JOYFUL WORDS
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri

Barb's Suitcase

8/27/2017

5 Comments

 
For I know well the plans I have for you declares the Lord…Jeremiah 29:11

I think we’ve all been exposed to the logic that if we’re trying to get better at something, we have to hang out and practice, or “do it” with someone who’s better at it than we are.  That goes for anything from studying, playing a sport, music and growing in discipleship.  If we don’t put ourselves in the company of someone who will challenge us to grow, we run the risk of becoming complacent or even stagnant.

This past week I was put in the middle of the story of a spiritual giant.  I ask God every morning to put things in my path that will help me grow in holiness and he did just that, through a beautiful soul named Barb.  I’d like to tell Barb’s story;  it’s about a woman who is smack dab in the middle of a lousy situation that would have many of us in misery thinking God had forgotten about us.  This beautiful woman's  advice is  heartwarming, life changing and life giving.  I want to share her story because she’s the ultimate example of how to get better at discipleship by hanging out with someone who’s really good at it.

Her story begins with a stage 4 cancer diagnosis just weeks ago.  The first pictures I saw of her days after the news were at her daughters wedding, and by the twinkle in her eye and the smile on her face you would have guessed the doctors were nuts and the stories were a lie.  Sadly, the doctors weren’t mistaken and the story was true, so Barb’s journey began.  I suppose in an attempt to comfort her family and friends she put the whole thing in perspective with her suitcase analogy.  I was so touched and inspired by her story I asked permission to share because I think hanging out with Barb, her faithfulness and her suitcase story, we will all learn from her example, be inspired by her attitude  and grow in holiness.

After Barb found out she was so sick, the first thing she did was to thank Jesus for giving her part of his cross to carry.  All she asked in return was the courage to help her carry it to completion.  The next step was to look at her cancer like packing her suitcase to go on a trip.  The first thing to pack is the most important, and for Barb, that was obviously Jesus.  He has to be the most important and the top priority.  She makes sure she packs in a lot of Jesus through her daily  prayers; especially Daily Mass,  praying the Divine Office, the Rosary and Novenas.  Novenas are very important because they are harder and require commitment and dedication.  Next to go in are her sorrows and pain.  The sorrows aren’t packed for pity or attention; quite the opposite.  The sorrows are an important thing to pack because they are offered for others.  Barb is keenly aware that offering our personal suffering for others is a powerful and loving gift.  Suffering and pain are especially  helpful for the suffering souls in purgatory.  Up next are the blessings.  I can just see her standing over that suitcase lovingly and gratefully calling each blessing by name and tucking it into her suitcase with tender, sincere thankfulness to God.  Each day she does a little more packing; more prayers, more thankfulness, more suffering and she tucks it all in getting ready to go.  Her mission as she wakes up each day is to fill that suitcase as full as she can so she’s ready for her trip.  She doesn’t know what Jesus has in store for her but she is prayerfully and faithfully getting ready.

This weekend as I helped my daughter pack her suitcases to head back to college, I couldn’t help but think about Barb’s suitcase.  It’s such an ordinary object but yet Barb turned it into such an incredible lesson in trusting in God the Father.  I want to be a better packer…starting today!  I hope you will all join me in praying for Barb and her packing; may she be fully prepared for her journey!

A Seed To Plant:  What’s in your suitcase?  If you wait until the last minute to pack, you might rush and miss something so take some prayerful time this week to think about what needs to come out of your suitcase and what needs to go in.​

Blessings on your day!












5 Comments
Sue
8/28/2017 08:26:15 am

Prayers for Barb and her family. She sounds like a beautiful lady

Reply
Beth Rz
8/28/2017 03:12:02 pm

As I am reading this with tears in my eyes, guess who calls me? So I read it to Barb. She thinks it is the most beautiful thing she has heard and that you described her story so well. Thank you so much, Sheri. I have to print her a copy so she has it. I have such peace with the situation because she does and I thank Jesus everyday for that peace!

Reply
Sue Pung
8/29/2017 10:04:52 pm

Thank you so much, Patsy. We've been praying for Christ's peace and blessings for Barb and her family. What a beautiful witness of His love!

