In The Faith Of A Friend

It never ceases to amaze me when I come across a person who is in the midst of an incredibly hard time in their lives and when I look into their eyes, all I see is PEACE.  This was the case when I caught up with a friend and she gave me an update on her health.  She is a cancer survivor, mother of 4, wife, nurse, and most importantly a daughter of God.  I asked her how she was doing and she told me that she was actually waiting on test results. She has had some trying things going on in her body and they are unsure of most of them.  However, there was no fear, worry or concern.  She was upbeat and her true entertaining and sweet self.  On top of all the test results she was waiting on, she was also scheduled to have her gallbladder out the next day.  Now with most people, myself included, you might expect to see tears, sorrow, or angst when talking about the current situation.  However, she had none of that.  Instead you could hear our laughter peeling through the office as she told me about her Halloween party at church.  She looked at me and said that no matter what, and she meant NO MATTER WHAT, it was okay.  The most amazing thing was you could tell she meant it.  There was no brave facade or bravado, just pure honesty and most importantly faith.  What an awesome gift to have when you know that you are always safe, secure and loved.  And whilst we can't even begin to fathom our home that awaits us when we leave this world,  we know we will have an immeasurably better life there than here.  I guess when you're happy in this world, it's unfathomable to forsee how happy we will be in a perfect and pure place.  I am thankful for being able to see God through the faith and peace of a woman who is fighting a battle armed with nothing but the love of her Father and knowing that in the end she is a winner regardless of the outcome.