If you try to prevent the suffering in another life, it will prove an obstruction between your soul and God.  It is at your own peril that you prevent the cutting off of the right hand or the plucking out of the eye.  (Oswald Chambers: My Utmost for His Highest)

We do it, we assume providence and try to “help” eliminate the suffering of those we love.

It takes a very different experience to teach us the beauty and the mysterious power of suffering.  It takes the Hand of God to teach us the appreciation of such a journey.  We are ill equipped for life for we are not given the tools to suffer well.  We are constantly bombarded with the tools to avoid suffering altogether.  We know all kinds of foods to eat and drink to prevent illnesses.  We exercise and eat right and take care that we might not suffer illness.  We plan our careers and set goals in middle school, so that we might grow up and avoid any kind of financial suffering.  We seek mates that we will always be compatible with so that we will not suffer emotionally.  We are raised and taught and it's drilled into us to find our happiness in life, we are given the tools and education to “succeed” 

No one teaches us about suffering.  And we play provident without a thought or care when someone we love suffers, to alleviate it.  And until you suffer and gain some kind of understanding about it, you will try to prevent suffering in other people’s lives.  My own suffering has given me the credentials, the credibility if you will, to teach those who are suffering.  I do not cringe away from their hopelessness, nor do I fear their pain.  I have a deep well of empathy but I have also, a deep understanding of this mysterious process.  Simply put, suffering is good for us spiritually. 

I am watching my Dad struggle though some serious health issues at the moment.  I watched my Mother struggle through the trial of breast cancer last year.  My prayer has always been that they learn well in their suffering.  When my Mother rebelled in her anger, I gently admonished her and told her to buckle down and learn the lessons so that they might not need repeating.  Instead of rebelling in anger, accept the season of suffering and suffer well. 

I developed a saying when I was in Marianna.  It's a bit course, but when someone would ask about my case, and it would be discussed, I usually ended my story with a flip quote, “It just sucks to be me right now.”  And then I would laugh, so would the other person because it was so astonishingly shockingly true.  I can remember taking my Mom to her second chemo treatment and she was quite cross about it because she had already lost her hair, she didn’t want to be sick, the list of complaints was plentiful.  As we got out of the car, in my sarcastic and flip manner I said, “well Mama, it just sucks to be you today.”  She stopped walking and stared at me, and then burst into laughter.  Shaking her head with her silly hat on, carrying her lunch bag, pillow, and magazines, and chuckling, she said I was exactly right. 

My 72 year old Mother used that bit of wisdom on a lady at radiation one day.  They both got so tickled after she said it they could barely sit on the waiting benches.  It has that effect on people.  Let us not get in between God and His work when faced with suffering, whether it be our own, or it belongs to someone we love, let us carry the message and help each other to learn the great mystery of suffering well.  And I think it's ok if we get a chuckle from some dark humor… sometimes it just sucks to be me.  Much love to you all.  Anita