It’s been three years today that Bill was promoted to his eternal home. I ran across this post about “Pressing On” that he wrote on January 1, 2020, and felt as we approach a new year, someone might need some encouragement to carry then over into 2024.

I visit Bill’s blogs often as it makes me feel close to him as I laugh at his humor and digest his wisdom. As I read each blog, I can’t help but think of all his “blogger friends”, because you became his second family. Being a prisoner in his body may have isolated him physically, but because of technology and friends he made through his blog, he was a very sociable man. Thank you all for the love and encouragement that you gave Bill (and me) in your comments. They continue to bless and encourage me. Bill started a blog to encourage others in their suffering, but God knew Bill needed encouragement from you all to keep pressing on.

When Bill wrote this blog, it was a month before the Covid lockdown. He was so optimistic about the new year. He didn’t know that COVID would take away peoples’ jobs and even their lives. Nor did he know it would be the hardest year of suffering for him, ending in his death. Yet his goal in 2020 was to give others hope as we were all isolated. He stopped writing his book and just concentrated on encouraging others even though he was very ill. He loved people and wanted everyone to know the God that gave him hope. He kept pressing on.

On another note, Bill never wanted to diminish anyone’s suffering. Sometimes we tend to compare our pain and how we react to it. We think that we can’t have a bad day because someone else has a deeper suffering. We all have different levels of pain in this life and we process and feel it differently. There were so many days throughout our journey where we were hanging on by a thread. Don’t beat yourself up on those days that you are barely hanging on. Allow yourself to feel the pain that comes with your suffering, but don’t stay there. Ask God to give you the strength and grace you need for that day and keep pressing on. I can’t promise you will get the outcome that you want, but I can promise He will be there with you in your pain as He promised:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.”  -Psalms 23:4