Hello Kathryn,

Is it me or does time seem to be flying by? While I am still enjoying the fall weather and my kid’s outdoor sports, my friends are talking about Christmas and how they are already planning dates for putting up their Christmas trees. All this conversation leaves me bewildered asking, “When did we decide to speed past Fall?”

Sometimes life is so busy that I feel we are in a time warp. At some point, life has hit another gear and we all are on autopilot headed to Christmas. These days we rarely stop to enjoy what is in front of us because we are constantly planning for the next thing. There are seasons that will come through that will force us to slow down whether we like it or not.

I learned this from a conversation with one of my friends recently. She has just been diagnosed with Lymphoma and she is going to have to put her life on hold for about six months. She is taking time off work to stay home and she will be undergoing intensive chemotherapy. We were chatting about the good news that she received and that her cancer is curable if she will follow the treatment plan and take the time to get better. In our conversation, she said something very profound that I will never forget. She said, “I can do anything for six months if it means that I will be cured.” What she meant is that the guarantee of the cure was enough to motivate her to endure the treatments.

What I have learned is that we are willing to endure hard things if we know that we will get something out of it. When we suffer, most of us miss this important point. God does not waste any of our sufferings. His word says in Romans, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” If we really believed this we would suffer with a different perspective. If we really believed in the good that is guaranteed to come, we would go through our sufferings much differently.

As for my friend, her sufferings are momentary compared to a lifetime of cure which means more time that God will give her with her family. Don’t allow momentary afflictions to wreck your faith in a God who can trade those afflictions for a lifetime of peace. Please join me in prayer for her cure that will come in the name of Jesus.

If you are suffering today and can’t see the good, I pray that God opens your eyes to the promises that are in His word. May they bring peace that passeth all understanding. 

Until next time!