My Source of Strength

I have always enjoyed answering questions about my disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), mainly because I know enough about it that I can answer effectively. Questions like: what happened?, can you feel your legs?, or what is DMD? I can answer those easily after twenty-three years of experience. There is one question that I’m asked less often that has taken me years to form an answer to. How do you do it every day? I take this to mean, what gets me out of bed every day?

The answer I usually give is that I’m used to having Muscular Dystrophy and all that comes with it. This is the upside to a progressive disease, it starts when you're young and worsens as you get older. That might sound depressing, however, trust me, it’s not.

I know it’s hard for people who can walk to imagine not walking, but it’s equally as hard for to me to imagine walking. I haven’t walked since fifth grade, so the thought of walking does not even cross my mind. I count that as a blessing from above. I don’t want to have a longing to walk again.

For me, getting out of bed every morning using a Hoyer lift, using a wheelchair to get around, typing with a mouse and an on screen keyboard, not having a driver's’ license, going to multiple doctors multiple times a year, is all normal. I’m used to it. It's not all sunshine and rainbows all the time, but it’s a lot better than it could be. My life with DMD doesn’t upset me as much as people think it would.

This answer, although true, doesn’t fully answer the question. God is how I do it every day. Not me or my own strength, but God and His strength. I don’t rely on myself to handle DMD, I rely on God. Or as 2 Corinthians 3:5 says, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” Isaiah 40:28-29 says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

Whatever ability I have to cope with DMD is from God; I can’t take the credit for any of this. As James says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

In John 15:1-8 Jesus says,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

I will say that MD is a trial for me. I don’t always respond to this trial in the best way, but I have no anger toward God for it. James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” I try to remember this everyday. God doesn’t allow me to go through this for naught, He’s strengthening me through all of this.

A few more thoughts that get me the day are: the friends I’ve made due to DMD, the opportunities I’ve had due to DMD, the time I spend with my family, and the chance to write every day. When I make the mistake of complaining or trusting in myself instead of God, I remember all of the things God has done for me and all that he gives me.

No matter what abilities I lose and no matter what MD does to me, it will not take me away from God unless I allow it to. The only way this works is if I seek God’s help. Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” If I reach out to God and ask Him to give me strength, then He will. This isn’t my method, it’s from the Bible. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

So, the take home message is: I take no credit for dealing with my daily life, all the credit belongs to God. If you’re having trouble dealing with something in your life, then confess it to God and seek His strength in dealing with that. I’m no different than anyone else because everybody has problems in life. The thing is that you have to keep faith in Jesus.