Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Getting Frustrated

Oh hello there!

I really have no witty segue into this so I'll just jump right in.

I have a couple close friends who have been battling terminal cancer this year. In both cases, the disease  came on really quickly and has been super aggressive. With multiple treatments, diet changes etc, the cancer just seems to keep coming.

Our one friend, Stephanie, who's husband I worked with at Trader Joe's and became fast friends with, just passed over the weekend. Their battle with this disease was at once painful and really encouraging. They were always hopeful, never blaming God for their trouble and always being the ones encouraging others to see things the right way. It's been a real testimony to what real faith does in crappy circumstances.

These are the times when our dependence on Christ (for those who identify as Christians) becomes either stronger or tossed to the wayside. I've see awesome things go on in my friends' lives by way of God's faithfulness. Their faith and endurance has been on total display to my wife and I. They've just displayed a real selfless commitment to each other and the people around them. Their hearts have been joyful in the midst of terrible pain. Humor hasn't left them either.

I'm still feeling frustrated at the actual disease even though I've seen such a clearly good way of going through it displayed by my friends. I know there are better ways to deal with my frustration, but in a way, this still seemed appropriate: