Relating to those you can’t relate to…

Through the magic of social networking, I connected with a young lady from my youth group from the past.  Many years have passed and her life has changed.  She has 2 kids and her youngest (5 yrs old) has brain cancer and it is moving quickly throughout his body.  That is bad enough, but as we learn more about the situation, our friend, has had some drug problems and consequently her children are currently in foster care.  She is restricted to 4 hours a day with her child in the hospital, and that is only if she is lucky enough to find a ride to the hospital.

As I thought about her struggles,  I found myself trying to place myself in her shoes.  I have never had a drug problem, I have never had my kids taken away and I have never had a child experience a life threatening illness.  I had concluded that I could not relate to her experiences, OR COULD I?

Even though I have not experienced what she is experiencing, we have a lot more in common than I realized.  Even though my situation is different, it seems we are both asking the same questions.  Here are a few of the common questions:

• God, Why?
• God, Why me?
• Do you really care?
• Did I do something to deserve this?
• What are you trying to teach me?
• Why can’t you take care of this quickly?
• What do I need to do?

Pain comes in a lot of different forms.  Pain produces questions.  It is something we all experience.  It is something we all can relate to.  You don’t have to be a drug addict to relate.  You just have to know that they are experiencing some pain in their life.  I am sure you can relate to that.

~ by dennisgullion on October 23, 2009.