Hello there!
Yeah...so, I haven't been all too diligent in my goal of writing on this blog very often and since my blog has been gathering cobwebs from lack of use, I thought that I might dust off the old keyboard and get back at it all again. I haven't written in a long while because I have been kept busy with finishing up school, work, family events etc.
Today (well, actually tonight) I felt hard-pressed to write a letter of encouragement to anyone who might read this entry that is going through a hard time. In the past few days, I have encountered many people who just seem to need someone to encourage them in some way or another. I may not seem too qualified to some people to be giving anyone advice on enduring through hard times since my life has been blessed in many ways. However, even though my struggles may not have been "hung out with the dirty laundry", I still often struggle with insecurities and hardships that may not be visible to everyone at all times.
For the past two years or so, my mom has struggled with back pains and other medical issues; the back pain from a minor car accident in February of 2010, and the other things from her own medical history. She's a nurse and as some people say, medical professionals make the worst patients. She may be in pain all the time but she'll never admit it that she feels weak most of the time, pushing through the pain to keep up an everyday routine. Everyone can see right through the facade, especially me, since I know exactly how she acts when she is in pain. I can tell that she is quickly approaching the end of her rope, growing more and more frustrated with the bureaucracies that run the medical, legal and insurance worlds. Every time I see her in pain, or being frustrated with another doctor or lawyer on the phone, or researching a new type of pain treatment, I wish with ALL my being that I could just take all her pain, frustration and troubles away forever. I know in my heart, though, that God has SOME reason for her to suffer this long, but I just hate not being able to do anything to fix it despite some of the positive things that may have come from the experience so far. Since her pain started, she has been able to meet lots of new people in her doctors' visits, therapy sessions, etc and has encouraged others to keep up the fight with their own pain, giving them whatever advice that she can to them. I also know that in the end, her own fight will become the light at the far end of the tunnel for so many other people later on in life and she will have a greater impact on the world around her than she ever could have without the pain.
World-renowned surfer, Bethany Hamilton (best known for her biographical movie Soul Surfer), lost her left arm in a shark attack at a young age. Since then, she has gained all-new avenues to share her faith with the world. An awesome quote from the movie is when Bethany is asked if she ever had the chance to change her fate on the day of the shark attack, if she would take it. Her character replies: "No, because I could never have embraced this many people with two arms." It was this statement that made me think. Maybe we experience hardships because it helps us widen our horizons, look beyond everyday life, learn to appreciate everything that is done for us and help us be in the right place and the right time in order to make a difference in other people's lives.
Maybe you might have one or more issues/ problems that you are dealing with at the moment: family issues, medical ailments or problems, addictions, relationship difficulties, educational issues with indecision or bad grades, etc. Whatever your issues, I want you to know that I will be thinking about you and praying for you often. This may sound extremely cliche, but have hope in the thought that you ARE never alone in your problem(s). Find someone that you can truly confide in that will not judge you for your actions but accept you for who you are, flaws and all. It might be me, or maybe someone else that you have in your own personal circles of friends. It is through mentorship that you can finally try to work through your problems and grow into the person that you are truly meant to become.
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~Henry Stanley Haskins
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
~1 John 4:4 (NIV)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
~Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Always keeping you in prayer,
God Bless!
