Mary continues…

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Margaret

Yesterday we got a glimpse into what Mary is thinking these days. In one sense, she’s waiting. Most of us bristle at having to wait for almost anything, but waiting for deadly cancer to show itself is possibly the worst wait there is.

Yet through these uncertain days, Mary’s faith has remained certain. Today she describes her lowest cancer-related moment and what she did to get past it:

* * * * * * * *

Practically every Christian has memorized Romans 8:28: “All things work together for good to them that love God.” But life offers up all kinds of “things” that can’t possibly result in anything good. At least that’s our perspective going through them. But God’s Word is true no matter what we think.

All of us experience dark days when it seems life can’t get any worse. My most recent experience with that occurred on the day I learned I had pancreatic cancer.

My lowest point came when I realized I had to call each of our 7 children with the bad news. As they wept and agonized over my dim prognosis, I wept, too. What mother wants to call their children and strike them with pain like that? What mother wants to make her grown children cry?

Though I knew in my head that having cancer wasn’t my fault or my choice, at that low moment it felt like I was responsible for the pain my children were feeling. And since they weren’t coping well, neither was I. It was one of the darkest days of my life.

But God comes close to the brokenhearted. In the middle of nearly unbearable pain, he puts his arms around us by way of Scripture and offers practical help, personalized to our needs. When I was suffering most, I heard God’s whisper into my soul: “All things will work together for good. Even this.”

I couldn’t see it then or even for days afterwards, but now, at the one year point, I can see how he kept his promise. Here’s some of it:

Family, friends, and even strangers began lifting my name and my family’s names to the Lord for his immediate help. Many promised to pray for me not just once but every day! Others sent cards, emails, Bible verses, encouraging words of all kinds… by the hundreds! A year later, it hasn’t stopped.

But there’s more. My children came and are still coming from far and wide, again and again, supporting their parents and also each other. My grandchildren have spoken tender words of love to me. And we’ve all gained a broader perspective on eternity, connecting it in new ways to life on earth.

I’ve received visitors bringing gifts, food, and especially a desire to pray over me, calling out for strength and encouragement, which then traveled from God through them and into me.

God has blessed me with more good days than bad this year, and several days were downright spectacular! I got to welcome two new grandbabies and see a daughter get married. It was an important year full of family joy.

Best of all, though, my terminal diagnosis drove me to God and his Word like never before. I’ve leaned on him harder than at any other time in my life and have soaked my brain in Scripture. He taught me how to take full advantage of his promises and gave me a golden opportunity to testify to others that the supernatural peace the Bible promises is available even in the middle of terminal cancer.

And all of this is God “working things together for good.”

[ Tomorrow Mary will share how she resists the enemy’s desire to make her fearful. ]

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You.” (Job 42:5)

Good Ideas

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Margaret

All of my school-age grandchildren are being home schooled by their competent mothers. And as their grandma, I’m nervous about keeping up with them! These children are learning literature, history, and math at an astounding rate that will leave me behind in the not-too-distant future.

Take Skylar for example. At the age of 6 she can hold her own in a discussion of everything from past-participles to the Reformation. She’s studying Latin and can also recite which president did what. She’s learning about maps and can properly arrange the States of our country without any trouble.

But the other day she brought her magnet puzzle to her teacher/mommy with the USA assembled in a new way. Pointing to Florida (where she lives) she explained how she had intentionally placed it close to Michigan (where I live). “This is how I want our country to be,” she said, “so we can go right to Midgee’s house.”

That impressed me, since it means she has accurately understood that the distance in miles between us now prohibits quick get-togethers. She’s aware that traveling to Midgee’s house takes lots of time and effort, and locating closer would remedy that problem.

I like the way she thinks!

I wonder if God, as our Teacher, ever says something like that about us.

So often I feel there’s more about the Christian life that I don’t know than that I do. God has given us the Bible, our “home school textbook,” which could carry the subtitle, “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Christian Life.” Jesus was our real-life example of how to live it out, but even so, I have more questions than answers.

But what if God is watching us as we try to put the pieces of scriptural wisdom together and is saying, “I like the way you think!” What an encouragement that would be!

Maybe we shouldn’t criticize ourselves too harshly for not always living up to Jesus’ example. It might be wiser to think about God’s encouragement for us to simply keep on learning and growing.

There may be only one correct way to arrange the States of our Union, but when Skylar moved them around a bit, she was learning other things, like the distance between two points. More importantly, she was learning that wishing for something doesn’t make it so.

As we continue studying the Bible and as we work to put it into practice, we might discover all kinds of new things God wants us to know – expanded ways to think about him and our lives in relation to him. And as we move the pieces around, we might even get to hear him say, “I like the way you think!”

“The Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (2 Timothy 2:7)

Family Blessings

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Margaret

Before I had grandchildren, I would read Scripture’s references to them and make no connection. But now those same verses mean a lot more, because they include names and faces.

The basic message is, “If you live to see grandchildren come into your family, you’ll be blessed beyond measure.” Jeremiah put it this way: “Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them, so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!” (29:6, NLT)

The joys of grandchildren are as varied as the children themselves, and grandparents love noticing personality differences and God-given bents. With the buffer of a generation between us (our own children), we’re free to encourage and nurture them without having to participate in the more challenging tasks of parenthood, like discipline and decision-making.

But what happens if we grow into old age without any children and thus without grandchildren? Are we meant to forfeit those scriptural blessings?

I don’t think so. The key to claiming the blessing is to understand how broad the definition of the word “grandchildren” is in the Bible. One of those verses hints at it by saying, “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged.” (Proverbs 17:6) Though I dearly love my grandchildren, I wouldn’t call them a “crowning glory.” I think the words “crowning glory” have more to do with spiritual matters than physical ones.

If someone asked me, “What’s your life’s crowning glory?” I would answer, “My saving relationship with Christ.” Psalm 103 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” (v. 1 & 4) Now, that’s a crown I love wearing!

But how do we link a spiritual crown with grandchildren? I think the answer is in our parenting (and grandparenting) of spiritual children. When we lead someone to Christ, explaining salvation, then praying with them, followed by mentoring them, we become a type of parent to them. One dear friend of mine calls me her “spiritual mother,” a great honor.

If she then leads others to Christ by her testimony, those people become her spiritual children and a type of spiritual grandchildren to me. And if they, in turn, lead others, my friend becomes the spiritual grandparent.

I understand that God has no grandchildren, because he’s the Father to all believers. But by bearing witness to the reality of his love, our spiritual family can grow by generations, having nothing to do with biology and everything to do with divinity. We can delight in those generational grands that become related to us through salvation, continuing our encouraging and nurturing right into eternity.

And then, just imagine the thrill of standing at heaven’s gate, welcoming our spiritual children and grandchildren as they arrive! That’s a jewel-studded crown of glory every one of us will be overjoyed to wear.