If there was one phrase that could describe the theme of our lives, it would be “For Such a Time as This”. Matt and I long for people to understand that Jesus created them to live out God’s special purpose for their lives right where they are!
It is exciting to live in the center of God’s will! And it is even more wonderful to be in His presence, to hear His voice, and to see God at work as we live out His will!
But what happens when tragedy strikes? How do we understand tragedy when we are living in His will? Is this also “For Such a Time as This”?
God does not create evil, but He does allow it in our lives. Last summer, I became very ill. In the midst of my illness, my husband was diagnosed with two different types of cancer. There were times when I wondered how such a trial could be “For Such a Time as This”.
Romans 8:28 is a verse most often quoted in a tragic situation when the one trying to bring comfort doesn’t really know what to say. However, in our situation, it was the perfect explanation! God did not cause our illness, but He did allow it. So, what was God going to do in the midst of it? In our trial, we watched our church rally around us! People brought meals over, people cleaned up our house (more than once), people drove my son to and from the airport, people helped out with transportation to and from the airport for our Jamaican friends, and people called and offered support. People did the jobs that we normally did at church. And best of all, our friends are intercessors! But it wasn’t just our church that stepped up to the task! People from other churches came and helped us as well! We watched as the body of Christ lived in the center of God’s will. God worked all things together for good!
And God was at work refining our entire family through this whole ordeal. Definite refining was needed on my part. He burned out so much dross. For that, I am thankful.
Yesterday, we took the last step in beating Matt’s cancer. At 7:30 AM (yawn), Matt had the prostate seeding. We were expecting a long, drawn-out recovery. After all, he is still recovering from the chemo for lymphoma. But today, he drove himself to his follow-up appointment. We then went out to lunch and went shopping. Tonight, he played Scrabble and watched the Red Soxs. I am amazed at God’s faithfulness! I am amazed at His mercy!
So, can we include tragic circumstances in “For Such a Time as This”? Yes, most definitely. No matter what the situation, God wants us to live for Him! He will be there! He will surround us with His presence! He will lead us and guide us!
Matt always says that we are God’s team and He has called us to the plate in the bottom of the ninth! God created us for such a time as this. In good times and in tragic times, let’s give ourselves unreservedly to live in the center of His will.
Today, I faced a very difficult lesson in kids church. All year, we have been teaching the kids that our God is God of the impossible. He is faithful and He keeps His promises. Since last December, we have been praying for Pastor Troy in Nebraska. In September, Troy was diagnosed with leukemia. So, our church and the kids church prayed for him. In February, we received the news that he was cancer free. However, unknown to the doctors, he went home from the hospital with a staph infection. Two weeks ago, he went to be with Jesus.
So, I had to tell the kids about it. We had written on our praise report board that Troy was cancer free. I prayed for God to give me the words to say. I was without answers. But this is the best place to be. Then, we must rely fully upon the Lord.
I told the kids that I had some sad news. After I told them about Troy's homegoing, I said that going to see Jesus isn't bad at all. It actually is quite wonderful! At this place in our lesson, we began to talk about what heaven was like.
"No sadness, no crying, " said my 14yo son, who was my helper. The little kids loved this. We talked about the mansion, the gold streets, the height of the city, etc.
Then came the questions:
"Is there strawberry icecream in heaven?"
"Are there toys in heaven?"
"Is there candy in heaven?"
And then one little girl raised her hand. "Is there school in heaven?", she asked softly. She was not leaving that room without an answer! I thought about that one. Will we be learning about our Savior everyday? Probably. But school like they know it? Probably not.
"No," I replied cautiously, "I don't believe so."
The little girl's face lit up. She leaned across the table, slapped the top of the table, and yelled to her friend, "DID YOU HEAR *THAT*?!? NO SCHOOL IN HEAVEN!!!!!!"
That whole side of the room erupted with wild applause, shouts of joy, and squeals of glee!!!
"NO SCHOOL IN HEAVEN!!!! YAY!!!!!!!"
With this new piece of information, the kids church decided that heaven was the place to be!
This past week, we had a friend clear out brush in back of the house. Just getting all the pollen and mold stirred up from this adventure can put a strain on breathing. Burning it would have been disastrous! So, our friend pushed the pile into the wood.
I wish our neighbors had done the same.
Unfortunately, they burned their brush. My son, Jim, and I are covered with hives and poison somethings. The past few days, I have been living on benedryl spray, allegra, and, the king of the sleepless nights, prednisone.
Well, when you are sleepless on Cape Cod, it is always a good time to pray. So, I have been trying to do some of that, but my prednisone brains have turned me into Dorie the fish. I sometimes have difficulty staying on task because I forget what the task is! It seems that I have acute short-term prednisone-induced memory loss (ASTPIM for short)! No it is NOT my age! It's the.....now what was it I was talking about? Well, anyway.....whatever.....
