So far, 2026 seems to have been one long battle with my health. Shoulder, torn rotator cuff. Back, five herniated discs and a pinched nerve. And then asthma set in and I haven’t been able to shake the cough. I just had a CT Scan on my lungs this week. In all of this, I found myself getting discouraged, which if you know me, is not the usual me. I generally just give it to God and move on. From September when I broke my foot until now, I have just seemed to visit doctors’ offices for one issue or another. I know that it comes with aging, but it hasn’t been pleasant and I have found myself whining to God.

This morning, my dear Savior and Friend stopped me in the middle of my whine and reminded me of who He is and what He has already done for me. Well, that’s not quite accurate. He started by reminding me of one of my memory verses before I went to sleep last night.

With that verse on my mind as I drifted off to sleep, it was also on my mind when I woke up coughing and with my aching back again this morning. God told me that I have tried to “be still” but I haven’t really been still enough to hear His voice, His comfort and His wisdom.

So, how do I fight these battles? By being still and letting God lead and direct me. The pain is real, the coughing is a real pain, but every breath is a gift from God. That realization opens up my world to praise, not whining.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the word that God put on my heart for the year is “trust.” I have been tested over and over about whether I truly trust God or not and many times, I have found myself lacking, going back to the table with the Lord and working to understand what trust is and what it is not. I am not there yet because the battle rages on, but I do know that I am not fighting alone. God is right there, my David to a Goliath and He has all the stones I need to defeat the giants in my life. I just have to be still…not walk away. I have to stand in the battle with the Lord, knowing that He is there winning a victory for me, if I will just let go of the temptation to control things and let Him win.

This Is How I Fight My Battles-Michael W. Smith