Wednesday, May 19, 2010
"Cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me" - Zac Smith Story
Zac Smith is now with Jesus. He didn't waste his life and he didn't waste his cancer.
This final line gave me chills, “If God chooses to heal me, then God is God and God is good. If God chooses not to heal me and allows me to die, God is still God and God is still good. To God be the glory.”
What a powerful and incredible testimony to God's faithfulness in the midst of heart-breaking circumstances.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and uphold you with My righteous hand." Isaiah 41:10
Read this on Holly McRae's blog, the mother of sweet little Kate whose fighting the vicious battle of brain cancer. What an example this woman is of God's goodness and trust in the midst of life's heartbreak and pain. Only a woman whose faith is rooted deep in the gospel and not in circumstance could have a response like this. This kind of faith causes others to wonder where her hope lies- who is it that she trust? There is no God like our God. Who provides comfort, hope, endurance, and perseverance for this life because our hope lies in the One who has conquered death and will one day make all things new again.
One of the things that I would have marked near the top of a list that I would pray we would never encounter, we were now forced to face. But thankfully not alone. I don't know if scripture has ever held greater comfort, if it's truth has ever been more desired by our family than now. We can no longer face tomorrow in simply our own strength. When your child faces cancer of this magnitude it is simply more than you can bear, without Jesus. I know many have told us that God will never give you more than you can handle. I smile and know this is more than I can handle. However, I wonder if it could mean that He will give us what we need to handle that which alone we couldn't.
The day is bittersweet, as most days are now. My heart is continuously grieving what was and learning how to not fear what tomorrow holds. To not imagine what life without our precious Kate would be like. To not be paralyzed by fear. It is difficult beyond words. Never has it been more of a challenge to put truth into practice. But we know that is where our hope lies. Living out the truth we know and believe.
Despite the anguish of some days, each day is also filled with joy. Times of laughter, late night talks, snuggling on the couch, hope and milestones reached. The milestones have changed, but they are milestones none the less. And they are worth celebrating. Kate has made amazing strides over the past 10 ½ months. Even her hair coming in feels like it is the beginning of some things new. So we are slowly learning to live between heartbreak and hope. Heartbreak because Kate is our daughter, our daughter we would readily give our lives for. And yet we can't take this from her, or take it for her. We must watch her endure things that we can’t rescue her from, merely walk through with her. And so we are relearning our role as her parents. Not simply to rescue her and protect her from everything (as much as we would like to) but to guide her, teach her and love her endlessly through things. Part of the joy and struggle of being a mother, of being a parent.
I don't know why God allows cancer. Man has historically been desperate to determine the why behind suffering. Something the Bible does is put suffering in a global context. In Romans 8:18-25 the apostle Paul addresses the questions of if I'm going to suffer what is the meaning of my suffering in this moment? Stepping back to the much bigger question of why is there suffering in our world?
Paul says if we embrace Jesus as our treasure in this life we will inherit the same thing Jesus inherits. Provided we suffer with Him we will be glorified with Him. The pathway to glory is suffering (v. 17) and verses 18-25 promises us that its worth it. Paul puts suffering in a global context and it is SO crucial that we have a head and a heart that can embrace this teaching because we will bail on Christianity in the moment of suffering if we don't.
No one suffers more than the disciples. Paul? Lifetime of suffering. Jesus? Lifetime of suffering.
But one day...creation itself will be set free!
One of the things that I would have marked near the top of a list that I would pray we would never encounter, we were now forced to face. But thankfully not alone. I don't know if scripture has ever held greater comfort, if it's truth has ever been more desired by our family than now. We can no longer face tomorrow in simply our own strength. When your child faces cancer of this magnitude it is simply more than you can bear, without Jesus. I know many have told us that God will never give you more than you can handle. I smile and know this is more than I can handle. However, I wonder if it could mean that He will give us what we need to handle that which alone we couldn't.
The day is bittersweet, as most days are now. My heart is continuously grieving what was and learning how to not fear what tomorrow holds. To not imagine what life without our precious Kate would be like. To not be paralyzed by fear. It is difficult beyond words. Never has it been more of a challenge to put truth into practice. But we know that is where our hope lies. Living out the truth we know and believe.
Despite the anguish of some days, each day is also filled with joy. Times of laughter, late night talks, snuggling on the couch, hope and milestones reached. The milestones have changed, but they are milestones none the less. And they are worth celebrating. Kate has made amazing strides over the past 10 ½ months. Even her hair coming in feels like it is the beginning of some things new. So we are slowly learning to live between heartbreak and hope. Heartbreak because Kate is our daughter, our daughter we would readily give our lives for. And yet we can't take this from her, or take it for her. We must watch her endure things that we can’t rescue her from, merely walk through with her. And so we are relearning our role as her parents. Not simply to rescue her and protect her from everything (as much as we would like to) but to guide her, teach her and love her endlessly through things. Part of the joy and struggle of being a mother, of being a parent.
I don't know why God allows cancer. Man has historically been desperate to determine the why behind suffering. Something the Bible does is put suffering in a global context. In Romans 8:18-25 the apostle Paul addresses the questions of if I'm going to suffer what is the meaning of my suffering in this moment? Stepping back to the much bigger question of why is there suffering in our world?
Paul says if we embrace Jesus as our treasure in this life we will inherit the same thing Jesus inherits. Provided we suffer with Him we will be glorified with Him. The pathway to glory is suffering (v. 17) and verses 18-25 promises us that its worth it. Paul puts suffering in a global context and it is SO crucial that we have a head and a heart that can embrace this teaching because we will bail on Christianity in the moment of suffering if we don't.
No one suffers more than the disciples. Paul? Lifetime of suffering. Jesus? Lifetime of suffering.
But one day...creation itself will be set free!
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