, she couldn’t even feel her tongue.

The doctor’s office advised her to go to the emergency room immediately.

“I’m not sure how you’re walking right now,” the ER doctor said after reviewing her scans.

What can take months and years to diagnose took less than 48 hours due to the strange symptoms and just the right doctor doing rounds: Stacy had multiple sclerosis.

Soon she and her husband prepared to tell their children. It was scary news to give. Meanwhile, elements of her high-pressure job had to be handed off.

“It was very humbling to watch other people step into my role,” she said.

Stacy learned more about the complexity and mystery surrounding her disease. Were there more lesions on her spine? Would she lose the ability to walk? With all the unknowns surrounding multiple sclerosis and her unique body, no one could give her a definitive answer.

She received two options for medications. Both came with serious side effects and hefty price tags. Stacy was making decisions that couldn’t guarantee results and looking toward an unknown future.

Along the way, she shifted her focus from the uncertainty of the crisis to the certainty that God loved her. She began seeing provision in the most unexpected places.

With her diagnosis came reconnection with friends and family she hadn’t seen or spoken to in quite some time. Her employer seemed committed to helping her navigate her new reality, and caring people stepped into her life to support her.

Stacy still doesn’t know where MS will take her in the future. She doesn’t focus on a future that is not hers to see yet. She looks to the here and now, what she can do where she is, knowing God is with her through it all.

Although Stacy continues to grapple with the daily uncertainty of this medical condition, she places her hope in the certainty of God’s love.

Ask

Like Stacy, where in your life are you facing the most uncertainty right now?

Pray

Lord, amidst my own uncertainty, help to find my focus and strength from you alone.

Sow

Think of someone you know going through a straining circumstance. Call, text or write a note of encouragement.