When we take the time to learn from the struggles that we go through, those struggles get us one step closer to Jesus, a place where we completely surrender.   Our family watched my mother move through struggles daily, for years. 

What I found was each struggle brought my mother closer to Jesus.  Each mountain we climb requires us to reach further and deeper into complete reliance on him.

I was given the opportunity to help my mom live the last leg of her journey here on Earth.  That journey opened my eyes to how connected she was to Jesus and to the priority she placed on her faith. 

Her memory had vanished.  Yet in the worst of her times, I would listen to her shout out to Jesus, asking, begging, and thanking him for getting her through the struggles in her life.

There would be 72-hour periods where my mother’s mind and body were working so quickly and running at such a fast pace, that she could not stop talking or walking day and night.  During those times I never knew what she was saying unless she was speaking to Jesus. Every talk with Jesus was clear.

Yes, my mom was a friend of Jesus. The depths of that relationship could not have been more evident than at the end of her life. Despite all the things she couldn’t do, she relied on Jesus without fail.

The struggles we go through in life attempt to draw us closer to needing and relying on Jesus. When I’m in those struggles, I know he’s there. Not only do I pray to move through the struggles according to his plan, but I am also thankful and grateful for the opportunity to move that much closer in my relationship with him.

It is odd to say that struggles are creating such a beautiful pathway to finding our Lord.  I like to think of it as his way of showing us that given total surrender he can take us through any struggle.

I don’t pretend to know why we struggle during life or at the end of life, but I clearly understand it brings us closer to knowing him.  Why do some of the people in our lives who know Jesus well struggle the most?  Maybe there are some fine points that we as Christians need to learn before we cross over to eternal life. 

Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.  Although we don’t know what we are to learn through our struggles, as we walk through each one, remember there’s always something Jesus wants us to understand in order to walk one step closer to him.

Jesus will prepare us for our next step in life.  I will never forget the depths of my mom’s struggles and suffering, but I choose to look at it as preparation for getting her one step closer to Jesus and his plans for her eternal life.

In memory of my mother whose inspiration lives on through all those who knew her.

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