Sometimes, we think we are too dirty, messed up, or broken to be loved by Jesus. But that is the furthest from the truth. Jesus is our shepherd, which means he is qualified, willing, and desires to sit in the mess with us.
Before writing this blog, I’ve always associated biblical shepherding with farming. I had a picture of a farmer who worked in the day, checked on the animals, worked the land, and then went back home at night.
Biblical Shepherds
Historically, shepherds did not live like farmers. They lived off the land with their sheep. For months, they slept outside, on the dirt, covered by filth. Shepherds were often muddy, bloody, and smelled like animals and poop.
Their days and nights looked like this:
Caring for and protecting the flock.
Fighting off other animals.
Healing the wounded sheep.
Rescuing stray sheep.
Directing sheep to the right paths.
A shepherd was willing to sacrifice time, get in the dirt, and chase after their flock. This is an image of our God.
OUR Shepherd
Our God loves us deeply in the middle of our storms, shame, and fear. When he looks at us, he doesn’t judge our current state but sees who we will be. He’s not afraid to get in the mud with us. He is willing to get dirty so that we can get clean. He isn’t disgusted by the mud, manure, or blood. He doesn’t belittle, beat, or judge us.
Instead, he embraces us, longs for us, and chases after us when we are far away. You will never be too broken, too messed up, or too dirty for God. He is a good shepherd.
So, today, I want to encourage you to let God shepherd you. Let him be who he is, a good shepherd.
Let God Shepherd You.
Let God be what you need him to be.
Let God be a protector if you feel unsafe.
Let him be a fighter if you need to fight.
Let him be a healer if you feel broken. Let him be a cleaner if you feel dirty.
Let him be a shame remover if you feel shameful.
And finally, let him be your sacrificial lamb if you feel like a sinner because He’s already paid the price. Receive it.
God is a good shepherd and trustworthy.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am a good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:10-11 NIV
Did this blog touch your heart? I wanna know. Please like, share, and comment. Thank you for being here! 💖
Hormones are important because they impact almost every element of your life.
Growing up, I always associated hormones with sex. But in my PCOS journey, I’ve learned that hormones are the mover and shakers of our mind, body, and soul. Hormonal issues often lead to sickness, mental health, financial, and spiritual issues.
✨ The good news is that with God, research, and small consistent changes, we can heal our bodies and reverse hormonal issues.
The beginning of your healing starts with gaining wisdom. In this blog, we will discuss hormones and their impact.
“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it will cost all you have, get understanding.”
Proverbs 4:7
What Are Hormones?
💬 Hormones are like messengers that tell your body what to do. When your hormones are out of whack, it causes everything else to fall apart in your body.
Which results in health struggles like diabetes, heart attacks, sleep issues, PCOS, and infertility.
🧪 More specifically, hormones are chemicals that send messages throughout your body. These messages control your body’s basic functions.
Why Should You Care?
Our hormones control our bodily functions. So, when our hormones are unbalanced, it risks our entire bodily functions, for example, motor issues, brain activity, fertility issues, and so much more. 😌
Hormonal imbalances often lead to:
Major health issues like diabetes, fertility issues, PCOS, osteoporosis, and heart disease.
Major mental health issues like depression, anxiety, lack of clarity, and bad decision-making.
Major financial issues like doctor bills, excessive over-the-counter medicine, and major debt.
Major faith issues like unbelief in God, lack of trust, and doubting God’s faithfulness.
Major overall issues stack up one by one until we’re in a downward spiral.
✨ But, the good news is that, with God, you can overcome any obstacle. It’s time to take your health and power back!
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV).
What do Hormones Control?
Hormones impact so many of our day-to-day health functions.
Metabolism: Hormones determine your energy levels, digestion, and ability to lose or maintain weight.
Reproduction: Hormones are directly responsible for fertility, sperm quality, egg quality, periods, and menopause.
Homeostasis: Hormones control blood sugar, blood pressure, fluids, electrolyte balance, and body temperature.
Growth & development: Hormones determine how your body will grow and age.
Sex functions: Hormones impact sex drive, erectile dysfunction, arousal, and overall sexual satisfaction.
Mental Capacity: They impact sleep-wake window, mood, anxiety, stress levels, and brain fog.
Encouragement
Hormones are a main contributor to our health. So, by learning about hormones, their function, and their impact, you can start overcoming sickness, disease, and attacks from the enemy. 💖
Today is the moment to take ANY issues to God and ask for help. Why? Because we have a God who is a healer, a doctor, and a teacher. God is the creator of our body, and he has created it to function WELL. 😌
Apply It
⤵️ Assess
If you could ask God to heal anything on your body? What would it be?
🙏 Prayer
Lord, I am coming to you in faith to heal xxxx part of my body. Please increase my faith to believe that you can really heal me.
