A Journey, Good and Bad

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MapToday Mary and Bervin traveled back to Minnesota for several important appointments at the Mayo Clinic, a journey that came with good news and bad news. The good news will be when Mary’s doctor tells her his Whipple surgery is healing perfectly, right on schedule. The bad news will come as they meet Mary’s oncologist, a “chemo man.” He’ll detail Mary’s “phase 2” treatment plan for the next few months and may even want to kick-start it this week.

Mary is resigned to the necessity of chemotherapy but of course is dreading it. We’ve all heard too many war stories not to feel that way along with her. After tomorrow’s meeting she’ll know more of the details, but tonight she feels like she’s stepping onto a long, winding road.  Despite not knowing what pitfalls lie ahead, however, she has committed to go the distance.

Airdate: Sunday, November 12 (9-11 p.m. ET)Today as I thought about Mary beginning this extended journey, God brought another journeyman to mind: Abraham of the Bible. In that different day and time, his experience had several things in common with Mary’s. For one thing, he was told to set out without being given the specifics of his route or what was going to happen to him along the way, just like Mary. He knew some of it would be painful and surely wondered how bad it might get.

Even more significant than Abraham’s journey, though, was that of Jesus. From the moment of his birth, he began journeying toward the cross. Though he was God incarnate, as fully-man he probably didn’t know exactly what the route would look like or what his specific setbacks would be. And surely he must have experienced dread.

Palm Sunday's paradeEven as he made his way from the hills outside Jerusalem into the city on what we now call Palm Sunday, he knew that the devotees waving branches and singing allegiance to him would turn on him just a few days hence. Yet he didn’t step back from his journey. One pace after another, he saw it through.

All of that sounds like bad news, but there is some really good news for those on a God-prescribed journey. We can look at both Jesus and Abraham and see how Father-God was present and proactive in their lives along the way, partnering with them as they moved forward. And when they needed support and blessing, he delivered (with the unique exception of Jesus on the cross).

The present, proactive God will be there for Mary, too, as her faithful Sustainer, holding her firmly throughout her chemotherapy journey and rescuing her from pitfalls. And just like Abraham and Jesus, he will bring her out the other side.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry. Do not be silent at my tears; for I am a…. sojourner like all my fathers.” (Psalm 39:12)

Mary’s Prayer Requests

  1. For good reports on Monday
  2. For God’s peace between now and the meeting with the oncologist
  3. Praise that the pain of the feeding tube has all but subsided
  4. Praise for a morning back at Moody Church!

This Day

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???????????????????????????????I have some note cards with an impactful Scripture on the front: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) It’s a verse many have memorized because of its cheery philosophy, but I think the real reason we love it is because we hope some day we can do it.

Mary has been a champion at putting this verse into practice ever since she heard the words “pancreatic cancer” on February 15. Maybe that’s because when we’re healthy, we subconsciously think another tomorrow will always come.

Of course our brains know the truth. All of us will live a “last day,” and eventually another tomorrow will not come. But trying to apply it to the particular tomorrow that’s next in line is another thing altogether.

Hearing the frosty facts of possible terminal illness linked with our names, however, usually does the trick. That may be one of the many reasons God allows such frightening news to come to us. It’s an automatic jump-start to appreciating today.

I look back at Mary’s text messages from February and see how she has practiced being glad for each day. When I asked what she was doing one day she wrote, “I’m sitting in the sunshine that’s streaming through my windows. It feels great.”

Or when I said, “Is there anything you need?” she said, “I don’t need a thing. I’m surrounded by loving care every minute.” Or, one more example, “Are you nervous about today’s tests?” And she said, “My life is in God’s hands. He’ll get me through whatever comes.”

Mary’s behavior is a tutoring session in how to live out Psalm 118:24 (above). When our tomorrows become uncertain, we have no trouble ascribing greater value to our todays. I felt the same thing happen when Nate received his deadly diagnosis in 2009. Each new day brought new losses, but watching how fast he was changing caused each day to become enormously valuable, sometimes each hour.

One other group that’s good at being glad in their todays is children. They’re very adept at living in the now. This morning I found a picture (below) lying on my basement floor.

???????????????????????????????I have no idea where it came from, but the message was rich. I don’t remember who wrote it or what that particular day was about, but the gladness was so strong it funneled through that child and right onto the sidewalk.

As Mary and Bervin head into an uncertain future, it’s comforting to know she’s already mastered the art of appreciating each day. She’s following God’s specific instructions, and I’m confident he’ll reward her accordingly.

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.My body rests in safety.” (Psalm 16:8-9)

Mary’s Prayer Requests

  1. For continued weight gain
  2. For peace of mind about the future, especially during the night
  3. Praise that pain from feeding tube is almost gone
  4. Praise for being able to travel to Michigan tomorrow

Good Choices

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???????????????????????????????Today I had several builders visit my Michigan home at different times. After conversations with each of them about a back yard deck I have in my imagination, they all promised exact estimates by the middle of next week. Listening to them describe their individual takes on the sketch I made, I realized there are as many ways to approach deck-building as people willing to build them. But it’s always a good idea to get a second or even a third opinion.

Mary and Bervin have had to go through that process too, with her diagnosis, surgery and treatment for cancer. Wisdom dictated getting several opinions, weighing the differences, and making a well-informed choice. Scripture says there is safety in a multitude of counselors, but of course it matters who we choose to advise us.

7th HeavenThe same is true of our spiritual choices. Of the many gods available to follow these days, which one should we choose? I remember an old TV episode on a show called “7th Heaven.” It was the story of a protestant pastor, his wife, and 7 children.

One episode dealt with the subject of being unkind to others and the “guilt-gut” that inevitably followed. The problem, then, was how to get rid of it. During the show, two of the younger children went on a search for the answer, visiting clergy members representing several “isms”: Buddhism, Judaism, and Catholicism. They were collecting opinions, first, second, and third. Their quest was for relief from guilt, wanting to substitute peace instead. Each religion suggested something different.

Their quest was representative of the spiritual choices all of us have to make. God created us with consciences, and when we do something that produces “guilt-gut,” we want to straighten it out a.s.a.p. But where do we go for a first, second, or third opinion? Do we honestly seek truth, or do we look for advisers who will agree with the point of view we already have?

Mary and Bervin sought the experts and chose well. Committing to Minnesota open-endedly wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the right one. (They’ll actually be driving back there again this weekend for additional tests and a chemotherapy plan.)

As for my deck (a choice that’s trivial compared to the decisions Mary and Bervin have had to make), I hope I choose well. Concerning spiritual choices, the best Counselor is the Holy Spirit, who will lead us to the one true God. It’s the only decision we’ll ever make where no second or third opinion will be needed.

And BTW, this one true God is the only one who can effectively remove “guilt-gut.”

“Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” (Romans 5:1)

Mary’s Prayer Requests

  1. Praise for one pound gained!
  2. For continued weight gain
  3. For the Lord to guard her heart and mind during the night when fears sneak in
  4. Praise for a beautiful weather-day and time spent sitting out in the sun