Nicole O'Meara | Blog — Nicole O'Meara

Death of a Dogwood: Reflections on Grief One Year Later

The death of my tree was just the last in a string of losses, and there was no holding back the tears. Everything felt heavy, slow, and difficult. My daily rhythms of waking early for Bible study and prayer fell by the wayside. I functioned in survival mode. Still, I found ways to process those things in the safety of my relationship with Jesus. Despite my muddy brain and emotional overwhelm, I refused to give up what I have learned is my lifeline in times of despair: my ongoing conversation with my Savior.

… We learn to trust God because we have to trust God. We’ve got nothing left on our own.

BlogNicole O'MearaApril 30, 2021grief, Joyful Life Magazine, depression, pandemicComment

Entwined Together: Receiving the Gift of Community {GUEST POST}

We all need friends like Jonathan and David in our lives—friends who remind us of who God is, who cause us to look upwards and not be overcome by our circumstances, friends who call forth what God has spoken over our lives and strengthen us to keep contending. But as much as we need them, we must also be them.

Blog, Book ReviewNicole O'MearaApril 23, 2021community, Guest PostComment

How to Start a Habit of Choosing Joy Using a Joy Basket

A Joy Basket is simply a cute place to gather items that will help spark joy when you don’t feel joyful, making choosing joy as obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying as possible.

Here are four steps to create a new habit of choosing joy using a joy basket.

BlogNicole O'MearaApril 16, 2021joy, chronic diseaseComment

How to Choose Joy: The big and little ways that make a difference

“Just choose joy,” they say. Great advice, but not always easy to put into practice. The secret to choosing joy is making the choice to choose joy. But’s is so hard. How do we choose joy when chronic illness or any other suffering has taken over life? I’ve got a list to get you started.

BlogNicole O'MearaApril 12, 2021joy, chronic diseaseComment

How Jesus Meets Your Need for Touch

Touch, and my need for it, has highlighted what I’ve known for years: As a person living with a rare and undiagnosed disease, I have a deep need to be understood.

Jesus is fully human and fully God. He is all-knowing, the only One who can understand the physical, mental, and emotional struggles you experience. And he is all-powerful, the only One who cannot be overwhelmed by your need.

The comfort is this: The One who wept at the death of his friend, weeps for your pain also. The same One who touched the leper, can touch you too. In your pain and need, you are understood, completely, by Jesus.

BlogNicole O'MearaMarch 12, 2021undiagnosed, rare disease, chronic diseaseComment

To Find Hope, First You Need to Lament

In Biblical terms, making space to grieve is called “lament.” Lament is part of the process that brings us to hope. Like a splinter in your finger, it’s painful to begin with but it’s best to endure the “yuckiness” of tweezing it out in order to heal.

Put very simply, to lament is to name your pain or suffering and give yourself permission to feel all the feelings you have regarding it. It takes honesty. And it needs to be expressed in some way outside your head.

BlogNicole O'MearaFebruary 25, 2021lament, grief, chronic disease, Michele CushattComment

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