"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." -- 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Has this ever been you? Pleading, praying, begging God to remove a negative thought, an illness, a judgement, a financial burden? In our weakest times, as we plead and talk with God, that is when His power is made perfect in us. It's so hard to wrap my mind around that sometimes. As our family rallied around my father-in-law, Brick, as he battled metastatic melanoma cancer, there God was, with us. We prayed daily for Brick's healing. He prayed daily for his healing. Even on hospice, where someone from the outside would see little hope, he read his Bible and praised Jesus for another day. I had never personally seen physical suffering, where cancer completely takes over someone's body before. It's scary. It disfigures. It breaks bones. It takes away motor functions. It makes it physically difficult to talk, to eat, to swallow. It is an evil illness. And in the midst of this we prayed.
On Saturday, May 10th, 2014, my father-in-law, Brick, graduated to heaven. All of his suffering from this horrific illness was taken away. In Revelation 21:4 we are promised that in heaven, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
I am so thankful for the time that God gave us Brick. He was a man of great faith. As he would say, "I know where I'm going." That doesn't mean he didn't question... Why him? Why us? Why now? But he did have a peace that comes only from having a personal relationship with Jesus. And, let me tell you about the strong woman that stood by his side through the whole thing. She cared for him, like nothing I have ever witnessed. Whenever he would say her name, she would literally run, yes run, to his side to address his needs. And she prayed. She prayed so hard. She continues to pray, because as she would tell you, "I praise the Lord in the good times and the bad." They are both such tremendous examples of what living out Christian faith looks like in good and bad times. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my family.
In the past 25 months, our immediate family has experienced three deaths. They hurt. There are tears. There is adjusting to the new normal. But most importantly, in the midst of all our chaos, our hurt, our questions, and our tears, we find comfort in knowing that God is mourning with us for our loss. He is bringing us comfort and hope. His power is made perfect in our weakness.
Poppa Brick-
I remember the first time Marie ever showed me your picture. She thought you were so handsome. But as time went on, it wasn't your good looks that won us all over, but it was your faith in our Savior. I remember when you came over to our house for the first time & the very unique way that you play pool. The best part was, you didn't know what was so funny about it! I remember our time at the cabin together, where we came to realize that you and I were definitely the competitive ones between the four of us, although we didn't want to admit it. I remember when you decided to propose, and you called me at work to chat about it. I remember your wedding day, how all you wanted was perfection for your beautiful bride, and then the fire alarm went off. I remember how happy you were to meet Paisley for the first time. Most of all, I remember how you embraced each one of us as your own children. You talked with us, supported us, and loved us. The time we were given with you was simply not enough. Until we see you again, know that we are doing our best to love the ones that you love, down here on earth. We love you!
Has this ever been you? Pleading, praying, begging God to remove a negative thought, an illness, a judgement, a financial burden? In our weakest times, as we plead and talk with God, that is when His power is made perfect in us. It's so hard to wrap my mind around that sometimes. As our family rallied around my father-in-law, Brick, as he battled metastatic melanoma cancer, there God was, with us. We prayed daily for Brick's healing. He prayed daily for his healing. Even on hospice, where someone from the outside would see little hope, he read his Bible and praised Jesus for another day. I had never personally seen physical suffering, where cancer completely takes over someone's body before. It's scary. It disfigures. It breaks bones. It takes away motor functions. It makes it physically difficult to talk, to eat, to swallow. It is an evil illness. And in the midst of this we prayed.
On Saturday, May 10th, 2014, my father-in-law, Brick, graduated to heaven. All of his suffering from this horrific illness was taken away. In Revelation 21:4 we are promised that in heaven, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
I am so thankful for the time that God gave us Brick. He was a man of great faith. As he would say, "I know where I'm going." That doesn't mean he didn't question... Why him? Why us? Why now? But he did have a peace that comes only from having a personal relationship with Jesus. And, let me tell you about the strong woman that stood by his side through the whole thing. She cared for him, like nothing I have ever witnessed. Whenever he would say her name, she would literally run, yes run, to his side to address his needs. And she prayed. She prayed so hard. She continues to pray, because as she would tell you, "I praise the Lord in the good times and the bad." They are both such tremendous examples of what living out Christian faith looks like in good and bad times. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my family.
In the past 25 months, our immediate family has experienced three deaths. They hurt. There are tears. There is adjusting to the new normal. But most importantly, in the midst of all our chaos, our hurt, our questions, and our tears, we find comfort in knowing that God is mourning with us for our loss. He is bringing us comfort and hope. His power is made perfect in our weakness.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Poppa Brick-
I remember the first time Marie ever showed me your picture. She thought you were so handsome. But as time went on, it wasn't your good looks that won us all over, but it was your faith in our Savior. I remember when you came over to our house for the first time & the very unique way that you play pool. The best part was, you didn't know what was so funny about it! I remember our time at the cabin together, where we came to realize that you and I were definitely the competitive ones between the four of us, although we didn't want to admit it. I remember when you decided to propose, and you called me at work to chat about it. I remember your wedding day, how all you wanted was perfection for your beautiful bride, and then the fire alarm went off. I remember how happy you were to meet Paisley for the first time. Most of all, I remember how you embraced each one of us as your own children. You talked with us, supported us, and loved us. The time we were given with you was simply not enough. Until we see you again, know that we are doing our best to love the ones that you love, down here on earth. We love you!
Comments