My knees have been bothering me this past week. Fierce! Painful and annoying. I try to just live my normal daily life. I try not to complain or make a lot of noise about it. Very challenging!

But this got me to thinking about those that have it worse than me. People that live with chronic pain. How challenging life must be?

I also got to thinking about those that live with mental anguish as well. We all have baggage. Those issues, very deeply buried, that we don't want to deal with. This adds to the challenges of life.

Sometimes the cure or treatment can be worse than the issue. Especially when dealing with mental issues. So imagine you have a wound or cut. It heals on the outside. It looks like its fine. But it was deeper than you realized and underneath is a festering infection. After awhile you realize it isn't healed and have chronic pain. The doctor's remedy is the cut open the wound. He opens it and cleans out the infection. Very painful!!! In the end you are better off. The key is seeing it through to the end, having faith that the end result will be better.

Those with chronic physical pain have a different challenge. Sometimes there is no cure. No treatment that will make it go away or return it to normal. This can be very upsetting, distressing. I know my knees will never be the same. I know that I will have to deal with it the rest of my life. To be quite honest, that sucks!!!!! But I also know that God is with me. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will bring me home.

A couple of things I have learned. One exercise makes it better not worse. So I will keep moving. Two I am afraid if I stop exercising, it will get worse. Three, doctors don't have all the answers. We have to be educated. We have to be our own advocates.

To those of you dealing with physical or mental issues, I pray you find peace and comfort. I pray you find good physicians and practitioners. I pray that you are surrounded by the love and joy of great family and friends.