Walking with the Word: Viewing Chronic Health Issues Through the Lens of Scripture

By Aaron Montgomery

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness or receiving the news that your loved one will be facing health issues for the rest of his or her life can be heartbreaking and overwhelming. Aaron Montgomery experienced this firsthand when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Pain Syndrome, Chronic Migraine, and Daily Persistent Headache in 2012.

This began a journey for Aaron and his wife, Brandy, that changed nearly every aspect of their lives. Walking with the Word chronicles how God, through His Word, met them in the midst of their pain to provide love, comfort, strength, courage, a purpose for living, and hope for their future. The truths revealed in the Word changed Aaron and Brandy’s lives, and Walking with the Word shares these truths to touch the hearts, minds, and spirits of those who are impacted by chronic health conditions.

“I have watched Aaron learn how to cling to Jesus and his word through debilitating physical afflictions and draw strength from the Lord to minister to others and make disciples out of his personal suffering. This book is born out of a journey that is authentic, sometimes broken, yet ever hope filled in the gospel. The perspectives offered by Aaron on these pages offer true healing for the soul and spirit of those battling chronic illness.”
– Scott Long, Discipleship Pastor, Highview Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973691419

Aaron Montgomery

Aaron Montgomery is a licensed professional clinical counselor with over 20 years experience helping the suffering and wounded. Through his own personal experience of being diagnosed with multiple chronic health conditions, Aaron shares both his professional and personal insights, assistance, and guidance through his writing. He lives with his wife, Brandy, in Fisherville, Kentucky, and has a private practice in Louisville, Kentucky.

Book preview

WALKING WITH

THE WORD

Viewing Chronic Health Issues Through the Lens of Scripture

AARON MONTGOMERY

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Copyright © 2020 Aaron Montgomery.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9140-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9139-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9141-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020907929

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/29/2020

To my beautiful wife, Brandy. I am truly blessed to share this life

with you as my bride. You teach me more about love every day we

walk together on this journey facing chronic health issues. Your

support, encouragement, and patience have made this book possible.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

TRUST GOD AND HIS WORD

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

GOD LOVES YOU

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

GOD IS LISTENING TO YOU

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

GOD WANTS TO COMFORT YOU

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

GOD IS FIGHTING FOR YOU

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

GOD WILL GIVE YOU STRENGTH AND COURAGE

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

WHY ME? WHY THIS?

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

GOD IS CALLING YOU FOR A PURPOSE THROUGH THIS

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

BE HOPEFUL BECAUSE THIS IS TEMPORARY

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Conclusion

About the Author

FOREWORD

As a Christian psychotherapist/psychiatrist couple it’s been our privilege to have Aaron come into association with us over the past decade. But, Aaron is so much more than another colleague with whom we work closely. Aaron is a man who has been on a mostly solitary pilgrimage. Now, to be worth being called such, a pilgrimage has to be a truly daunting set of physical/emotional/spiritual trials which become a watershed experience leaving the pilgrim stronger, wiser, and more centered than before. If he survives the experience then it might also render him needing to speak and to be listened to. In this concise and profound book the reader can find the wisdom from such a man.

Aaron Montgomery is a multi-gifted individual who appeared to have everything and more that he’d ever wanted…until he didn’t. Bright and well educated, affable and well liked; athletic, musically gifted, a natural psychotherapist; spiritually grounded in his Christian faith and secure in a mutually loving marriage.

Then arrived the onset of profound fatigue, unaccustomed weakness, and devastating, disabling bouts of migrainous headaches. All that had become what he knew of himself through his gifting and his diligence was being stripped away through what would eventually be diagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis. As with any human, this avalanche of physical suffering and emotional inevitably pulled Aaron into depression and despair. And, into a profound crisis of faith, as well. Clarity and once easy answers had become casualties of a tsunami which had left in its path a spiritual/emotional/interpersonal debris field.

