Catamenial pneumothorax
Renal artery stenosis
Cloacogenic carcinoma
Three rare medical conditions. Just one of those would be enough for any family to deal with, but all three? Over the course of six years we came to know those conditions quite well. They would test our courage and try our faith. We fought back of course, but as with most battles, there were days of advancing and days when we were overrun by the enemy.
While struggling through those valleys of retreat, we learned the value of making a conscious choice to look for the hand of God working through our circumstances. When we made an effort to see, he made a point of showing us. We had emotional needs. He provided comfort. We had financial needs. He provided resources. We had logistical needs. He provided information to use and people to help. We found hope in the midst of our suffering by recognizing his provision.
We are not alone in our struggles. At some point, all of us will face times of hardship and intense suffering. While we may not fully understand why God allows us to experience such pain, we do know that God’s plan is ultimately for our good. He uses all situations to draw us back to himself and therefore our pain is not wasted. When we can recognize his intervention in our lives, we are reminded that God has not forgotten us, and that we are in fact, Held by God.
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