Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Widower’s book recounts path of trust in providence

Widower’s book recounts path of trust in providence

Last updated on: October 30, 2013 at 10:07 am by CNA Daily News

Widower’s book recounts path of trust in providence 2013-10-30T10:07:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Oct 30, 2013 / 04:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After watching and suffering alongside his late wife's battle with cancer, Chris Faddis, author of the book “It is Well: Life in the Storm,” hopes that people will learn to place their trust in God in the midst of struggles.

"Trust isn't about trusting that God is going to take us out of the pain, or that God is going to redeem us here on Earth,” said Chris Faddis to CNA during an Oct. 22 interview.

Over the course of their battle with terminal illness, the Faddis family learned about trust, and faith in God through all things.

Angela Faddis’ dying wish was for “the world to know that no matter what we must trust in Jesus," Chris said, and it is this desire to give witness to the need to trust in God that gave rise to the book.

Two years ago, Faddis’ wife Angela was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Over the course of her 17-month battle with cancer, Angela provided a public witness of faith and radical trust through a Facebook page, television, radio, and print interviews.

Angela died Sept. 21, 2012, but Chris is convinced that his wife’s witness of trust can help others “find consolation in suffering.” He added that he had always had "desire to write a book on trust," but it became clear over the course of Angela's illness "that God wanted me to write this book in the middle of a storm."

"I certainly didn't know that we would go through the kind of suffering that we did," Faddis said of his family's struggle. Through the trials, however, "it was clear God had a purpose for it," he added.

He explained that often, people don’t like to say there is a reason or purpose to suffering, “because we think that means God's punishing us.”

Faddis clarified that God is not punishing people through suffering, but instead "he's allowing us to participate in the suffering because it will bring us closer to him, it will bring us closer to heaven, and it will bring us closer to other people who are suffering."

Through his family's suffering, Faddis said their understanding of trust grew. Generally, trust in God is thought of as a sense "that God is going to solve every problem."

In reality, however, trust is not God acting as "the great problem-solver," but a faith that God will provide, no matter the struggles or challenges.

"He didn't come just to solve our problems. He came to show us the way, and he promised a struggle," Faddis said.

“Trust is about fully surrendering to God so that even if all you have left is the promise is heaven, that's where we say it is well."

Faddis added that he and his family "kind of knew," that lesson throughout his life and through the beginning stages of his wife's cancer, "but it really became clear at the very end."

As Angela entered into her last days, Chris said, "she was coming to realize internally what God was saying to her: 'Will you trust me now when all you have left is heaven?'"

"We're going to have those times when we have that sense that that's all we have left, and that's the level of trust that God calls us to."

This complete trust in God through all things is "what he wants from us, and he knows it takes time to get there," he continued. He explained that Angela understood that suffering was needed for this trust. She would say that "we must embrace our suffering; not run from it, not hide from it, not ignore it – but embrace it."

In the year since her death, this witness has been embraced by his family and those who came in contact with Angela's story, Faddis said. Their two young children "have this solace there" in reflecting on their mother's death, and a focus that "we should really focus on living."

"For the most part there's a real sense of joy for them," Faddis said, adding that this joy has pervaded through the grief and tears.

"They have a real understanding of what Mommy's witness is for people."

Faddis said that he has felt driven "to give back whatever God gives you in this life," and though reflection he has been convicted that "God was wanting to use this story" in order to share the Faddis family's lessons on trust.

“To be able to trust that much is something that we all need to have.”

"I think it's important that we can have that depth" of faith, Faddis added.

When many look at people of faith such as Angela, they "think 'she had great faith, I just don't have that,'" he said.

Instead, people should look at persons of great faith and "think, 'they have great faith, and that was because of God, and God can do that for me as well.'"

Faddis said he hoped that people reading his book or encountering his wife's story would understand Angela's message: that "at all stages of life, we just simply have to trust."

"People can throw all their trust into Jesus."

Previous Post

October 30, 2013

Zambian bishops preparing to launch Catholic television station

Next Post

October 30, 2013 Love of God 'scorches' our selfishness, Pope says

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month 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 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Old Testament law was summarized as "love your neighbor as yourself"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The whole law Book of Leviticus only Only 10th commandment First five commandments