Can you trust him with this?

I know for certain that my faith in Christ has been the reason why I have been able to move forward and conquer my pelvic health struggles.

And when I say conquer, I don’t mean that there was any miraculous healing or that I am totally free of pelvic health concerns.
Rather I mean that they don’t stress me out or control my mind, my identity, my thoughts or actions in the way that they used to.
For the most part, I move and live confident in my body’s ability to respond well.
I continue to be prudent in my movement and exercise-this means checking my ego, something God probably things is good for me anyways…

I do sometimes fear making prolapse worse.
But overall I don’t live in fear or anxiety of pelvic organ prolapse, because I know that God is in full control of my body and what happens to it and ultimately, I do trust him.

So while I understand that it’s my job to do whatever I physically can in my own flesh to be a wise and responsible steward of my body, I also know that God is in control and his grace covers all my actions.
It is his will that will be done.

Our bodies our like our homes, gifts from God and often a direct result of hard work and investments that we have made.
We wouldn’t not clean our floors, mow the lawn or wash the windows and wait for God to do all that.
But at the same time we know that things like appreciation in value, safety from fire or climatic events are ultimately in God’s control and we have to trust him that whatever happens, his love and grace for us will prevail.

Drawing security from things like homes or bodies strictly based on our own investments and work is flawed logic, because unprecedented things go wrong to perfectly healthy bodies and beautifully kept homes, no matter how responsible we were.


But that doesn’t mean that we should all start living like a bunch of hoarders that trash the place (literally with the house, or metaphorically with our bodies), it just means that we have to resist the temptation to put our faith and trust in creation and ALWAYS focus it on the Creator.

This is the one of the difficult parts of injury, illness and physical catastrophe.

We don’t always know where the line of responsibility and control is.
What is on us and what is on him?
When diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse (POP), initially I was ready to get to work and find solutions (i.e. I went to PT), but when that didn’t work, I began to give up, mourn, wallow, despair and think that this was going to be my new normal.

There were a few different events and people that crossed my path online that gave me HOPE and inspired me to at least TRY to move forward, but what REALLY helped me to move forward was remembering that God had a plan for my life and I didn’t need to be afraid.
He made my body and my body is smart.
It can in many ways heal itself.
It can be strong.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, pristine or young and unmarred forever to do amazing things.

Not to long ago, someone in my Instagram community reached out to me and asked,
“Where do you go for strength in the Bible when you need to understand why bad things happen to good people? Some days I wonder what he is trying to teach me in all of this.”

Phew!

WHAT A QUESTION! Right?

At that moment I felt such. HUGE responsibility to have a solid, authentic and inspiring answer.
As a Christian, I think that we are often prepared/terrified for the hard questions that will come from non-believers, but the truth is that as members of the body of Christ, we have to ALSO be ready to feed, nourish, love and hash things out with fellow members of the body of Christ.
We all need love, direction, encouragement and hope.
We all need fellow believers that in times of trouble, point us back to Jesus and His word!

And so here was my answer:

——————————————————

“Ahhhh! Such a great question. I struggle with this too! In fact, I just bought a book by Joni Eaereckson Tada (Spectacle of Glory, it’s great!) because I TOO am also working on this and figured, who better to teach me than a woman that became paralyzed in a diving accident and still praises God and does great work!

We live in a culture that tells us everything is for us and about us. Even Christians!
Certain leaders in the Christian world motivate women to take action, but also reinforce the idea that life here on earth is only about happiness and self fulfillment, but there is NOTHING in the Bible that supports that idea.

Our life here is a vapor.
God gives us enjoyment and fun.
He made beauty here and gave us friends, children, spouses, enjoyment health and experiences, but his purpose in making us is for us to worship and choose him, to become holy, even amidst trials and setbacks because life on earth ISN’T THE WHOLE STORY!

Jesus who was perfect suffered here, so we should expect to as well and know that our God will provide what we need to survive and grow.”

Verses that support this:

James 1:2-4 

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Psalm 57:2

I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me.

Jeremiah 32:19

19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.

