The Healing Lyme Summit
This past week, I have been listening to the Healing Lyme Summit. When my family and I were very sick with Lyme disease and co-infections, I would clear my schedule, grab a notebook and pen, and spend hours devouring each speaker’s talk while taking copious notes.
Looking for the Secret
I felt like if I could find the one thing, the secret sauce to getting us well, then I would do it or buy it, and we would all be healed. That mentality placed a lot of stress on me as if our healing were all up to me.
Listening to these doctors and hearing about all the different and complex ways the body responds to tick-borne diseases and the even more complicated ways supplements and medications work in the body made me feel like I would never be able to achieve health and wholeness for myself or my family. I was left feeling hopeless.
Fast forward to this year’s Healing Lyme Summit. I listened, not because I had to—after all, no one in my family has Lyme or tick-borne illnesses anymore. I listened to learn so that I could help you and others who contact me through my blog. I wanted to know what new research has come about and whether or not a cure has been found.
I Found The Secret to Healing
I’m happy to say that this year, I FOUND THE ONE THING that will help with healing. This one thing was mentioned by almost every speaker. Before I spill the beans, you need to know this may not heal you, but it will most definitely help you heal. What is the one thing? HOPE.
Almost every speaker ended their talk with the importance of having hope. Hope changes whether or not a person heals. Hope changes how a person heals. Hope changes how you live while you’re healing.
“Patients who had hope and believed they would get better did get better from chronic, debilitating Lyme disease and co-infections.”
This one phrase was stated over and over again by different doctors, both traditional, integrative, and holistic.
Having hope can be very difficult when you’ve been sick for a long period and nothing seems to work. I’m here to tell you that hope is the key ingredient and it is crucial to the outcome of your healing journey.
When I began sharing my story online and writing about Lyme disease, I prayed and asked God to tell me what I should name my blog and I believe God gave me the name Abounding In Hope With Lyme along with the following scripture passage.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Romans 15:13 ESV
The God of hope helps us to abound in hope. Don’t you love that?
Hopelessness is Deadly
One of the doctors shared that “hopelessness is deadlier than cancer!” Living without hope has very serious consequences. People without hope give up, they become discouraged, and they may stop fighting for what they once hoped for. Some even give up their very lives through suicide.
Please don’t be harsh with yourself if you can’t seem to feel hope. Several physicians shared that hopelessness and discouragement was more common in patients with Bartonella. I’m not sure why. I cannot share my experience in this area because to my knowledge everyone in my family had Bartonella and we all did experience hopelessness at different points during our illnesses.
Trudy Scott shared with me on her Anxiety Summit that for some with amino acid deficiencies, it’s almost impossible to feel positive or hopeful. She offers many solutions and even a quiz to help you determine if this could be a problem for you.
If you cannot muster up hope in your circumstances, please borrow mine! Surround yourself with others who will share their hope. Check to see if amino acid support could help you and find out whether or not you have Bartonella. Ultimately, I would implore you to go to the scriptures and be filled with hope from the Lord. This is where I found my hope.
Hope Heals
Hope is so important for healing. The difference between those who beat Lyme disease and those who don’t isn’t the treatment, it’s not the doctor, it’s not traveling to the best clinic, and it’s not finding the “secret sauce”! The difference is that those who heal have hope and believe they will get better.
This reminds me of the story in John 5:2-4. Jesus saw a man in the crowd who had been sick for 38 years (John 5:5-6). Can you imagine his hopelessness? Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed. The man’s response to Jesus’ question was that there was no one to help him (v 7). Do you feel that way? You’ve tried everything, you’ve seen every doctor you can afford, and now there is no one else who can help you?
Jesus told the man to “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” (v 8). John writes that “Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!” (v 9).
I am not Jesus and I cannot heal you, but I want to ask you: do you want to be healed? What excuses are you holding on to? Who are you looking to for help? Before you throw rotten tomatoes at me, I’m asking you a very serious question that has more to do with your spiritual health than anything. The reality is, we may not be healed of our physical diseases on this side of heaven. Would you give up on hope if that were the case?
Spiritually speaking, are you healthy and filled with hope? Are you looking to the Lord to heal you, and are you okay with His decision? Are you filled with God’s hope? If not, will you take up your mat and go to the Lord right now? Will you ask Him for hope and healing?
If you need to borrow hope, you can for a short time, but I would like to invite you to be filled with true and lasting hope. If you’re ready, will you comment on this post or send me a private email and let me know?
By sharing my journey and insights from the Healing Lyme Summit, I hope to provide you with the encouragement and faith to face your own battle with Lyme disease. Remember, hope is not just a feeling; it’s a vital part of the healing process. Let’s abound in hope together.
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