Discouragement and Living Strong

I'll admit to a bit of discouragement lately, ok, a lot.

There are days when everything seems to conspire against you.

Monday and Tuesday I had a bit of a cold.

These days a cold wipes me out because it aggravates my lung and I have coughing spasms if I load the dishwasher. :-) Two days of that and you wonder if you will ever be able to do anything but sit again.

Our memories are so short.

I've had a cold before, and the same thing happened before. But for some reason I didn't remember.

In the midst of my, "O woe is me, I'm never going to get better," my hubby encouraged me to look on Lance Armstrong's Live Strong website. He wears one of the yellow bracelets to remind him to pray for me all the time, as do one of my closest friends and her family. You can check out their super cute picture at jessrivers.blogspot.com. I believe it is under Live Strong, I think. Made me smile.

Anyway.... I went to the website. And I'll grant that there are probably a ton of great stories. However, I clicked on an interesting looking article on how to prevent cancer, and guess what? It ended up to be stats on the 7 million people who die of it every year. And the top cancer killer? Of course, lung. It will be awhile before I go back there, I think. :-)

Then. A friend of ours, who was also married to one of my sisters best friends, passed away last night from a fast spreading cancer that eventually took over his lungs. God's grace in their lives has been truly amazing. I hope I will be able to say the same through this journey with whatever I may have.

Then a wonderful woman in my life who has been such an encouragement to me these past few months through her blog, found out that her cancer is back. She also has shown a lot of grace through her battle.

Add this all up and I felt more like living discouraged then living strong.

It all adds up to a feeling of worry and unrest. Not healing in any way, shape, or form.

Psalm 4:7-8 encouraged me greatly. "You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

The joy of the Lord is a supernatural thing, deeper and stronger and tougher and more resilient than any joy derived from mere circumstances. Also, Jesus once slept soundly on a boat that pitched and rolled wildly in a stormy sea. Why? Out of exhaustion? No, because He knew the Lord would keep Him safe. God wants Jesus' confidence to take root in us.

Wish I could take credit for that last paragraph, but I'm afraid it is Dr. Charles Stanley, but it is exactly what I was thinking when I read the verses, so, since it is late, I thought I'd just put it down and save some of the few brain cells I have rattling around still.

That same God is my God, and I can count on Him to bring me that same supernatural joy as well as the peace because I know He will keep me safe and allow me to "live strong" no mater what the circumstances.

Also, I have these wonderful people in my life.

They are demonstrating their dancing skills. Karis has on her special dancing outfit.

And Gabi always has to have her "ballet" on if she is going to join. I think she looks like a little bunny with a really big pink tail, as the tu tu is all bunched up at the back.
And of course, my wonderful man unloading the dishwasher. Notice the yellow

bracelet. :-)

If you think about it, pray for Jessica, her two little ones, and their family, as losing

husband, daddy, son and brother is going to take a lot of that peace that God gives us.

He has been so faithful to them throughout this entire process and I know He will

continue to be with them.