Job 42:2 

2 “I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Proverbs 16:4 

4 The Lord works out everything to its proper end—
    even the wicked for a day of disaster.

Proverbs 19:21 

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Romans 8:28 

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 12:2 

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

“But I STILL struggle with it all and when I do, I mourn and have pity parties.
Then I try to ask God for help and perspective.
I find ways to use my injury and all that it’s taught me to help others and grow my trust in Him.”

————————————————————

The Bible says that we can do ALL things in Christ that strengthens us!
This means that we can EVEN move past our injury or chronic illness.
This is not a guarantee that in this life, on this earth we will be able to reverse or completely health what has happened to us.

I feel very fortunate that my movement practice and lifestyle changes have helped me to come back from things like pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse and major gut health problems.

I still have MAJOR considerations when it comes to my diet, lifestyle and exercise practice-that is, I still have to be careful and care for these injuries and health issues, but overall, I mostly live pretty normal, pain and symptom free life.

I know that not everyone that reads this will necessarily have that, but we have to have HOPE

We have to believe that God’s will prevails and whatever is happening in our lives is according to his purpose and will be the best thing longterm.
Life on earth is NOT our entire life, fellow Christians.
Which to me, actually makes me feel less pressure in some ways as I age and see my youth leaving my body, I remember that this body and this world are not my eternal home so I want to make the most of them while I can, but when they disappoint me, I look to him and remember, He is my home.
He is my security.
He is my future.

“Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.”

I’ll leave you with one of my FAVORITE songs for reminding me of this:

“In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.”

— IN CHRIST ALONE" WORDS AND MUSIC BY KEITH GETTY & STUART TOWNEND COPYRIGHT © 2002 THANKYOU


Contact me about speaking at your women’s group, church, gym, book club, etc,

 About Sarah…

Sarah Smith is a Functional Pelvic and Gut Health Educator Level, Strength Coach, Original Strength Pro, Level 2 Russian Kettlebell Instructor and postnatal fitness specialist and functional pelvic floor and with a Masters in Soil Science and Agriculture.

She helps women feel confident, capable, content and STRONG in their bodies!

Sarah is a published author and has a decade experience conducting research at The National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, University of Arizona and North Carolina State University.

She uses evidence-based strategies to help her clients grow strong, and conquer their pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse, diastasis recti and gut health complications and other injuries or health conditions. 

Sarah is a mom to three wild boys and one English Bulldog.
She loves kettlebells, leisure walks, chickens, soil, coffee, not folding laundry and watching people move-in a non-creepy way.

Gratitude For Opportunities To Serve as Women and Mamas

If you’re tuning in here from social media scroll down to pick up where you left off at the**

My mom grew up living in the projects of Boston and at times had no home at all.
I remember as a little girl, when she cleaned the house (which was often, because she’s kind a clean freak) her telling me that cleaning her home was an act of gratitude for all that she had and her worship to God for providing her with a home and a family to care for.

Today as I cleaned my own floors I thought to myself, “ What a privilege it is to have MY husband and MY kids to clean up after, to have a home with floors to wash, to have a family that loves me, trusts me, depends on me and considers me a reliable constant in their life!”
I actually thought this.
No one is more surprised by this than I am.

Then I KEPT thinking…
Lots of memes, Instagram account accounts and YouTube channels these days poke fun of the endless, thankless work of motherhood and I think we need that comic relief.

In a world where many of us women are not connected in close community, we look to the internet for our sanity, comedy, validation and I think that’s ok.
We need to laugh at the crazy, the endless laundry, the selfish nature of our kiddos, our husbands’ inabilities to put their dirty socks in the laundry, the constant noise and chaos…


But I always WANT TO be careful to guard MY heart and my mind amidst all the jokes and “real talk” about #momlife to remember to be grateful for what I have and not fill my day or my head with complaining.

What I say over and over again can become true in my mind and my heart.

** Continue reading here:
Practicing gratitude for what I have today, work included, is a muscle that I need to exercise otherwise it weakens, becomes brittle and forgets how to function.

I’ll be the first to admit that our job as mamas is often hard, frustrating, tear-inducing and thankless, but that’s also real life.
I mean, if we were expecting it to be otherwise, that’s pretty of silly stuff.


