A thirty-six-year-old mother found herself facing an unimaginable challenge. She was discovered to be in the advanced stages of terminal cancer. The doctors gave her two choices. One advised her to spend her remaining days on vacation to enjoy the time she had left. The other physician offered her the hope of living two more years, but only if she endured the grueling side effects of radiation.
This brave mother penned the following words to her three small children: “I’ve chosen to try to survive for you. This has some horrible costs, including pain, loss of good humor, and moods I won’t be able to control. But, I must try this, if only on the outside chance that I might live one minute longer. And that minute could be the one you might need me when no one else will do. For this I intend to struggle tooth and nail, so help me God.”
Isn't that powerful? This mother wasn't just fighting for herself; she was fighting for her children, for that one minute that could make all the difference in their lives. She chose the difficult path because of her love, her faith, and her hope.
In a similar way, our Lord Jesus Christ knew the pain, the suffering, and the agony that awaited him, yet "for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus saw beyond the suffering. He saw the joy, the salvation, and the hope that his sacrifice would bring to all of us. Jesus chose the difficult path because of his love for us. He saw the value in enduring the pain because he knew it would bring us closer to God.
Life may present us with trials that seem insurmountable, but it’s in those moments we discover our true strength. We find our purpose in the love we have for others, in the hope that our actions, no matter how small, can change the course of someone’s life. And Remember, God’s love for us is immense. He sees our struggles, he feels our pain, and he stands by us, guiding us through the darkest valleys.
Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
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