Do you struggle with health concerns? Most of my adult life, I’ve suffered from pain. Vice-gripping migraines rocked my world when I was younger. I became disabled, unable to work for two years. Returning to school, retrained to be a nurse, only to hurt my back. But for sheer determination, eight months after the injury, I returned to nursing, just in a different type of nursing. I persevere when pain is my constant companion.

I learned early on that I can do all things through Jesus Christ, who gives me strength. You might recognize this verse from Philippians 4:13. Yet I love my exercise verse. What is an exercise verse? It is a verse that motivates you to be a better person. This verse for me is Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

When I think I can’t go one more step, I stop and say an arrow prayer, a 911 prayer, and I quote this verse, placing my hope in the Lord to renew my strength. Do I still have migraines, and do I still struggle with back pain? The migraines are not as intense as the headaches were in my youth, and my back hurts, but I can function. I await the day when I meet the Lord and can be pain-free and run. Because beloved, we are promised no tears and no pain in heaven. Until then, I can do all things through Jesus Christ, who gives me strength. Blessings.