It might seem like an odd thing to share with strangers, but that night as the 6 of us shared our toughest obstacles, we all realized that we were not alone. It might be that all of our struggles were different, but really we were in the same boat. This world is not an easy place and we were ALL struggling in it together.
Today, I ask you to share something. If you are up for this challenge to open up and share the hardest thing you've been through in the last year or so, you may just find a sense of peace like I did. Leave your story in the comment section and just like the other Sharing Your Cup posts, at the end of the month I will do a random draw from the comments and send out a little gift to brighten up your month! As well, a few other blog friends and I will be praying for you :)
Here is this month's cheer-you-up gift. It is an 8x8 Canvass Frame and a reminder that you are never alone in your struggles when you have GOD & FRIENDS :
I will draw the winner on August 28th.
Thank you for sharing your cup!
Canvass Frames in my Etsy Shop $5
12 comments:
I am currently going through one of the hardest things you can go through in this life. Losing one of your parents. My dad is dying of terminal cancer. Please pray that God's mercy, love and peace will rain down on him and that he may be comforted.
I appreciate the prayers that you offer up on my dad's behalf.
Hello Pam,
I am praying for your dad and family.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
One of the hardest things lately is realizing that the relationship will my father will most likely never be the same. I didn't know it, but he was changing before my very eyes. It took my husband to get me to realize this. Long story short: not showing up for my brother's graduation, backing out of my wedding and then not even staying for photos, no holiday calls nor visits, no birthday calls. It's been over a year since I last saw him and spoke to him. He's moved, so I can't visit, but he knows where I stay and I know he comes this way. It's just something that's hard to accept. He's a great dad, but these past few years have been, well, not the way a father should be.
The toughest experience (and it will probably stay the hardest thing for years to come) was losing my mother. She died this year on Mother's Day after suffering from COPD (a lung disease) for a long time. She has always been the strongest person I know; survived some of the hardest situations in life, such as lung cancer, addictions and more. But this last battle was too exhausting for her... She is greatly missed by my father, my brothers and me and I will never forget the things she taught me. I will never forget her.
The hardest situation for me at this time is praying for Salvation for my mom who is 87 but a non-believer. It just breaks my heart.
My daughter,Jodi, will not soften her heart and speak to me and I miss her terribly. It has been almost 5 years now, since her wedding. She is also not saved.
My darling 17 year old grandson, Cole, is sowing his wild oats and I am so afraid for him. He believes in God but is really not saved.
These are the things that are the hardest for me right now.
Please pray for them.
♥♥♥
Sue
One continuing struggle is my relationship with my sister....not good. We are completely different and can't seem to get past a surfacy relationship.
I'll be praying for all of you!
Nikkie
Thank you Pam, Southern Belle, Melissa, MySaviour, and Nikkie for being so open and sharing. My heart goes out to all of you as I read your hardest challenge(s) in your life right now. I will pray for all of you.
As for me, I am finding it challenging to face the past. My biological father left the family almost 20 years ago, but before doing so sent my mother to the hospital a few times with severe nervous break downs and several attempts on suicide. The divorce has scarred me and of course the affects of it is now creeping into the way I love my husband, family and friends.
I know God has a plan for ALL of us to get past these struggles and to lean on him for strength.
"O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you." Psalm 88:1
...and that is God's will as we walk through our hard times...
Firstly, I just love how this blog can open up a new world of connections and prayer partners - people who would never normally meet, brought together by your page (and God!). Awesome. God is so creative!
Well I was blessed enough to be part of that group of six, who met over a coffee at Starbucks a few months back. I approached the evening with some sense of interest, but as a newly arrived Australian in Canada, with very few friends and not much purpose yet found and a profound longing for my family and friends back home, if I'm honest, I don't remember feeling a lot of hope about the evening.
Hope as a commodity had kind of run out by about that time, with a lot of things not going "to plan" and life feeling a little confusing. Even though I was happy to be here in Canada with my new husband, I still felt lonely for my other loved ones, unsure of my purpose and as if I had been passed over by the God I loved so much. Door after door would close (particularly in relation to work opportunities) and I could not understand why it would be this hard – I went from a very successful career, to being a nobody who no-one would hire even for the most basic role. We were supposed to be here for a fun adventure after all, and it like anything BUT fun at that stage.
It's amazing how God can flip your life upside down in one evening. I left that night feeling filled with hope, joy, wonder, anticipation and a sense of solidarity. My situation hadn’t changed, and I still had a long journey ahead of me (it continues now!), but God had moved in my heart and through the honest sharing of others and the prospect of some wonderful new friendships, I found hope again.
I want to send my prayers to all on this page, and to encourage everyone to press in, lean in to Him and to loved ones, because he will provide - even if we feel like he has forgotten us.
Psalm 34:18-20 The Message
18 If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there;
if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath.
19 Disciples so often get into trouble;
still, God is there every time.
20 He's your bodyguard, shielding every bone;
not even a finger gets broken.
FunnyFuser from Etsy is in the hospital. Her condition is not good and her son, who is 21, is finding it hard to deal with all of this. Please pray for the family and FunnyFuser. Thank You.
**Written on behalf of of the FunnyFuser thread on Etsy,
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6583877
I am not goinmg through the difficulties many here are. Ours are more financial. My husband is in construction and we all know where that is lately. We have learned to do with less and make it work. We have been very blessed.
Your Sharing Your Cup random drawing is a lovely idea. I'm sending lots of hope and sparkly thoughts to everyone that's commented.
The hardest thing my family has faced this year is my uncle's declining health and spirit - he's currently being tested for ALS.
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