In the pages which follow Aaron will take you on a journey wherein you’ll discover what we believe C.S. Lewis meant when he stated that if we permit Him, the Holy Spirit will use everything, most especially our suffering, to become ever more and more real. And, by keeping at it, real enough to one day tolerate the overwhelming and glorious realness which is Heaven.

You’ll also meet a remarkable man of love; a true wounded healer (if, in fact, there is any other kind of healing servant). Herein are the costly insights of a soul which has become intimately acquainted with dark, dreadful valleys of fear, which has wished to be left to die in arid wildernesses, and which has used the cruel repetition of relentless suffering to learn to reach out over and over for the hand of Grace.

Aaron starts off each chapter with the scriptural reference which grounds the particular kernel of wisdom or insight which follows it. This is then followed by several questions which permit the reader (or even several readers in a group format) to further grasp and to own what Aaron is offering.

Someone once said that if suffering is inescapable in this life then we should be sure that we don’t waste it. It’ll soon become clear to readers of this book that this suffering writer is inviting us to join our pilgrimage with his, and with that of a suffering Messiah, towards the goal of becoming finally real…and free.

- Shari D. Stewart, M.Div

- Robert H. Stewart, MD

INTRODUCTION

If you are reading this, it is likely you have received the news your health or the health of someone whom you love will never be the same again. If that is the case, I first want to start by saying I am sorry. Being diagnosed with a chronic illness or receiving the news your loved one will be facing health issues for the rest of his or her life can be heartbreaking and overwhelming. At least, I know that was the case in my life. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November of 2012. This news was soon followed by being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain syndrome, chronic migraine, and daily persistent headache early in 2013. After receiving these diagnoses, I became flooded with questions and concerns: I questioned why this was happening to me. I wondered how I would work and provide for my family as these diseases progressed inside of me. I questioned whether or not I would be able to continue taking part in physical activities that brought me enjoyment. I wondered how much longer I would be able to function without the assistance of a wheelchair, and I wondered if life was worth living after coming to the realization of the pain and suffering ahead of me on my life’s journey. I was scared of a future that suddenly felt completely out of control.

When you are diagnosed with a chronic health condition, you are told you will physically never be the same. Helping professionals and the many services they offer to assist you along your journey multiply rapidly. My wife and I felt like our heads were spinning as we had appointment after appointment and I began taking medicine after medicine. This is weighty enough in and of itself. But as your journey continues, it is not long before you realize your physical challenges are often the least of your concerns as your diagnoses begin to infiltrate your thoughts, your emotions, your family, your relationships, and your spirit.

The loss of my career and the loss of living a comfortable, relatively pain-free life were two of the hardest challenges of my diagnoses. As my multiple sclerosis progressed, I became less and less physically comfortable every day. I had constant pain throughout my body, deep aches in my joints, nerve pain, debilitating headaches, and muscle weakness and soreness making staying in one position, any position, for over a minute or two extremely painful. I experienced headaches that were horrific and unrelenting. I was not used to this level of discomfort, and I certainly was not prepared for managing it. I spent the majority of my time thinking about my pain and trying to find any way possible to gain a moment of relief and relaxation, but none was found. No longer being able to find any lasting comfort was a demoralizing loss for me and a loss I continue to experience every day of my life.

Another area that was particularly impacted due to my deteriorating physical health was my ability to perform and achieve at a high level. My professional achievement and my work ethic provided me with a sense of identity. I was driven in my career and thought this was truly one of my best qualities. I worked in a profession helping others, first as a therapist, then as a supervisor of therapists, and then as a developer and manager of programs serving lower socio-economic portions of the community. I felt strongly God had called me to my career and had provided me wonderful opportunities to be salt and light to the world through my role in the workplace (Matthew 5:13–16). My job gave me a purpose and gave me direction. I was ambitious and successful and was able to provide well for my family.

As my symptoms progressed, though, I struggled meeting the standards I had established for myself professionally and personally. Before I knew it, performing at the level I had previously performed was no longer possible as the physical price for attempting to overachieve was too costly to endure. I began working less and even switched jobs in search of