📖 Word of God
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
Disclaimer: This blog is meant to provide information to encourage, empower, and educate you; however, it should not be considered professional medical advice. My Hill Co. and its authors are not doctors or healthcare professionals. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. My Hill Co., nor its authors are liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
The Bible provides us with a way to see, experience, and live a godly life. The Bible is a template from God so we can be more Christ-like.
More specifically, the Bible is:
the Word of God
the Truth of God
God in Word form
Think about it like this: I am Dohna Dudley, my name (word form) is Dohna Dudley, and the truth is I am Dohna Dudley.
The Bible says it like this:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” (John 1:1 NIV).
🌟The Bible Is The Passageway to Be Christ-Like
Most Christians have an innate thought or desire to follow God and be more Christ-like. Well, the only way you become Christ-like is by learning more about how Jesus lived by reading your Bible.
A lot of times, we try to skip over the Bible, but the Bible is the only way to become like Christ. Without reading your Bible, you cannot really know or understand Jesus.
You may have grown up hearing about Jesus or had an experience with Jesus, but the only way to follow his light is by reading his Bible to learn how to live like him. 💖
“The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory of the one and only son, who came down from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14.
🗡The Bible Helps Cut Through Lies
In Scripture, we see Jesus quoting the Bible and using the Bible to cut through the lies of the enemy.
When the Spirit of God leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, Jesus uses the WORD of God as a weapon to fight against the schemes of the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Scripture, aka the Words of God in the Bible, is a sword to fight the devil.
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17 NIV
🚗The Bible Leads Us In the Right Direction
The Bible is:
A guide, not a history book
A teacher that leads us to the truth, not an opinion
The Bible lights a path and teaches us how to live.
The Bible literally is a light in the darkness that leads us exactly where we are supposed to be.
“Your word is the lamp for my feet, a light on my path,” (Psalm 119:105).
“The unfolding of your word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple,” (Psalms 119:130).
Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies, (Psalms 119:98).
🔈The Bible Teaches Us God’s Voice
The Bible teaches us God’s character, voice, and heart so that we can discern if we are actually hearing from God.
✨ The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to lead you into truth, but if you can’t hear the Holy Spirit because you don’t know God’s voice, you can get trapped by the devil.
✨Think about it like this: In Matthew 4:1-11 when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Jesus knew that the voice that was speaking to him was not God, but the devil because he studied the Bible.
✨As a result of studying the word, he knew the voice speaking to him did not align with the character of God, so he was able to cast the devil out with the word of truth.
“The tempter came to him and said, “ If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:3-4 NIV
💪The Bible Equips & Strengthens Us
In the story of Jesus, we see so many trials and tribulations. We see Jesus doing great things but also doing hard things. We see Jesus crying, mourning, and rejoicing.
More importantly, we see Jesus live out his purpose regardless of his feelings, experiences, or the opinions of others. 💖
By reading the Bible we learn, gather the tools and resources, and get equipped to live out our Jesus-given purpose when things are great but also when things are hard.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16 NIV
Encouragement For You
I wanna encourage you. Your breakthrough starts with your decision to study your Bible. 💖
Signs you need to read your Bible include:
feeling double-minded (constantly changing your mind)
feeling confused,
feeling lost
🔑 The Bible is the truth and helps you find the truth.
🔑 One of the simplest ways to learn the truth is to spend time resting in the truth, which is the Bible.
🔑 One of the simplest ways to get answers is to read your Bible because God rests in it.
God wants to breathe his truth onto you, but he needs your participation.
👀Without reading your Bible, you will not find certain answers.
God loves your prayers. He loves that you seek him and ask him questions. But God also wants your time and attention. He wants to breathe his truth over you, correct your mindset, and lead you onto the right path, but he needs your participation.
It’s time to read your Bible.
📖 SCRIPTURE
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, “ Jeremiah 29:13.
✍️ ACTIVITY
Write it Out: Today, I challenge you to spend five minutes looking for three scriptures with the word seek. Then, ask God, what are you trying to show me?
🙏 PRAYER
God, I desire to know you on a deeper level. Please, teach me how to seek you. I need you, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
The first time I had ever heard about PCOS was at my post-surgery checkup after having emergency surgery to save my left ovary. Talk about trauma, right 😭😂?
At my appointment, I learned I had PCOS ovaries, but I had no idea what that was, nor the years of fighting I would have as a result.
☕️ I left the appointment not understanding PCOS or its impacts and with a list of recommendations to decrease my caffeine intake and stop eating so much bread.
From there, I did a little research about PCOS, but I was deep in the throes of college. I didn’t have the mental space to think about PCOS, although the symptoms were wrecking my body from gaining weight, fatigue, no periods, bad nausea, etc.
👀 My PCOS diagnosis was behind me, or at least I thought it was.
When did I realize my PCOS would be a problem?
