All Things Work Together for Good

I have exciting news! My mom had tests taken after her bout with cancer, and she has recovered. Praise God! We had a party for her last weekend before she had her test results back, and she looked great. We were expecting good news, and that's what we received. What a relief!

What Mom went through will make her a stronger person. "All things work together for good," according to Romans 8:28, and I do believe that.

I know it didn't seem like things were working for her good when she went through chemo. She lost her hair, her eyebrows, and had to have surgery. She was uncomfortable, and it seemed that the treatments would never end. She became weak and many times wondered if the treatments weren't worse than the disease.

All of this was a preparation. These challenges helped her to grow. She began to question what was really important in her life and started prioritizing. She didn't spend time in self-pity or defeat. Outside it looked like her body was deteriorating, but her spirit became stronger than ever. She never stopped believing. She gave it her all.

Even though it seemed like she was walking through the valley of death, she didn't get stuck there. It was temporary. It passed. Psalm 84:6 says that passing through the valley of weeping, you will find pools of blessing.

This served as another reminder to expect good things. When something happens, I have choices. I can either say, "This really isn't fair. It makes me furious." Or I can say, "I really don't know why this happened, but I know God is in control so it will not steal my peace and joy." I might as well give God control of everything. He has it anyway, so why resist it?

If we trust in the goodness of God, we know that things will work out for the best. I remember when my daughter had her motorcycle accident. She was staying so strong for everyone else. I wondered if she needed to just let her family and many friends take care of her. For Mom I wondered the same thing. I thought, "Just let us be there for you in your time of need."

As much as I wanted to take the burdens from my loved ones when they were hurting, I couldn't do it, but God had placed in them the strength and faith they needed to get through their adversity and come out stronger than ever.

Thanks for letting me share my story with you. I sincerely hope that you experience your best life ever by knowing that whatever challenges you go through, God will restore you and turn things around for your benefit. He will give you beauty for ashes and joy for mourning. That's what He's done for me. God bless!

Love and Light,
Patty