Good morning…
A few nights back, I texted a friend, “I am up praying for you. Love for your precious family fills my heart. Any specific requests I can prayerfully ponder with you?”
A few days later, her response filled my phone. In the middle of the night now, I revisit the text string creating a roadmap for all of us seeking to persevere with hope through very hard circumstances. Tears. Pain. Suffering. It is like our private exchange of words weaves a blanket of comfort for all waking up to various challenges today. Cancer. Alzheimers. Loss of the life we loved. Extracting any identifying details, these words wrap around us, surrounding, supporting, soothing our familiar fears.
Thanks for you prayers, Sue. We’ve been enjoying a week of happy times, but the underlying fear is always there. Please pray for strength, trust, and courage as this long journey goes on. We all need TRUST that God is in this mess each minute. Please pray that we find joy in every possible happening. I am so grateful for you and my family of soul friends. It is challenging to keep the energy of hope and trust as the months drag on. The unknowns are still lurking everywhere, but please pray that we continue to focus on the positives and not get carried under by the scary unknowns. I think I should use the words “PERSEVERANCE of hope” in addition to the energy of hope and trust. The joy and anxiety of so many moments is such a mental and spiritual struggle.
Words from an earlier blog post build around us a sturdy nest. “When we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, then all those who have become a part of our lives are led into the healing presence of God and touched by him in the center of our being,” writes Henri Nouwen. Praying for TRUST that God is in this mess each minute and asking for the PERSEVERANCE of hope on behalf of our friends and our family members, we lead our loved ones into the healing presence of God at work in the center of our being. What a sweet gift we give with our ongoing prayers!
I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you…The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him (Romans 12:3, MSG). God’s Holy Spirit prays through us as our hope and our trust sometimes stumble and fall.
…Sue…
