our hopelessness....

Yesterday... a close & dear friend posted a legitimate question on Facebook. She has been struggling with MS for  almost  2 years & is in the midst of a serious flare up. She is a doll. She has young children, & I love her. We think of each other as sisters, although because of our age difference, I sometimes feel more like her mama. We have cried together & for each other. We have laughed together, & I have been the recipient of the greatest love on earth: the love of her five sweet children.

My precious friend is struggling with her faith. Understandably. My husband asked me how I responded to her status. I told him that all I could think to truthfully say was, "I am sorry for your suffering." I do have some deeper words, but I'm not sure she would find them comforting. When you are in her position, some things just don't make sense.

Many times people will quote the famous scripture, "All things work for good for those who love the Lord..." I love these words. I believe them. However, I am not sure that when you are stricken with a painful disease & you can see only a dim light (if any) at the end of your tunnel, that these words bring comfort. As hopeless news continues to knock at your door, you wonder how "all this could work for good." In fact, just the opposite seems to be your reality.

My friend is asking if God will heal her? So, here's the truth as I know it. Yes, Dear Friend, God will heal you. The question is... on which side of Heaven will this healing occur? Only a lifetime will tell. Our job is to walk our walk, knowing that this life is temporary & that God goes before us, with us, in us, & after us. We are never taking one step alone, never breathing one breath He hasn't ordained. So... if God is with me, He knows my fears, He knows my pain... then what kind of a God is He that would cause (if not at the least allow) such suffering?

The answer as I know it is this. He is a loving God, full of compassion & mercy. He has accounted for every hair on my head (even if others cannot see them right now). He has cried each of my tears with me & never withheld His comfort when I sought Him. The answer is found as the story repeats itself in scripture through endless generations. Our deepest treasures come through our suffering (even when we are unaware). He loves us too much not to let us suffer.

Truth is... our lives are only a blip on this earth (even though they seem like forever to us). If we can gain a more eternal view (which is not our earthly or human nature), we can believe (as scripture reveals), that God is fitting us for Heaven. Yesterday & tomorrow are as close to Him as today. He has the whole picture, & we are a significant part of the whole. However, we can only glimpse a small part of the whole. So, we place our trust in Him. We give Him our uncertainties, our insecurities, our fears, our hopelessness... & we resolve to live each day constantly dropping all of our baggage at His feet. For some unknown reason, He wants it. In return, He doesn't give us all the answers. He doesn't promise to heal us this side of Heaven.  But, if we believe in Him, He promises us He will never forsake us. He gives us grace to get us through each painful day. We will spend eternity somewhere, & if we trust in Him, it will be with Him.

for:  Melissa