A Lament for Christmas
As part of my Be-Wildered Series , I wanted to share this "Lament" that was written by a dear friend of mine. To be honest, I was a bit afraid to read it initially, because I was not sure I could handle the waves of emotion. You see, my friend Gina has suffered. My smart, strong, confident, accomplished, independent friend has been brought low these two years by intolerable, persistent chronic pain. She has tried e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g to attempt to find a measure of relief, to get the pain to stop, to find out the mystery of what was happening inside of a body that has seemed to betray her. As a friend, it's been hard to watch her struggle and fight and surrender and now lament through something that feels often like a cruel punishment from the God we both love and have followed our entire lives. There are no lofty words to bring comfort. No scripture verses that ease the burning. There is only sitting in the sometimes awkward silence of suffering and holding on t