It wasn’t until before I got married that PCOS reared its big head. All of a sudden I was thinking thoughts I never thought like:
What if I can’t have babies?
Would my husband still love me if I couldn’t have babies?
Am I trapping my husband in a marriage?
Can I be a good wife if I can’t have a baby?
But to be honest, I still didn’t know what PCOS was, what it was going to my body, nor its impact. I just knew I wasn’t having periods.
Going to the Doctor’s
So soon after getting married, I scheduled an appointment with an OB and finally confronted the idea that I couldn’t have babies – it was a lie. At that appointment, I met my Nurse Practitioner, aka my OB, who changed my life.
Things did not change quickly, because once I found out I could have babies, I was satisfied and had not yet connected my issues with PCOS.
🏋️♀️ Instead, I was trying to address the symptoms. For example, I tried to address my const ant weight gain without going to the root. So, I ate healthier and worked out 4-5 days a week. But nothing was working.
What I know now is that my hormones were so over the place that I wasn’t going to lose weight, and the workouts were so intense that they were increasing my cortisol, therefore almost making me gain weight.
🪨Hitting Rock Bottom
It wasn’t until about a year later that I started to research PCOS and realized that all the symptoms I was experiencing like:
backaches
brain fog
body inflammation
headaches
weight gain
depression
mood swings
acne
NOOOOO PERIODS!
We’re symptoms of my PCOS. The realization made me feel seen and showed me that I wasn’t crazy. But it also left me feeling defeated. 🙃
I started accepting my PCOS as my reality. I would gain weight, my back would hurt, I would live in depression, etc. It felt like nothing would change, so I might as well accept it.
But then, I reached rock bottom.
ROCK BOTTOM IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE
My Turning Point
Rock bottom happened gradually, but eventually, it wrecked me.
I realized something needed to change when I started having sobbing “attacks.” My sobbing attacks were an overflow of me fighting a war in my mind, feeling like a failure, deeply depressed, and afraid.
The depression, weight gain, brain fog, body aches, and lack of periods made me feel dead inside.
⛅️FROM DEATH TO LIFE
It was there that God met me. It was there that I decided something needed to change. It was there that I decided that PCOS would not be my life. 💖
It was there that I learned three things that would change my relationship with PCOS.
God cared. I learned that God cared that PCOS wrecked my body.
Idid nothave to settle for PCOS because God wanted something else for me.
I had to fight PCOS backwithGod’s help.
My rock bottom showed me that I needed to understand my giant (PCOS), create a plan, and actively fight back.
God wants to help you fight your battles.
🥷 FIGHT RIGHT
The first thing I did was research. How can you fight against something without knowing what you’re fighting? 👀
It’s literally fighting blindly without direction, hoping you will hit something.
You cannot fight your battle blindly.
The Bible says it like this, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it costs you all you have, get understanding,” Proverbs 4:7.
✨The first level of wisdom is just learning. Then, you take it to God to get the instructions.
✨ So, I started researching and listening to people’s stories on TikTok. For the first time in my PCOS journey, I was operating under the assumption that my life could get better.
✨For the first time, I had hope that life could get better, which activated my faith.
“…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20 NIV
🌟 FINDING HOPE
My research was the gateway to the hope.
I wasn’t crazy: the research made me feel seen. The body aches? Normal. The brain fog? Expected. The weight gain? A part of hormonal imbalances.
I wasn’t alone: the research showed me other women facing the same things and overcoming PCOS, which showed me I could.
God cared:God found me when I didn’t know he could help me. At the lowest of lows, God rescued me and sliced down the lies of the enemy that told me I was unworthy.
There IS Hope
God rescued me through research and implementation. Here’s what has changed:
My hormones are regulated (via my bloodwork).
I no longer have constant backaches.
The brain fog is at a minimum.
I have MONTHLY periods (used to be 3-4 a year).
I have a system and know how to seek God in my health and so much more.
I’m not constantly gaining weight.
Listen, the giant is only a giant because you see it that way. 💖
✨We serve a God who enables and equips “unqualified” people to fight a giant everyone else was afraid of. How much more can he do for you?
“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, who you have defied.”
“This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head….”‘
1 Samuel 17:45-46 NIV
“So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”
1 Samuel 17:50 NIV
Encouragement for You
If you are facing the torturous and raging waters of PCOS, I want to encourage you:
It’s going to be ok. It will get better.
God loves you. You can ask him for help. He has the power and authority to help.
You’re not alone. 💖
If I can do it, you can too!
📖 SCRIPTURE
Here is a scripture that you can hold on to as you navigate this season:
“…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20 NIV
God cares. Ask him to help you with your PCOS journey, and he will! Your PCOS is only a mountain, and God has the power to move it. 💖
🙏 PRAYER
Here is a prayer that you say to start your journey:
“God, I’m tired of being defeated by this. Your word says I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me. But, God, I don’t feel like a conqueror, so I need you to open my eyes to see you. Lord, please help me. Please rescue me in Jesus name. I pray. Amen.
