Like you, I’ve also experienced many losses in life. Loss of family, loss of dreams, loss of health, loss of a child in my womb, loss of relationships, loss of what I pictured my life would be like in my late 30’s- where I would be living, the things I would have accomplished, what my relationships would be like…
I won’t pretend that your situation will get better (hopefully it will), but I also won’t pretend that it’s impossible to find joy and peace in the midst of your circumstances. There are two specific passages of Scripture that have sustained me during the difficult season of life I’ve been in.
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you”. Isaiah 43:1-2
There are two things that stand out to me in this passage:
WHEN you pass through the waters (not IF). And when you PASS THROUGH the waters (not when you go into the waters and never come out!).
WHEN you pass through the waters- the longer you’re on this earth, the more susceptible you are to painful experiences, whether they be emotional or physical. We were never promised a pain-free existence, yet these next few words bring a glimmer of hope to seemingly hopeless situations. When you PASS THROUGH the waters- you mean there is an end in sight?! Yes, even if the situation you’re in seems absolutely hopeless, if you’ve placed your trust in Christ, there is eternal hope. As the often quoted verse, John 3:16-17, says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
I believe there is also hope in your current situation, apart from the eternal hope that Christ offers. Right now I am walking through a difficult season in my life and have questioned many times whether or not things will get better. It is a situation that I’ve never walked through before, and I need help navigating these new “waters”. The following passage of Scripture has brought me comfort and peace amidst the sorrow:
And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16
Although you have most likely dealt with cystic fibrosis your entire life, it is an unfamiliar path in many ways. There may be new “issues” along the way that you will need to add to your repertoire of CF self-care. There may be times when you’re feeling great, only to be blindsided by an unexpected illness or a decrease in lung function.
As a Christian, I am confident that when I call out to my heavenly Father and seek His guidance, He will not forsake me and leave me to flounder until I sink. I may continue stumbling as I learn, but I believe He is there to gently guide me along the untrodden paths in life.
