Suffering is a privilege... say what?

Good afternoon! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day enjoying this beautiful weather with family and friends! Last week was extremely busy dealing with school but thankfully last Friday we did not have school because of parent-teacher conferences. Friday was so wonderful because I got to catch up on my sleep which means catching up on my energy and that was much needed after this crazy and fast moving week. This morning in my quiet time I read 1 Peter and all I can say is WOW. That crazy week jam-packed with quizzes and tests put me in a pretty foul mood and in an instant I was so wrapped up with everything that was going which caused me to temporarily forget the countless number of blessings I have in my life. Life moves extremely fast and it is SO easy to get stuck in this fast paced world and view our sufferings as burdens, when in reality they are the exact opposite. On this blog I always quote James 1:1 ("Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.") because I know that every trial that the LORD blesses us with ultimately draws us closer to the LORD and teaches us to depend solely on him. I know this because all last year I suffered with my battle against cancer and I learned so many lessons that some people do not even have the opportunity to learn, and what a PRIVILEGE it was to suffer for Christ's glory. The LORD's plan is so magnificent and he does not give us trials to punish us but to strengthen us and bring glory to his name. The frustrating thing is that sometimes when our world is falling apart we fail to keep in mind the bigger picture. Everything happens for a reason and sometimes the LORD's plan is revealed to us when other times we never understand why. Not understanding why the LORD would let "bad things happen to good people" leads us to doubt the magnificent plan the LORD already has laid out for us. When in reality we are not good people. We are so consumed and dead in our sin, failing the LORD day after day. The question is not "why do bad things happen to good people" but the question is be "why is the LORD's mercy so unfailing for broken sinners like me". Maybe you are dealing with a death in the family or maybe you are dealing with family trouble at home. Whatever your trial is, even though you may be extremely frustrated, I challenge you to view it as a blessing."But rejoice in that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:13.  I know what it feels like for something bad to happen to and honestly it always seems to happen at the worst time possible. You may feel like your world is falling apart but we have such an awesome God who is trailing behind us picking up our broken pieces and gluing them back together. There is nothing better than reading scripture and realizing that it was exactly what you needed to hear and after reading 1 Peter all of the things that troubled me were suddenly settled as the LORD spoke to me through his Word and calmed my heart. This past week I was super frustrated with my situation but after reading this it put everything in perspective. Suffering is a privilege and know that there is always a reason even though sometimes it might take you a little while for this reason to be revealed to you. Chase after the LORD and be patient in waiting. "after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10. I hope everyone has a great rest of the day and has a good time trick-or-treating!

Very late update :)

Good afternoon! I just realized how long it has been since I wrote in here! I wanted to update everyone about the teen art show that was at St. Jude a couple of weeks ago and my surgery that is coming up pretty soon. The main hallway of the hospital is covered with artwork that the teens created and on October 3 the old paintings and poems are taken down and replaced with the new art work. Last year I did not paint anything but I sang a couple of songs after the new artwork was revealed. That was such a huge step for me because since my tumor was so close to my vocal chords my doctor said that there was a large chance that I would not be able to sing again. This was only weeks after my surgery and my body was still healing but since I find so much joy in music I decided that I would sing regardless if it sounded good or not. :) It was so shocking to hear myself sing that day, although it was not the best, I still was extremely excited because it was so neat to do one of the things that I loved doing before I got sick. This year I did not sing but instead I made a collage of pictures of my journey at St. Jude and I wrote a little paragraph about what I have learned over the past year of being a cancer patient. It is so wonderful to be able to have something in the hallways representing what I believe in and how faithful the LORD has been to me over the past year. The art gallery is now filled with wonderful new paintings but it was a little sad to see the old ones go. My friend Andre passed away this summer and he had one of the most beautiful poems in the art gallery and every time I would walk by it I would read it. No matter what kind of day I was having his poem and joyful words provided me so much encouragement. I met Andre at the teen art show last year so it was a difficult to be there without him being there as well but I know the positive impact he had on everyone. He was such a light of God's word and touched everyone he met, including me. I know he is pain free in heaven dancing with Jesus. Please keep his family in your prayers as each day is a challenge trying to deal with the loss of their son. My mom and my doctors are still talking about surgery dates and right now the two options are over Thanksgiving Break or over Christmas Break. We are still not sure when my surgery is going to be but we know that it is going to be soon it just depends on the doctor's schedule. Thank you everyone for all of your prayers and checking in on me even when I fail to write in this blog! I would like to ask everyone to pray for all of the kids at St. Jude but don't stop there. Please also pray for all of the families of St. Jude whose children have lost their battle against cancer. The St. Jude family is a huge family tied  together because as all of us have stopped everything that once was important and made battling cancer our priority. When something happens to one of the members of our huge family is affects everyone so please pray for all of the parents and families who have lost a child. Have a blessed day!

My lovely friend Kristen who has been there every step of the way during my journey and my friend Luis who is also a patient.

My art work "Whatever is going on in your life I challenge you to stop a minute and count the blessings in your life. This year has been a difficult year for me as I fought my battle against cancer but being a cancer patient has taught me so many important things. One of the many things cancer has taught me is to rejoice in all circumstances and view my trials as blessings. Coming to this beautiful hospital and being surrounded by my loving St. Jude family provided me the encouragement to make it through my weakest days. I am in the best hands possible and I am so thankful for everyone who has made St. Jude what it is today."