Suffering Well - Daily Ramblings

There are few things in life which are certain. Suffering is one of those things. Entire religions have been created to understand, and give meaning to, the issue of suffering. At some point in every person's life, suffering will come. You become sick, a loved one dies, you are fired from a job you love. Suffering comes in many forms. At times it may not impact you directly, but everyone knows someone currently suffering. So what are we to do with suffering?

"If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete." - Viktor Frankl, "Man's Search for Meaning"

I am not about to say that I have all the answers to a topic which has been debated as long as men have been able to communicate with each other. Even if I did, I would not be able to write fully on it in a couple paragraphs. But what I do want to argue is that there IS meaning in suffering, and give you an example of how I am seeing that played out in my own life.

A little over a week ago, my dad called me and told me he had been diagnosed with cancer. After a few tests, it had been determined that he had stage four kidney cancer. It was a shock. When suffering strikes it does not knock and wait to be welcomed in. It kicks the door in and ransacks the house. This call was the beginning of suffering our family would have to deal with.

As a family, we could sit there and asked a multitude of questions. Why my dad? Why someone so giving and loving? What could he have done differently? We can ask, but suffering rarely answers. All we can do is take everything a day at a time.

My dad has done just that. So far, cancer has not affected him physically (and hopefully it won't). However, I can guarantee that when loved ones are not around, and my dad is left with his own thoughts, there are times the anxieties, regrets, and "what ifs" of life pile on. He may not be suffering physically, but he is for sure suffering mentally at times. How do I know? Because it is natural. We cannot control what emotions come to us. We can only control what we do with those emotions. And my dad has handled them well so far!

As the suffering weighs down on my dad, he handles it like a champ! He finds comfort in his savior and creator. He doesn't ask, "why me?", but rather, "why not me?" He continues to serve and love others. He takes things a day at a time and addresses things as they arise. In other words, he is suffering well. He is suffering with humility and honor. Through his suffering, he is teaching his family what it means to be human. He is teaching us that suffering is unavoidable. It may take our health, our loved ones, or our jobs, but it cannot take our spirit. It cannot take away who we are.

It has been an honor to see my dad suffer well.