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How to be OK when life's not OK

Last week I attended chapel and heard a very inspiring message from a woman who's had cancer. Looking young, vibrant and beautiful, I would never have known she was sick if she hadn't shared it. But there were many days when she was neither vibrant nor beautiful, and struggled to know where her worth lay then. A woman of faith, she strongly believes in the inherent worth of all people, but when she could not contribute to the family, to her business, nor be productive in the usual ways, she emotionally, if not mentally, questioned her worth.

As she said, there is a club for people who have lost a mother or father. It affects us deeply, no matter our age. My mother died of cancer, and as her body weakened, her soul was metamorphosised into radiance! All her strength was converted to love, and at the end, when all she had was our love and hers, we discovered that love was enough. At the end, Jesus came and gently escorted mom home. I believe her predeceased loves ones were there too. It was profound, powerful, and almost humanly visible. It was abundantly visible to my soul.

In the end, we all die.

We don’t know if we have hours, years, or decades left on earth.

Faith is coming to realise that we’re OK, whether life is OK or not, only because God’s got us. And it’s absolutely okay to rail and cry when life is not! When violence and unnecessary suffering are involved, it’s not OK, and God agrees it isn’t. But somehow it is OK, nonetheless.

If you are facing illness or death, or if your loved one recently has, I hope these relfections encourage you. May you find peace in the storm.

 

 

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