They say it is easier to understand someone if you are or you’ve been in the same boat as he is. Maybe it is true. But sometimes it is just difficult to give words of encouragement, especially if you haven’t found answer yet to your own question of why such things happen to you. And how will I uplift his spirit and tell him to have faith if I myself am giving up hope?
When I got the sad news from a friend this morning about his parent, all I wanted to do was to hug him and let him feel that we are here for him. It was so hard to find the right words, so I prayed that God may use me to say the words that he needs, and let him feel that he and his family are not alone in the battle… that there is hope… that God is with them… that nothing is impossible and that God is the greatest healer.
My tears just started to roll down my face as I typed all those words. First, it’s because I felt him, I felt his burden and his pain. Second, because I started to think of the same situation in our family and then asked myself, “Am I even convinced of the words I told him?” That’s when God started to speak.
I have a brother who has been sick for 7 years now. It is the biggest struggle our family faces right now. There’s no cure, that’s what the doctors say. It’s a test of faith… a test of patience. The first time I heard about his illness, I looked back at his younger years. People who know him will surely agree if I say that he’s a good role model – as a son, as a brother, a friend, a husband and a father. And I couldn’t help but ask God lots of why’s. But not even one of those got answered. Maybe He didn’t want to answer? Maybe He’s answering but I just got tired of waiting? Maybe HE answered but I didn’t listen? I am not sure anymore.
And here’s a friend who got struck of his dad’s condition. I am not sure if I was able to say the right words that he needs to hear. But one thing is for sure: God is using his situation to remind me of one thing: that our family is not alone in the battle… that there is hope… that God is with us… that nothing is impossible and that He is the Greatest Healer. He knows what He is doing. He knows what’s best. He answers prayers. He makes things happen.
We keep saying that “God has a reason why He allows things to happen”… It is hard to believe when we are in the midst of a storm. Everything just doesn’t make sense. Sometimes it seems like we’re just running in circles, trying to grasp the answers to our why’s. But again this is the test of faith. If nothing comes really clear to us, if God’s reason and purpose aren’t revealed to us yet, He wants us to trust Him with His one big reason for now: Because He Loves Us.