Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Suffering Part 2

In my post yesterday I in no way meant to imply that people who live in comfortable surroundings, near their families, with running water and indoor plumbing don't suffer. I only meant to spotlight one group of people that I come in contact with who suffer daily and to communicate how this impacts my life.

After I wrote yesterday's post I kept thinking of other blogs I read, of people who are suffering in other ways and continue to get out of bed each day and move on with life. Many finding joy and peace along the way. They all attest to God's grace and strength in their lives. These people are a blessing and encouragement to me in ways they probably don't even realize.

People like Patrice, mother of precious Jonah.

Or this sweet Mom, Katie.

Or this precious family who face a life of watching their son suffer the effects of Cystic Fibrosis.

Others deal with chronic pain or battle eating disorders or depression or have recently lost a loved one. You can be sitting right smack in the middle of wealth and comfort and truly suffer with these overwhelming issues.

So today, another kick in the seat. Another day to be thankful and to pray for those I've listed above, that they would feel God's nearness and feel his strength envelope them.

3 comments:

ashley said...

THANK YOU for this reminder. Just last week I was complaining because we lost power for 6 hours - pitiful, isn't it?? I'm on a journey to be completely satisfied in God... :) Katie (from Katie's Keepers) is my best friend and was my roommate for 2 years in college - she is a constant reminder to me of someone who has suffered something I cannot even imagine, crying out to God, and letting Him be glorified in her pain. Thanks for your words and transparency. Miss you - when are you coming back to the states? HA!

Cara Beth said...

Love you Ang! Thanks for putting things in perspective! I was just complaining about how my homemade King Cake I attempted was a complete disaster. Some people don't even have bread to fill their bellies, much less a homemade King Cake. Seems silly now...

Anonymous said...

When my dad was sick people wanted to relate to what we were feeling so they'd describe difficult times they'd experienced but they'd almost always preface it with, "This isn't nearly as bad as what you all are going through." But who's the judge of whose suffering is worse? When you're going through it, it just hurts. And I can almost always going through something worse than what's bothering me at the moment. I guess where the rubber meets the road is whether we grow from the bad days or just sit and complain about them. And it's always good to get some perspective to help realize that maybe our circumstances aren't as bad as we thought.