To my Wig Sisters and anyone suffering and struggling to come out from under it

"The experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do." Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place

I suffer from hair loss and wear wigs.  I have suffered for over 20 years, and have worn wigs for about 4 (as of July 2022).  I am very public about this, and even have a YouTube channel where I make videos on hair loss and wigs.  Because of my openness, I  often hear from women who are devastated by their hair loss and positively defeated and overwhelmed by the wig journey.  It breaks my heart to hear their stories and realize the pain they are in, but when a wig sister tells me she is a Christian, it breaks my heart even more because a love for Jesus should be a comforting salve for this pain.  Unfortunately, it often isn't because we humans can be so self-centered that we struggle to see our true purpose under Christ. I don't use the word self-centered in a mean or derogatory way.... it is simply a fact of our fallen nature that we struggle to see our pain in the context of the Gospel and instead see it as the end all be all of our lives at that moment. I suffer from this as much as the next person and constantly have to repent of it so please don't take my saying this as some sort of self-righteousness.  I am right there with you.

I am listening to Corrie Ten Boom's book The Hiding Place on Audible and the quote that started this post hit me squarely between the eyes on this topic.  If you are struggling with ANYTHING to the point that it paralyzes you, or makes you feel absolutely hopeless or helpless... stop for a moment and remember that you are a Child of God and you are here because He loves you and has a purpose for you. What you are going through may hurt... it may hurt more than anything you've ever experienced in your life thus far, but it isn't in vain. God will use it to refine you and make you even more useful to His Kingdom than you ever imagined. It will drive you to Him in prayer and desperation to find relief.  That is by design.  He knows we need Him, and He also knows that we sometimes need a push toward Him, and nothing works better than a little (or a lot) of pain.  Trust Him. Pray to Him for the strength to bear up under the pain. Read His word and focus on those who also suffered and bore their suffering well because of God's mercy, grace, and love that helped them through their trials.  God put them there as a comfort to us.  He knew we would struggle. 

• Job lost EVERYTHING and suffered physically in the most horrible way but he never lost his faith and trust in God.

• David had to live in hiding for years while Saul was trying to kill him, and had to wait patiently for 15 years after he was told he would be king, most of that time he fought for his life and lived in caves and hiding.

• Moses had to lead the Israelites through the desert for 40 years, facing more difficult times and anger from others than most of us will ever know... and he did this knowing he would NEVER get to live in the promised land but he was faithful anyway.

• Paul lost everything to follow Jesus and suffered more than we can even imagine for the Gospel.

• Jeremiah suffered all kinds of abuse and trials but remained faithful through it all.

• Hannah isn't talked about much but she suffered terribly by not being able to have children. Yet she persevered and continued to lean on God in her despair.

If you are suffering, please make reading God's word a priority. In addition to the ones listed above, do an online search of people who suffered in the Bible and then go read those scriptures. Don't just read the verses, internalize them. Remember these are REAL people living REAL lives.  Imagine what they went through and what it would have been like.  Study the ones that speak to you further. Don't wallow in your suffering. Use it to bring you closer to God and to be more open to His will in your life.  Believers who suffer well and draw closer to God in the process provide much-needed hope and inspiration to others. Don't you find that to be true?

There is a book that has helped me ALOT through my own trials and suffering. It is called Hope When it Hurts. Here is a link to it on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3uEiZWd

I highly recommend the Corrie Ten Boom book The Hiding Place as well.  I am not yet finished with it but I have already been so blessed by it!!  Here is a link: https://amzn.to/3ausr7D

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28