"the substance of things hoped for"

One of my favorite Scriptures is one that my dear friend, Lovey McCarthy, taught me. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~Hebrews 11:1

Let me tell you, that verse has gotten me through some rough times. Not only does it give me hope when I'm "wishing" for something that everyone around me says is foolish, but it gives me strength when I'm faced with an obstacle that seems impassable. On the other side of whatever I'm facing is always the hope of heaven.

These next six months have the potential to be hell, or just a little rough. A lot of what happens depends on John and I - how we view the situation. Friends mean well, but sometimes in their helping they make it worse. We really don't need to hear horror stories about how bad the treatment was for them, or a relative, or a friend. What we need to hear is that they are praying for us, or thinking of us, or just plain willing to be there for us.

We don't need much, just a hug once in a while, or a phonecall to say "how are things" or maybe just a smile. What we need is just what we need all of the time, for a friend to be a friend.