I was just thinking back to a post I wrote two years ago called Friday the 13th.  I was In the middle of medical procedures to determine if the cancer was back. I was actually having one of those procedures ON Friday the 13th! In the post I lament over everything that could go wrong, ending the rant on quite the non-optimistic outlook! I go on to chat about feeling sorry for myself, crying, and even being upset with Eddie, thinking he wasn’t sympathetic enough!

I guess I’ve always been one to just keep it real. My mantra has been ‘Life is hard AND God is incredible.’ Both phrases are true and happening simultaneously:

Life is hard.

God is incredible.

That’s my story.

I’ve had hard things come my way AND I’ve experienced the faithfulness of God alongside the pain and suffering. He met me where I was and brought peace as I held the pieces of a life I never imagined for myself. (You can read more about that here.)

This is the constant mental battle; looking for God in the middle of hard times. Ann Voskamp says it this way:

 “Be a prayer warrior not a panicked worrier.” 

Hard to do!

It takes intentionality and a lot of perseverance in the same direction of practicing faith, to grow your faith. And… it requires you to manage your thoughts, replacing negative self-talk with faith, grace, and kindness toward yourself.

Romans 8:28 in The Passion Translation says it this way: “So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.”

I did end up with a return of cancer two years ago on a much smaller scale than what I had previously experienced, and as a result, I now have a minimum of 7 key medical appointments a year.

This is a very good thing!

This is God in the details of my life.

Life is hard AND God is incredible!

Be encouraged as you look for God today! He is with you!