Please take a moment to consider what you can do to help people living in hurricane-prone areas as you visit this site. Read Sarah's story about her experiences living in Florida during the fall of 2004, and learn how hurricanes affect people with disabilities and people who live in poverty and what you can do to help.
Sarah Blake combines personal experience and professional knowledge to provide encouragement and information for living with disabilities and other personal challenges.
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Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:1-5) When I was in the sixth grade, I read The Diary of a Young Girl. I was deeply touched by Anne Frank's honesty about her feelings, and I wanted to share my own feelings with that kind of honesty. In fact, I wanted to write my journal so that others could someday read it. I was not a happy adolescent; but I felt that my struggles had purpose, even if only to help someone else feel less alone. Of course, the purpose was much greater than this. God promises to use suffering for His glory, and I can look back now and see that His Word is true. I am stronger because of the struggles, and I believe that God calls upon me to share what I have learned so that others may also grow strong through their struggles. Strength takes different forms. Sometimes it is the will to endure an unchangeable situation. Sometimes it means having the skills to control my reactions emotionally or to communicate effectively. Sometimes it means having the knowledge I need to take an active role in my own health care. Always it means having the courage to face the truth about my thoughts and feelings, things that are happening to me, and my needs and to come before God with boldness and humility; for He knows it all even before I speak, and the only one I deceive by hiding is myself. My struggles have taught me many things. Sometimes the lessons are about myself or about God. Sometimes the lessons are practical, such as when I learned how to manage my migraines naturally instead of with medication. The lessons are the reason I have put this site together. If you have comments about the site or would like to suggest a link, please email Sarah at sarah@growingstrong.org. |