At the end of February, a man got up in our church and reminded us that the Lord's love and patience is long-lasting and far reaching. Within the last year, our church had to "discipline out of membership" two young men. I guess the first reality to hit was that I am now in the age bracket where people start getting divorced and seeking after other things which won't make them happy. It seems like when I heard about people getting divorced because they wanted to live with someone else, they seemed sooo much older. They seemed ancient, you know, like 30 or something. :) For some reason that doesn't seem so old any more.
Anyway, to give a background on this man from church, he had been running from the Lord. He wanted to leave his wife, but she remained faithful. She was a great example of the 1 Peter wife. Back in Nov, he started getting major pains in his back and neck. His chiropractor said that he had done everything he could but he wasn't getting any better. As he was laying in bed one night, he said that his back got a sudden twinge and it sounded like a pencil snapped. Bottom line, he found out on Valentine's day that he had stage 4 cancer that had eaten so many holes in his spine that he had snapped his back. This is what God used to bring a man to Him in salvation. God will do anything to get our attention and bring us to him. God doesn't just give up on us, like we so often do to people that seem "unsaveable." (Spell check is telling me that that's not a word, but I don't know what other one to use.) This man and his wife are now living what little is left of his life they way that God intended for a Christian couple to live. The doctors said that there is a less that 3% chance he'll make it through the year. In fact, he has weakened so much that the doctors said that if he stops his chemo, he'll die before the week's end. However, if he continues on the chemo, it will kill him quickly. My flesh cries, "But it's not fair God. He got saved. He learned his lesson. He can travel and tell his testimony at youth rallies. He can do great things for you." But then, my eternal-looking side says that God's plans were laid before we even knew what would happen. Cliff's salvation didn't surprise God, so now He has to "rethink things", if I can say that without sounding sac religious. Whatever God does, He will do to receive the most glory. If God choses to take Cliff, then yes, Cliff could have traveled the youth-group circuit and given God glory, but God will receive more glory by his homegoing. Whatever happens, God will be praised. What a joy and peace to know that whatever happens in our lives, happens because God planned and allowed it for His honor and glory. Now, if only I can live with that in my mind.
Now, all that being said, here are a few pictures to lighten the mood.
Lauren doing her presidents flashcards. She wouldn't let them go this morning.
Ryan didn't want to eat cereal this morning, so here he is, working on his 3rd banana. Thank goodness Sam's has them 3 lbs for 97 cents.
Here is the beautiful hardwood floor that my ever-handy husband put down. (Please ignore the litter box.) (This is Lauren's "preschool" corner. We do the weather, days of the week, months, etc every day, as well as her behavior chart.)
Anyway, to give a background on this man from church, he had been running from the Lord. He wanted to leave his wife, but she remained faithful. She was a great example of the 1 Peter wife. Back in Nov, he started getting major pains in his back and neck. His chiropractor said that he had done everything he could but he wasn't getting any better. As he was laying in bed one night, he said that his back got a sudden twinge and it sounded like a pencil snapped. Bottom line, he found out on Valentine's day that he had stage 4 cancer that had eaten so many holes in his spine that he had snapped his back. This is what God used to bring a man to Him in salvation. God will do anything to get our attention and bring us to him. God doesn't just give up on us, like we so often do to people that seem "unsaveable." (Spell check is telling me that that's not a word, but I don't know what other one to use.) This man and his wife are now living what little is left of his life they way that God intended for a Christian couple to live. The doctors said that there is a less that 3% chance he'll make it through the year. In fact, he has weakened so much that the doctors said that if he stops his chemo, he'll die before the week's end. However, if he continues on the chemo, it will kill him quickly. My flesh cries, "But it's not fair God. He got saved. He learned his lesson. He can travel and tell his testimony at youth rallies. He can do great things for you." But then, my eternal-looking side says that God's plans were laid before we even knew what would happen. Cliff's salvation didn't surprise God, so now He has to "rethink things", if I can say that without sounding sac religious. Whatever God does, He will do to receive the most glory. If God choses to take Cliff, then yes, Cliff could have traveled the youth-group circuit and given God glory, but God will receive more glory by his homegoing. Whatever happens, God will be praised. What a joy and peace to know that whatever happens in our lives, happens because God planned and allowed it for His honor and glory. Now, if only I can live with that in my mind.
Now, all that being said, here are a few pictures to lighten the mood.
Lauren doing her presidents flashcards. She wouldn't let them go this morning.
Ryan didn't want to eat cereal this morning, so here he is, working on his 3rd banana. Thank goodness Sam's has them 3 lbs for 97 cents.
Here is the beautiful hardwood floor that my ever-handy husband put down. (Please ignore the litter box.) (This is Lauren's "preschool" corner. We do the weather, days of the week, months, etc every day, as well as her behavior chart.)
2 comments:
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. It was such a great reminder of the truth that He does what is best for us even when we don't get it or understand. I appreciate your sharing with us also how your church handles this. Often these types of things get swept under the rug but they are "things" that he can use (although hurtful) to wake us up and perhaps bring someone back to Him. Praise Him for what he is doing in this couples lives. Thanks for the post. I read it twice :)
Wow! What an awesome story! What an awesome God we serve! To God be the glory!
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