Feeling unaligned is a part of the process. Let me repeat myself- feeling unaligned is a part of the process.
The uncomfortable feeling of being behind, being afraid, and something just not being right is a part of the process.
It sucks, but it’s a part of the process.
The biggest lies of the enemy when you are going through a process of realigning is:
You’ve messed up
You’re stuck
You’re always going to be stuck
You’re always going to keep messing up.
🧠 But what if I told you that feeling unaligned is less about you and more about God calling you to a higher level?
The uncomfortable feeling is the birthplace of a new level.
Today, I dare you to start seeing the uncomfortable differently, not as a reason to run and hide but as a starting point for development and growth.
🗻God is not punishing you. He’s taking you up.
So how do you realign?
You eliminate distractions, seek God, give yourself grace, and slow down.
Here is what I am doing as I realign:
😌 Eliminating distractions:
It’s hard to hear God’s voice when you’re focused on the voices of others and drowning in your mind, fears, and anxiety
✨Seeking God:
I can’t do this without God. I need his vision to go forth.
💖Giving myself grace:
I am in a sensitive spot, so I am treating myself that way, which may look like a little less or more sleep, giving myself space to cry and grace to be less together.
💐Slowing Down:
It’s hard to lead when you don’t know where you’re going. I am refraining from making big decisions and giving myself space to hear from God before I lead my team forward.
welcome to a new level of glory!💖
I know you currently feel like you’re in a barren and hopeless place, but I am here to tell you that you’re standing in the birthplace of God’s glory in this chapter of your life.
You will survive here. I will survive here. But more importantly, we will seek and depend on God like never before, because he is here, ready, and waiting to take us to a new level of glory.
In the meantime here is a prayer for you 💖:
God, I thank you that you are a good guide. I thank you that I can have confidence that this is working for my good. Please lead, guide, and comfort me, Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
Honestly, things have been crazy. In May/June, I really struggled mentally, emotionally, and physically.
⛈ Health Challenges:
I never would have thought that I would struggle with chronic pain, but I have. Leading up to my surgery for the removal of my ovarian dermoid cyst in April 2024, I was in pain and popping pills almost every single day, couldn’t lift anything, and struggled with bad fatigue.
The only thing exciting about my ovarian surgery was the idea of pain relief. Sounds ironic, right? Having a painful surgery to remove chronic pain 😭.
👀 However, I didn’t expect my PCOS to flare up, imitating the same pain I was in before the surgery. Nor did I expect fatigue, emotional imbalances, and so much brain fog.
So, I spent May and early June – Angry. Depressed. And like a victim.
Angry – I still couldn’t wear the jeans I love so much (still can’t)
Depressed – because I couldn’t wear the clothes that made me feel confident.
Like a victim – because it felt like my life was spinning and things were out of control.
Overnight, it felt like the miracle of God saving my ovaries turned into a burden, fear, and so much insecurity. I literally just spent time crying, feeling lost, and feeling ugly.
😭 It felt like God had done so much. He healed my PCOS symptoms in 2023 for it all to come crumbling down in 2024.
⛅️Overcoming Victimhood
But in mid-June, I decided I was done with being a victim of my circumstances. Obviously, God wants to teach me something here, or I wouldn’t be here.
👏🏾I decided that I would not be captive to something I could not change because the reality is that whether my PCOS is flaring or not:
I have periods that I didn’t have in 2022.
I have ovaries that I almost lost twice.
I have evidence that God heals and restores PCOS (ME!!)!
💐More than that, I realized that the love of my jeans was a result of God teaching me how to style them. SOOO -if God did it before, he can do it again.
The devil tried to tell me that God was a one-trick pony and that I was stuck.
Stuck:
hating my clothes
in pain
with the idea that PCOS symptoms would be my life
You can count on the consistency of God!
☀️Victory!
But I am here to report that I recently bought an outfit I loved, I’m no longer experiencing chronic pain, and I have a plan to knock these PCOS symptoms out once again.
✨Listen, God is the same as yesterday and forever more. Therefore, if we decide to embrace where we are, God can do so much more.
The devil is a liar AND you are not a victim. This is just an opportunity for God to teach you another lesson and for you to get another victory lap.
You have to decide to embrace this season.
👀 It’s Your Turn
SO HERE’S MY QUESTION FOR YOU: What are you fighting that God wants you to embrace?
HERE’S MY PRAYER FOR YOU:
Lord Jesus, your daughter needs you. Right now, the devil is trying to convince her that she is a victim of her circumstances.
But right, I declare by your power that she is healed from every lie of the enemy, every infirmity, and every false status of victimhood. Open her eyes and heart to you, Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray Amen.
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