God’s desire that we go through “fiery trials” willingly is tough for us to swallow. What we usually want most is immediate relief from any suffering, without considering what his purpose might be in allowing (or orchestrating) it in the first place.

I remember listening to a married couple speak at church years ago about the anguish of infertility. They had no problem getting pregnant but had suffered through 11 miscarriages. Eleven!

Their hearts were breaking, and the wife cried that day as she spoke. But she said something I’ve never forgotten, something applicable in any distressful situation. “None of us want to endure pain, whether it’s something big like infertility, or something less consequential like hunger pangs. No matter what it is, our immediate response is to try to get rid of it. We want pain-free lives.”

Then she said, “God has unique purposes for the pain in our lives. To automatically work to get free of it might be to miss something wonderful.” She went on to tell of God’s blessings in the midst of pain and of her stronger-than-ever love for him.

The Bible offers an example of this same thing in Paul, a man who suffered willingly, even eagerly, if it meant he could promote the cause of Christ. He had the vision of God’s purpose in pain and saw each struggle (and there were dozens!) as an opportunity to showcase his faith. His M.O. was to direct people to Jesus, and if bearing pain with grace could do that, he said, “Bring it!”

Paul would have approved of Oswald Chambers who said we ought to “rise to the occasion” of each fiery trial. “It doesn’t matter how it hurts,” he wrote, “as long as it gives God the chance to manifest himself in your mortal flesh.”

Reading that makes me believe only the truly godly do valiantly with serious pain, whether physical or emotional. While the rest of us try to get rid of it, the righteous embrace it, fully expecting God to supply the fortitude necessary to make it through in a way that will accomplish something eternal.

Which brings us to Mary’s cancer.

One of her regular prayer requests has been to be the light of Christ to everyone who touches her life during this time, from surgeons to custodians to nurses to registrars to family to the general public. That’s because she’s conscious of being watched just as Paul was, wanting to demonstrate that God’s grace is sufficient.

Chambers wrote, “May God find us full of spiritual pluck and athleticism, ready to face anything he brings.” And that’s Mary. Spiritually plucky! It doesn’t mean she’s happy to have cancer or thrilled with chemotherapy. It does mean she’s willing to go through it, though, while looking to God for his supply.

“If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” (1 Peter 4:19)

Praising and Praying with Mary

1. Praise for a full day of activities without any nausea
2. Praise for a weight gain total of 9 pounds!
3. Pray she will keep her eyes “fixed on Jesus” without getting distracted

Cancer is responsible for having ruined many days for Mary in the last few weeks, and it chalked up another one today. Back at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for meetings with several doctors, Mary and Bervin listened to honest reports about her prognosis and heard again that a “best case scenario” is to buy some time with chemotherapy. Today that sounded like a high price, and worst of all, even after paying it, gains weren’t guaranteed.

Tonight Mary texted me the following:

“Today was a rough day, but with the Lord’s help, we’re through it. Luke showed up and was wonderful, asking good questions and pushing for answers, options, etc. The chemo docs were experts and were very kind, as everyone up here is. What I heard is that chemo, at best, will only postpone the inevitable, and though we’ve known that since we got the diagnosis, it’s difficult to hear it verbalized.”

Cancer makes everything difficult. When it touches an individual, a family, and a circle of friends, the touch is one of pain, both physical and emotional. So today Mary has been doing the excruciating work of weighing her options. She wrote:

“Though the chemo docs said I shouldn’t give up, I kept thinking about Elizabeth Elliott’s quote: ‘In acceptance there is peace.’ I want to be totally on board with and at peace with God’s plan and timing. I think I am, and then find myself getting caught up with all the earthly excitement of babies and weddings, and I find myself longing for more earth-time, not longing for heaven like I should be. I’m ashamed to admit it!”

There is no shame in an admission of honest feelings, and God is pleased that Mary has always embraced life with joy and gladness. In Ecclesiastes he teaches there’s a right time for everything, and that long list includes a time to cry, a time to lament, a time to hold on, and a time to let go. It also says there’s a time to make war and a time to make peace. Today Mary has been asking herself, what time is it for me?

As she works to shape her answer to that question, she knows where to go for advice. She wrote, “God will help me to get a right perspective. It’s been a challenging day, but tomorrow will be better!”

Cancer makes every day challenging, but even while feeling vulnerable and without too many options, Mary has the one option that trumps all others: a God she can trust with the rest of her life.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.” (Isaiah 43:2)

Mary’s Prayer Requests

1. Praise that chemo can be done at the Chicago hospital near their home
2. Praise for Luke’s steady, knowledgeable presence on this difficult day
3. Pray for unfettered trust in whatever God tells her to do
4. Pray for the peace of God that passes all understanding