What's Your "Address?"

My husband and I were in the kitchen making dinner last night. He was telling me about a scripture from his devotional book the day before and how he liked the way the author had described the verse and what it meant. I asked him if he could remember which scripture it was and he said, "No, I don't remember the address." I was washing a dish when he said that and a question popped into my head. Then it turned into an idea, and now it's the inspiration behind this blog post, "What's Your Address?"

I've heard many people, including myself, say they have a "life verse." A scripture that either God gave them specifically to memorize and carry in their hearts to encourage them, or one that really spoke to them in some way and they've claimed it as their personal life verse that's helped them through the various seasons in their lives. The question that popped into my head as I was washing dishes was, "What's my address?" What is the one verse that I go to continually that is specifically encouraging to me? It immediately came to memory. My address is Proverbs 3:25-26. "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared."

God gave me that scripture when I was 9 years old. I had just lost my friend, who was also 9, to a brain tumor. Not only that, but another little girl in our church who was only 5 years old, if I remember correctly, had also lost her battle with brain cancer not far apart from my neighborhood friend. I remember the fear that crept into my life as I sat in the funeral of the 5 year old girl, staring at the tiny white coffin at the front of the church. The fear was multiplied when I watched my friend, Leslie, suffer in her final weeks; having lost all her long, gorgeous, chestnut brown hair, then going blind, then deaf, then into the arms of Jesus. It was a very traumatic time in my young life and I can remember the fear creeping into my heart more and more each day. If I had a headache, I thought I had a brain tumor. If I was really tired or didn't feel well, I thought surely I had an incurable disease of some kind. I worried about myself and everyone around me that I loved. I was afraid of everything. It affected my sleep, my schooling, my relationships with my family and friends. Really, every area of my life. And that fear kept growing into my adulthood. It wasn't until May of 2012 that I was finally and completely delivered from fear.

The ironic part, (but not really when you consider the power of fear and negative thinking to affect the body in a physical way,) is that I did end up with a terrible, incurable neurological disease that began when I was 18 years old, 21 years ago. Many of you know what it is, but for those who are new to my blog, it's called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD). You can read about it here. Then, in 2011, I was diagnosed with an incurable auto-immune disease called Celiac Disease. Most of you would be familiar with that one after all the "gluten free" media circus lately, but if you want to know the real details of this disease, you can read about it here. I assure you, it's not just a gluten free "fad diet" to those of us who suffer with this. But, that's not the point of this post, so I'll move on. :)

The other ironic part is that my wonderful and loving Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor in July of 2010. He fought an incredible fight of faith against brain cancer for 4 1/2 years and just passed away on April 1st of this year. In my previous post, I talked about how I've been handling the grief of losing my hero, my Daddy. I am happy to say, however, that I have greatly improved even since writing that post. I'm telling you, writing is healing. And the power of confession is even more healing.

In the Amplified Bible, my address reads, "Be not afraid of sudden terror and panic, nor of the stormy blast or the storm and ruin of the wicked when it comes [for you will be guiltless], For the Lord shall be your confidence, firm and strong, and shall keep your foot from being caught [in a trap or some hidden danger.]" I love that! I love it even more because this verse has brought me great assurance during all the trials I've faced, and still face today. Especially the part that says, "for you will be guiltless." I fought against guilt right along with fear for almost 20 years. I felt guilty for being afraid. I thought I was being punished by God every time my body was stricken with yet another physical issue. That couldn't have been further from truth. GOD IS OUR HEALER AND HE LOVES US!

As my husband and I kept chatting last night, I realized that in almost 15 years of marriage, I'd never asked him what his life verse is, his address. He told me it's Matthew 11:28. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." What an amazing scripture to have as your address!

So, what's your address? I would really like to know which scriptures in the inspired Word of God have become your life verse. And, if you feel comfortable, I'd love to know your story about why that verse is your "address." You can share in the comment section of this blog post, or in the comment section on Facebook, if that's the link that brought you here. Whatever means you'd like to use to tell me your address and your story behind it, I would LOVE to hear from you. I am greatly encouraged by other people's stories.

Some of you may be thinking, "Gosh, I don't know what my life verse is. I've never really had a scripture that I felt was specifically for me." That's OK! Can I encourage you to dig into God's Word and simply ask him if there's a verse he'd like to encourage you with? Maybe it's just for today! But friends, today is all we have anyway, right? So, please share your stories with me. If you have a specific prayer request, I'd love to receive those as well. You can fill out the contact form on the right side of this post and it will be sent to my confidential email address. I'd love to pray for you!

Be encouraged my friends. The Bible is the ultimate "Thomas Guide." It will lead you to the addresses (scriptures) that will change your life.

Love,

Tracie