For God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear It’s not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick Know this: the Lord takes personal care of the faithful The Lord will hear A bruised reed will not break He will not snuff a smoldering wick
Promises of the Bible Are awesome Gos, You have no rival You make the ways of the world look dumb
The moment you feel like giving up, look up, restoration is close by! The battle gets the worse before the battle is finally won in your heart! Gideon defeated the army with less people! Joshua kept marching around until the walls came down! Paul still wrote the epistles in jail!
I am going through a lot in this season of life—many “firsts” for me. One of my good friends has breast cancer and had to get a double mastectomy. Cancer doesn’t run in my life, and I never had a friend who had cancer before. It’s hard to see her tired like she is and has suffered for the last two years. She got diagnosed at the start of the pandemic. With everything going on in the world, a cancer diagnosis is hard enough!
I told her I was mad at God for giving her cancer, so swiftly responded and said, “You should be mad at the devil.” And I agree. I am really upset when Christians assume that maybe she brought this upon herself. I believe it’s an attack of the enemy. Sometimes life feels like an unexpected adventure we didn’t sign up for at any time. I pray for her continually but most importantly, I pray for God to give her strength. She continues to trust in the Lord despite her illness.
However, heartache can bring satisfaction, in the end, turn pain into testimony. I am a teacher’s aide for high schoolers with learning differences, mostly on the autism spectrum disorder. Many people told me I have the patience for and understanding for the students. But do you know why I have the understanding for it? It’s because I have a mild form of autism. I can relate to some of their struggles. My pain is molding my testimony and character. Autism is a new way of looking at the world, but it also comes with unique challenges. I can relate to being overly anxious, sensitive to loud noises, and needing steps broken down into smaller steps. And I am aiding them by my experiences; while they may be different, there are still overlaps.
I pray this as well for my friend who is undergoing cancer treatment. May she reach other women with breast cancer and be a living testimony and an anchoring of faith and hope for many. And may your struggles aid you in being a light for others!
Life is full of desert seasons and that’s ok! It doesn’t mean you are on the wrong path! When you finally leave that desert, an oasis will be before you and you’ll appreciate it so much more!
I'm Patty, and my husband and I are living with our adult son who has autism and epilepsy. I love sharing lessons learned from life around me, especially life with Aaron.