Personally, I remember not appreciating the MYRIAD things my mom did for me as a kid, without a thought about it at the time.
I just accepted it as “part of her job”.

BUT from watching her, I also learned how to do hard work without grumbling and complaining, how to take care of a family and how to keep a home-albeit less clean than hers.


And isn’t that what I want for MY kids?

To find joy in their work and do it without complaining?
To know how to take care of their belongings?
To not always be searching for rewards and pleasure, but to buckle down and do character-building work like cleaning up theirs and other people’s messes?

How I behave shapes the culture of our home.
How we as a community of mothers act in our homes has the power to shape an ENTIRE CULTURE of people.



None of this means that I’m above paying someone to clean my floor, telling my kids to clean it or that I think being the maid should be the synonymous with motherhood or wife life, but let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that having relationships with people that rely upon us to be there doesn’t require a TON of work and self sacrifice.

Motherhood is a dirty job that requires grit and for us to get up in there and do some work. 

Motherhood is the greatest sacrifice that many of us will ever make in our lives and we make it daily.
But that’s the thing is, the nature or our relationship to our kids is not one of 50/50.
They can’t give back to us what we deserve for the work that we do.

And SOMETIMES I get the sense that the jokes we make about our jobs as mother over time create a sense of injustice.
We know that our kids aren’t in the position to even the score, so we look to our spouse to do so and we can resent them and forget that they too have a thankless job. This goes for all families, regardless of your division of labor agreements about breadwinners, etc.

In a world that often emphasizes that we should put ourselves first, I’m kind of feeling like humbly doing work for others and finding joy in it all might actually be the key to true lasting happiness.

Oh look! it’s actually God’ design for us to serve one another and to do humbling work without resentment.

John 13:12-17

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.
“Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.
13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.
14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Basically….
Now that I your Lord and Teacher have washed your dirty disgusting sandal clad feet, you should do the same for each other.

There’s a TON of messaging around us right now about self love and self care and about how thankless our jobs as moms are.
There’s also a LOT of pressure to be perfect, have perfect homes, dress cute and never yell at our kids or lose our tempers.
Here’s the thing , perfection is a lie. Relationships that don’t involve sacrifice and selfless actions are fantasies.

Waiting to be happy and content until everything is perfect means we will never have joy.

I can’t tell you how to be a perfect mom and balance caring for yourself with caring for your loved ones, how to cultivate appropriate boundaries in your life, what to say YES to and when to say NO, but I CAN tell you that:

A happy heart makes a happy face. Proverbs 15:13

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:14

Love the Lord Your God with all your soul, all of your mind and with all of your strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:30-31.

"Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all." Mark 9:35

BET you thought I was going to put Proverbs 31 verses in here.

Please know that I share all this with you, but I say it to myself FIRST!!!!

PS-I will be writing a WHOLE OTHER POST on how everyday chores can be an AWESOME way to inject some pelvic floor-friendly movement into your day.
But I’ll leave it at this for now: In a culture that glorifies 30-60 minutes of exercise a day, we can actually get even MORE health and fitness benefits from injecting movement into LOTS of different parts of our days (like washing the floors on our hands and knees!) to feel better and have less of that whole, "I need. to psych myself up to go to the gym" type mental battle....which will. leave us with some more mental energy to be grateful too!

xoxo,
sArah

Sarah Smith is a Functional Gut and Pelvic Health Educator and she’s on a mission to help women conquer their pelvic health struggles and build STRENGTH and SKILLS!
Sarah is a strength coach, RKC2 Kettlebell Instructor, Original Strength Pro Instructor, certified personal trainer, postnatal fitness specialist and pelvic floor and gut health advocate with a Masters in Soil and Agricultural Science. Sarah works online and in Raleigh, North Carolina.
She loves her boys, soil (good thing because her life is full of it), her bulldog, Bella, coffee and not folding laundry.

If you want MORE information about YOUR pelvic floor and why you shouldn’t settle for incontinence, tailbone pain, discomfort and pain in intercourse, constipation, pelvic pressure and the feeling of organs in your vaginal canal DOWNLOAD THIS FREE GUIDE!