Strength, Courage, and Determination

Each day we are challenged to rise above adversity.  One day it might be that we had a misunderstanding with our spouse.  On another day it might be that we can’t seem to help our children see the big picture as we see it.  It might even be that we just so happen to feel under the weather and can’t function the way we want to or need to.  In these three scenarios, among many, many more, we must overcome.

The older I get the more vulnerable I feel.  The older I get the more I realize there is so much more of the world to experience and know.  When I was in my mid to late twenties I believed that I was invincible, I believed that I had the answers to solve my community’s, my world’s problems.  In my early thirties my wife and I began having children, we were too busy to even consider our mortality or the possibility of sickness and disease.   Praise the Lord for our health and wellness.

Because of the vulnerability I have felt in recent years, I have opened my heart to God more completely.  I have faced many circumstances in the last eight years of my life that have led me to prayer and led me to Jesus.   Four years ago a trusted friend and admirable colleague of mine lost his bout with cancer.  He was a young man in his early fifties.  He was a good man and I miss him today.  The fact that I miss him is proof that his spirit is still with me and that his legacy lives on.  Why do such things happen to seemingly good/great people?

Most recently a colleague of mine has been humbled, to say the least, in a battle with cancer.  She has been up and down through treatments and testing.  She has a young child and husband at home and she continues to work hard as an educator engaging her students on a daily basis.  She has had positive tests in recent months, but yesterday the tests she underwent revealed more cancer yet again.  This sent a rippling effect through our faculty yesterday afternoon.  Many of us are in the same age group, feel extremely vulnerable, and want to desperately help one of the members of our extended family.  My first reaction was, “Why the hell can’t they figure out a cure for this damn thing?”

This colleague of mine is a fighter and I am not sure I have met someone tougher.  Just the other day she posed the question about God and where He was at during times like these.  All I can say now, as I did then, is that God is ALWAYS with us through every peak and valley of our lives.  My colleague has the support of her family, friends, and co-workers.  People often ask, rhetorically, ‘What would Jesus do in a time like this?’  I don’t know what Jesus would do, but I do know that He might listen with an open heart and pray to His Father to let this colleague of mine feel His presence.  All of us will do everything in our power to help.  The power of prayer is amazing.  When our collective energy is put toward a common target we can climb mountains with the strength of 1000 men.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.  God is with us.  Together we can help overcome adversity.  We can help through open and honest prayer.  As John says in his Gospel, we have never seen God, but if we love one another God’s love will be complete in us because His love lives in us.  We must open our hearts and pray that God finds His way to the heart of my colleague who is in need emotionally and physically.  Our prayers are with you.  I admire your strength, courage, and determination…all of which God has gifted you.  May you find peace in God’s presence and may His light shine upon you, wrapping you in the warmth of His love to give you strength in your time of most need.

Please send your thoughts, comments, and prayers via responding to this post.  Thank You and God Bless!