Finding a solid rock to stand on in the relentless storm that is MG

I have an unusual and slightly weird affection for old-time hymns. Something in me responds to the great hymns that have endured for thousands of years, such as “Sub Tuum Praesidium,” one of the oldest known hymns in Christianity. I feel a physical reaction to them.

I also have an affinity for the old-time Gospel hymns. There’s nothing better than a good rendition of “Rock of Ages.”

So what does this have to do with myasthenia gravis (MG)?

Along with physical fatigue, MG brings another type of fatigue that comes from having to be constantly vigilant. I’ve learned to watch my body the way an airplane pilot monitors the weather reports. On the days when a flare-up rolls in without warning, what I want most isn’t a cure. It’s somewhere to hide.

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Lately, the need for shelter from MG’s burdens has been on my mind. And the musical organizations that live in my head have been playing “Rock of Ages,” which tells a story about shelter in times of need. The hymn’s author, Augustus Toplady, was caught in a storm and took shelter in a rocky gorge. Out of that experience came a hymn about hiding, not from God, but in him — shelter within the divine.

I don’t bring all of this up to preach. I bring it up because the image struck me as exactly right for what MG asks of us. MG doesn’t announce itself politely. It shows up like a bolt of lightning. One minute everything can be fine, and the next it has all fallen apart. When this happens, we need a rock, something that doesn’t move while everything else does.

Over the years, that rock has taken different shapes for me. Sometimes it’s family, like the cousin who is also a neighbor. Other times, it’s my inner circle, with whom I form the “Three Musketeers of Dallas.” The doorbell will ring and there they are, dinner in bags, ready for conversation and solving the world’s problems. Under all of it, for me, has been faith. It’s not a tidy faith that explains why any of this happens. It’s a stubborn one that gives me somewhere to put my questions when I don’t have an answer.

Helen Keller wrote, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. My optimism, then, does not rest on the absence of evil, but on a glad belief in the preponderance of good and a willing effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may prevail.”

Challenges come to all of us. It’s our choice to overcome them. That’s the other half of the rock metaphor that’s easy to miss. A rock isn’t just a hiding place. It’s solid ground to stand on when you’re ready to move again. Shelter and foundation, in the same stone.

You’re allowed to hide for a while and rest in whatever your rock is. Maybe it’s a loved one, a prayer, or the memory of your dad humming in the den. Then, when you’re ready, stand on it.

Note: Myasthenia Gravis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Myasthenia Gravis News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to myasthenia gravis.