My Friend Linda

No bald woman ever looked more beautiful than my friend Linda Bistline. Even as she grew physically sicker from the cancer that grew within her, Linda became more luminous as her faith and trust in Jesus grew in her thriving spirit.

On Feb. 24, 1999, Linda went home to be with the Lord who she loved so deeply. The grief I felt was overwhelming, but I also knew that I had been given a treasure. Linda and I had become friends after her diagnosis, and I watched her allow Jesus redeem her suffering in a truly amazing way. No one who ever knew Linda was the same. We were all challenged to embrace a new level of trust in God's goodness. Linda said to me many times, "Amy, no matter what happens to me, God is still good." She didn't just say it--she believed it with her whole being.Here's an excerpt of what I shared at her funeral:

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength
till each appears before God in Zion." (Psalm 84:5-7)

Linda's life was a glorious living-out of this scripture. The Valley of Baca can also be translated as The Valley of Tears. Certainly, the last three years of Linda's life have been filled with many tears for her, her family and her friends. But Linda didn't drown in those tears, and she didn't allow us to drown either. She filled her pilgrimage with the springs of complete faith, love, hope, humor and friendship. Years from now when the grief of the absence has become more bearable, we won't be left with the hollow feeling of a tragic death but with the sweet memory of a life wonderfully lived.

The word "pools" in this passage is also translated as "blessings". I count it among one of the greatest blessings and privileges in my life to have been Linda's friend, and I know you feel the same. Her life has made me closely scrutinize my own. She inspired me to walk closer to God and to prioritize what really matters. As her body failed her, the Spirit within her never did. She proclaimed God's goodness wherever she was and the God that is worthy of her faith changed everyone who knew her or heard her story.

Maybe you came to this blog today after reading the Encouragement for Today devotion, Crosswalk or maybe you came because of a random search. Either way, God wants you to know that you are precious to Him. Your suffering has not gone unnoticed. God loves you and wants to redeem every pain, every hurt and every hard circumstance. He is the one who can turn our Valley of Tears into a place of abundant springs. He can use these times to bring each of us to a place where we love Him so deeply that we can say from the bottom of our hearts, "No matter what happens to me, God is still good."

Book suggestions for those who are suffering:
Where Is God When It Hurts? Philip Yancey
A Grace Disguised Jerry Sittser