Oh , I know.....ummmmm.........
I'm glad God is taking care of me. It is good to know that He is in control. He knows what is going to happen next. He never suffers from ASTPIM. His ways are perfect! I can rest in His love tonight, knowing that He will see me though.
Our friend, Corey, used to "rest" in God's love during prayer meeting. We would wake him up when it was over!
"It looks like Sodom, Gomorrah, and Parmesan Cheese!"
My husband was not expecting these adjectives to describe his home-made chili. He had made it the day before, but had neglected to keep adding the liquid necessary to keep it from burning into the bottom of the pot.
And so my son's description was...well fairly...no definitely accurate. The kidney beans had turned into black-eyed peas. It just kinda stared at me from the bowl. I tried to convince myself that it wasn't going to taste all that bad. After all, I had just tried to smother it in Parmesian cheese.
I don't know how I survived!
Sin has the same effect, doesn't it? We know that it is Sodom and Gomorrah (minus the cheese), but we seem to convince ourselves that it will be ok...we can get away with it...it won't be that bad.
And then when we barely survive, we wonder what happened.
God, please help me to stay away from the enemy's chili. Instead, help me tofocus my eyes on you!
Again I asked the Lord for His purpose in all that is happening to us. It wasn't as if I hadn't heard Him the first time, or the second time, or....But I needed the reassurance....again.
And His answer? He did not cause our sickness, but He is allowing this to show His glory.
It is hard to see His glory when vertigo keeps you from doing the things you should be doing...like housework. Yes, I know my profile says I hate housework. I think after God heals me, my outlook on housework will be drastically different. I will be thanking God for being able to wash dishes and scrub floors,etc. It is also hard to see His glory when you are trying to take care of your husband who has just had his first chemo treatment and the two of you are both having trouble walking for long periods of time.
In our weakness, He is strong. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
How? We need to rely on God for everything. He has provided us with wonderful Christian friends who help us in any way they can. My kids are becoming incredibly strong throughout all of this. They have been such a big help, and 3 out of 4 are still at home.
How? We are learning what is important and what is not. God is first! Family and friendships are cherished and are second. Prayer has taken its' rightful place as the cornerstone of all that occurs for the kingdom of God, instead of prayer during devotions and the doing of the kingdom as priority.
How? How is it that I have put my trust in what I can do for God rather than who He is?
So, He is changing me, conforming me more to His image. And in this He gets all the glory. We know that God will raise us up once again and that He will use all of it to show His glory.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
It has been a strange, dark road that we have traveled down these past few months. We have heard gall stones, severe Meniere's disease, TMJ, migraines, rogue stones in the bile duct, prostate cancer, irregular heart beat, and lymphoma all since August. And last week, my cousin Gus passed away due to complications from Parkinson's disease and my friend Kellie was rushed to Brigham and Woman's from complications regarding her surgery. We have felt like Mother Teresa when she quipped, "God won't give us more than we can handle. I just wish He would stop trusting me so much."
But through all the insanity, He has carried us down this road in His loving arms. It is hard to think of God's love when the trials are so intense. But His love is even more intense than any trial we go through. Have you ever literally felt His peace overwhelm you? Have you felt the prayers of God's people? Has your church offered to make you meals for the entire month? Have Christian friends offered to drive your son to and from the airport? Have your friends cleaned your house for you - more than once? Have they done errands for you? Have they paid for expenses? Do your co-workers offer to do shopping for you (Trader Joe's rocks!) and deliver the groceries? These have been lights of His love shining down this dark road.
Though we don't know how long we will journey down this road, we know it will not last forever. We fully expect to be raised up once again. We can see a light at the end. And we know He will work all for good!
In America, we have been truly blessed by God. We live in one of the wealthiest nations of the world. Housing, food, and clothing are enjoyed by most Americans. Our area has the finest education and health care. We are free to travel about and free to worship our Creator.
However, sometimes our blessings can become our greatest curses. In America, we see these blessings as rights, instead of privileges from a loving Father. At times, we tend to get annoyed or even angry when things are "taken away" from us.
My Jamaican friends have a different outlook on life and on being thankful. For 6 - 9 months a year, they are away from their families. Yet, they still have a heart of worship and thanksgiving. While we thank God for providing us with financial blessings, cars, and the like, this is what we hear on Monday mornings,,,,,,sometimes as hurricanes are approaching their homeland or as a loved one has gone on to be with the Lord
I thank God that He woke me up this morning. I thank God for giving me life and breath. I thank God for waking me up in my right mind. I thank God that I can speak to give my God praise. I thank God for giving me eyes to see. I thank God for giving me ears that hear. I thank God for giving me legs that can walk. I thank God for saving me.
May we be thankful this holiday season for the privileges He has freely bestowed upon us.
