The
picture above was take at St. Charles Cancer Center. My mom and I were
watching Jack and Jill, funny movie! We are praying that this is her
last chemo treatment! The Doctors are pretty certain, but we will know
FOR SURE May 7th (Danny and I's 2yr anniversary :-) ) Surgery to remove
her stomach should be set on that date too!
Comfort in Suffering
Last night Danny and I went to a bible study that we have
been meaning to go to for a while, but our schedules just wouldn’t allow. Finally
last night it worked out so we could go and I feel like it was a total God
thing.The study was on 1 Peter 4, which is mostly about suffering.
vs15- “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or
evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he
is NOT TO BE ASHAMED, but is to GLORIFY GOD in this name.”
I remember when my mom was first diagnosed with Cancer, I
was ashamed to admit I was suffering.
I didn’t want people to think I was weak because by being weak, I felt like it
would reflect negatively on Christ. I love how this verse totally crushed my
theory! I should have never felt ashamed, but Glorified God in all of my
sufferings, knowing that I am suffering in accordance to God’s will for my
life and that I needed to TRUST that what He is doing is right.
vs19- “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall ENTRUST
their souls to a FAITHFUL Creator in doing what is right.
When I awoke
this morning I could not shake this sadness in my heart. I tried listening to some
worship songs, clean the house to occupy my mind, but nothing would suppress the
feeling. My mind just wouldn’t stop and it almost seemed as though, subconsciously,
I wanted to be sad. Not only was my mom heavily on my heart, but all my past
regrets and failures. I knew I had to immediately stop what I was doing and
dive into God’s word. I quickly made myself some food (to keep my mind from
wondering so much) and sat down to open God’s word.
I feel like
I need to put a disclaimer here before I go on because I have done this many
times in a desperate attempt to hear from God, but this is one of the few times
He actually gave me specific scripture to read. I think it is so beautiful that
God picks specific times in our life when He speaks so LOUDLY to us that we HAVE
to listen! This morning was one of those times..
Before I opened
the Bible I prayed for God to give me something relevant to read, relevant to
my situation and how I was feeling.
I opened up
to 2Corinthians, which starts out with a greeting from Paul and then goes into comfort
in suffering and being delivered from suffering… Coincident? I think not!
Vs4- “(God) who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able
to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves
are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of
Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.
After
reading these verses I began to feel very foolish for my morning wallowing. God
promises that even though I may be suffering now, He is going to bring good from
this! “…so that we will be able to comfort those who
are in any affliction with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God”
Comfort from
God is not an end in itself. Its purpose is that believers also might be comforters.
Having humiliated and convicted the Corinthians, God uses Paul to return to
them with a strengthening message after he himself had received divine strengthening.
–John MacArthur
All of us
can have “divine strengthening” from the Lord. We just have to run TO Him
instead of FROM Him. It’s so easy to blame Him for everything and be mad at God
(I was for a while too) but it is SO MUCH EASIER to allow HIM to carry your
burdens and receive the comfort and strength He WANTS to give to you.
I don’t remember
who it was at the study last night who said this, but someone said something
like, “it’s almost a blessing to be enduring trials.” I believe this is so
true. God is shaping us to be more like Him and if we never suffer how can we
relate to Him? I mean He paid the ultimate sacrifice...he suffered and died a
horrific death, all so we could be saved!
As I pray
daily that God will TAKE AWAY this cancer from my mom and that her surgery will
make her CANCER FREE, I also pray that He gives me the strength to seek Him
during this trial, so that I can receive His comfort and also give comfort to
others during their time of suffering as well.
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