Seven weeks have passed since I last blogged about my sister Mary’s health. Against all medical odds, she has lived a very full and active life after her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, feeling tip-top for 2½ years – until last week. 
Before then, she rode her bike to the beach where she built sand sculptures and played games with grandchildren. She even went tubing! She babysat for many of the children and continued to cook big meals and to entertain. 
She had the energy to paint one of her bedrooms, and when the color didn’t turn out quite right, she returned to the store, bought different paint, and painted the whole thing again the next morning. But then last week arrived with a sudden onset of cancer symptoms. What had been occasional weak periods became constant. And it was difficult to sleep at night because she couldn’t get comfortable. Her abdomen filled with fluid, causing shortness of breath and extreme fatigue. She said, “Being short of breath like this gets so intense, I just can’t continue with what I’m doing. Climbing steps without stopping to catch my breath is impossible now.” Both she and her husband Bervin felt the time was right to sign up with the Michigan Hospice at Home group, which is the same organization that helped us so much when Nate was sick. Hospice responded with immediate help for Mary’s sleepless nights (a sleep aid) and her uncomfortable abdomen (a draining of the fluid). They have the desire and the expertise to deal with every symptom she will encounter, and both Mary and Bervin have strong confidence in them. Hospice’s continual question is, “What can we do for you?” Mary and Bervin have chosen to settle-in here in Michigan for the duration, in the cozy cottage where Mary and her family have come since the 1940’s. She’s enjoying the arrival of her favorite season with its cooler temperatures and beautiful trees. “We don’t know what the future holds,” she said today, “but are trusting God to see us through whatever comes.” She expresses continual appreciation for your many faithful prayers and hopes that you’ll continue. But her greatest comfort, even more than Hospice, is God himself. She’s written down her favorite Scriptures to cover any difficult days ahead, and when I asked for a sample, she recited this: You [Lord] will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:3-4) And here’s a concluding word from Bervin to all of you dear blog readers: 
Thank you, friends, for your love and concern for Mary. Some have asked if they could visit, but in the last few days her energy level has lessened substantially, so we are limiting company to family only. I know how much Mary means to each of you, so please continue to pray for her and our family. As this news gets around, her email inbox has become jammed with messages and questions. Please understand that she cannot answer them all. Cards of encouragement, though, would be greatly appreciated… sent to our Chicago address. Your support and prayers have been such a blessing to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Berv, for all of us. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22-24)
You won!
Back in 1958, I was in the eighth-grade, struggling to get through some very awkward years. Since I wasn’t in the popular group, I saw my fellow students as superior and myself as inferior. The girls had shapely figures, swingy hair, trendy clothes, and better grades. I was pudgy, wore serviceable clothes, was a C-student, and had bushy eyebrows. I lived for weekends, vacations, and any other time I could avoid being in school.
But then something wonderful happened.
I knew I had below-average artistic skills but had signed up for a ceramics class…. because that’s what the cool kids did. Our teacher asked each of us what we wanted to make. In a nod to my sweet tooth, I settled on a cookie jar. And what better design than a girl’s head with a big, cookie-eating mouth?
Day after day I worked on my creation, doing my very best. But the result was a badly-proportioned head that could have been the centerpiece of a horror movie.
I was sure my teacher had to stifle a laugh every time he looked at it, but one day, after our projects had come out of the kiln and were finally finished, he approached my table. “I like what you made, Margaret. And I’ve decided to enter it in a contest.”
I was stunned. And thrilled!
The following weekend my family of five traipsed into a Wieboldts department store nearby and found my cookie jar standing proudly behind glass alongside other entries. And I’d actually won something! Not a blue ribbon or any ribbon for that matter, but a Certificate of Merit. I was delighted, though, because that gold seal awarded me something I’d wanted far more than even a blue ribbon — approval!
The glow continued through Monday in ceramics class, when my teacher poured on the praise for my accomplishment. And oh, did that feel good.
Once in a while, as we walk through life doing our best, we take on an inferiority complex, absolutely sure we’re a disappointment to God. We see ourselves as spiritual failures and would give anything to feel the glow of his approval. The truth, though, is that once we commit to Jesus Christ, we’ve already won it – because we’ve come to him through his Son, of whom he highly approves. He even has a prize ready for us, despite the accomplishment being all Christ’s and not ours. It surpasses certificates, gold seals, even blue ribbons: an eternity with him, in the light of his permanent approval.
As for my future ceramic efforts, I peaked with the cookie jar.
The world will know that You sent me and have loved them [Jesus-followers] even as You have loved Me. (John 17:23)
Climbing High
My favorite season has come to an end, and Labor Day tells me so. But I can’t complain. We’ve had an abundance of beach days during this hot, sunny summer. And with a steady stream of visitors, there have been lots of excuses to plunk our beach chairs on the sand for unhurried conversations – not to mention group swims, walks along the shore, and hunts for pretty stones.
There is one beach activity, though, that’s not quite so easy. Here on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, we enjoy big silky sand dunes that bring vacationing families from far and wide to play on them. The dunes get a little bigger each year, too, depending on how dry the beach sand is and how stiff the winds. One dune nearby has risen to 260 feet and offers a strenuous workout to get to the top. Then, running downhill is a thrill as gravity morphs footsteps into giant airborne leaps.
“It’s like flying!” the kids say.
The only catch: you have to climb to the top first.
Trudging up a steep dune isn’t easy. Michigan sand is winnowed by westward winds till it becomes fine granules that roll easily underfoot. On a sharp incline, every step can move a climber farther back than forward. At best it’s three steps up, two down.
But after many decades of hiking on sand dunes, I have one piece of helpful advice: as you climb, step into the footprints of someone else. It’ll give you the best odds for minimal slipping, since someone else’s body weight has already caused the sand to slide. And by the way, the fresher the print, the more sure your step will be.
God gave us some similar advice long ago. He said that if we follow in his footsteps, our progress through life will be good. We’ll back-slide less and arrive quicker where we ought to be. And he makes one last point — the fresher his imprint, the better for us. So, following closely is always a good idea.
When we do, he might even let us fly!
“Direct my footsteps according to your Word.” (Psalm 119:133)