Reply
Denise Green
8/30/2017 08:16:53 pm

Thank you for capturing Barb's story. Barb is and always has been one of the most faith filled woman I've know. Her witness of her faith, love of God and family are the cornerstone of her existence. I love that her story is being shared because the more that hear it...the more that will pray for her.

Reply
Esther H link
12/8/2020 08:49:36 am

Good bless

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Joyful Words magnet picture

    ​Click on the items below to expand the options available to you to explore the Joyful Words blog.

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Thessalonians
    2 Corinthians
    Acts Of Love
    Advent
    Ageing
    All In
    Amazing
    Anxiety
    Armor Of God
    Asking For Help
    Bad Habits
    Balance
    Baptism
    Be
    Beauty
    Being Gracious
    Blessed Mother Teresa Of Calcutta
    Blessing
    Blessings
    Brokenness
    Carry Our Cross
    Catholic Education
    Change
    Changes
    Cheerfulness
    Children
    Choices
    Christian Belief
    Christmas
    Colossians
    Commitment
    Comparisons
    Compassion
    Consistent
    Content
    Contentment
    Courage
    Crosses
    Crumbs
    Dad
    Daughters Of God
    Delight
    Desire
    Desire God
    Details
    Dicipleship
    Die To Self
    Discipleship
    Dissapointment
    Dying To Self
    Easter
    Ecclesiastes
    Education
    Election
    Encouragement
    Enemy
    Ephesians
    Evangelization
    Exodus
    Expectations
    Faith
    Faithfulness
    Falling Short
    Family
    Fathers Love
    Fear
    Flag
    Footstool
    Forgiveness
    Fresh Start
    Friendship
    Fr. Mike
    Fr. Mike Schmitz
    Galatians
    Generosity
    God In Everyday Things
    God In Scripture
    Gods Beloved
    God's Enough
    God's Forgiveness
    Gods Gifts
    God's Guidance
    God's Love
    Gods Love
    God's Plan
    Gods P Lan
    God's Restoration
    Gods Strength
    God's Timing
    Gods Timing
    Gods Ways
    God's Will
    Gods Will
    Goodness
    Good News
    Grace
    Grandma
    Grandpa
    Gratefulness
    Gratitude
    Greatness
    Gretness
    Grief
    Happiness
    Healing
    Heart
    Heaven
    Hebrews
    He Chose Me
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Thrusday
    Holy Thursday
    Holy Week
    Hope
    Humble
    Humility
    Identity In Christ
    Intimacy
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    John
    Joshua
    Joy
    Judgement
    Justice
    Kids
    Kindne
    Kindness
    Labor
    Laughter
    Lent
    Lessons
    Light
    Listening
    Little
    Love
    Lovelies
    Luke
    Mark
    Marriage
    Mary
    Matthew
    Meekness
    Mercy
    Mom
    Mornings
    Mud
    Obedience
    Openness
    Parenting
    Parentng
    Patience
    Peace
    Pentacost
    People
    Perseverance
    Perspeceive
    Perspective
    Philippians
    Pioneers
    Pleasing God
    Poor
    Porch
    Positive
    Possibilities
    Pray
    Prayer
    Priorities
    Promises
    Proverbs
    Psalm
    Relationship
    Religion
    Respect
    Romans
    Sacrifice
    Sacrifices
    Sainthood
    Saints
    Samuel
    Scripture
    Seeking God
    Service
    Serving God
    Signs
    Silence
    Simple
    Sin
    Sinfulness
    Slow Down
    Small Stuff
    Steve Ray
    Stillness
    St. Mary's 4th Of July
    Strength
    Stress
    Suffering
    Surprises
    Surrender
    Temptation
    Thanks
    The Right Thing
    Time
    Troubled Times
    Trust
    Trust In God
    Truth
    Understanding
    Unravelled
    Valentines
    Waiting
    Weddings
    Word Of The Year
    Words
    Works Of Mercy
    Worry


    ​Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012


    Back to Home

    RSS Feed


      HOME                        BLOG                       SPEAKING                        WRITING                        HOSPITALITY                        MEET SHERI  

CONTACT: 989.640.6673
Picture
EMAIL

FACEBOOK

Twitter

Content is the intellectual property of Sheri Wohlfert 2017
Created by dhengesbach
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri