Lara Lais

Holy Hormones and Hallelujahs

Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16

Right now, so many of my friends are walking through perimenopause and the stories are straight up terrifying. Hot flashes. Mood swings. Sleepless nights. And here I am thinking, Wonderful. So I have that to look forward to someday.

But it is not just the hormonal circus. Our bodies go through things we never signed up for. Trust me, I know! Strange health issues that make no sense. Aches that linger. Symptoms that show up uninvited and refuse to leave. Chronic pain that slows you down. Fatigue that wraps itself around you like a wet blanket. Life in a human body can be loud with discomfort.

Paul is one of my favorite reminders that you can hurt and still serve God beautifully. He carried what he called a thorn in the flesh. Scripture never tells us exactly what it was, only that it was a persistent health issue that humbled him and followed him everywhere he went. And even with that constant struggle, Paul never stopped praising, preaching, or pouring himself out for the Lord.

When he asked God to take it away, the Lord answered, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12: 9.

Paul chose to believe that promise. Instead of seeing his weakness as a setback, he saw it as the very place where Christ’s power rested on him. His life reminds us that our pain does not disqualify us. God can still use us right in the middle of it.

And Paul wasn’t the only one. Scripture is full of men and women who carried their own aches and illnesses and still reached for God with fierce, determined faith.

The woman with the issue of blood endured twelve long years of pain and isolation and still reached for Jesus in faith.
Mark 5: 25-34

Job sat in ashes with a body covered in sores and still whispered hope.
Job 2: 7-8, Job 13: 15

Timothy dealt with frequent ailments and needed constant care.
1 Timothy 5: 23

Epaphroditus became so sick he almost died and Paul thanked God for sparing him.
Philippians 2: 25-27

And here is what I have learned. Pain narrows our focus. There is an actual psychological reason for that. When the body hurts, the brain goes into protective mode and the amygdala becomes more active. That part of the brain magnifies negative thoughts and makes gratitude feel almost impossible. It is not a lack of faith. It is biology. The mind gets loud. The ache gets louder. And all of it tries to drown out our praise.

But praise is exactly what cuts through the noise. When we choose to thank God in the middle of the discomfort, our perspective changes. We stop staring at the pain right in front of us and remember that this life is only a breath.

Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16

Our present sufferings cannot compare with the glory that is waiting for us.
Romans 8:18

Our flesh and hearts may fail, but God is the strength of our hearts forever.
Psalm 73:26

He gives strength to the weary.
Isaiah 40:29

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3

He holds us steady through every storm.
1 Peter 5:10

So for anyone walking through illness, hormonal chaos, chronic pain, or the confusing fog of perimenopause, you are not alone. Even on the days when gratitude feels far away, God is still worthy. There is still joy to be found. There is still beauty hidden under all the heaviness.