Suffering and Dying - May 20, 2013

I hate cancer.  That is what my friend Helen said in her latest e-mail. I cut and pasted some of her e-mail here.

Hi Karri - after a horrible 8 months of terrible suffering - the Lord in His mercy took my dad home last Friday night. He has stage 4 prostate cancer that spread to his bones. I was able to go back twice in 8 months -spending a total of 3 months at my dad's side in beautiful Grotto Bay South Africa. I have never witness such suffering. He went in less than a year from a strong 160 lb marathon athlete to a 110lb old man bend double from pain and bone loss. How I hate cancer. He just turned 70 in Feb.


God however saved my dad. He brought our family closer. He gave me a relationship with my dad. He showed me what suffering was and what dying grace was.

In the end- life is hard but God is good.
RIP Dr. Philip Theron 2/5/43 - 5/11/13

Keeping busy helps me deal with the sadness; the often truth of cancer’s crushing hand and the toll it takes on the people who are left on earth is heartbreaking.  My friend Stacy had her mother pass unexpectedly (not from cancer) at the age of 64 and a month later she still has horrible days of sadness and tries hard to keep it all together. This week has been a sad one for me as I have had several connections with people that found they either have cancer or have had loved ones, like Helen’s father die from cancer. I'd love to move on in life and say I have been cured from cancer and never hear its name uttered again, but that’s an impossibility.  Cancer is everywhere and no respecter of persons.

There is a man in the neighborhood that has stage 4 brain cancer, a loving wife, several children, and he keeps on going and trusting in Jesus.  It’s very inspiring to see how well they are dealing with this. Those with cancer, have very different views on healing and of life, however in the end we all have the same fear which is to say goodbye to this world earlier than we wanted to.

It’s difficult to see those with sickness and disease suffer, and then to see friends and family grieve their loved ones when they have died.  Obviously, it doesn't matter how death comes it always hard to say goodbye and then go on to miss those people in our lives.  I love how Helen even in her sadness gives God glory and thanks Him for the good that was brought about before her father’s passing. God however saved my dad. He brought our family closer. He gave me a relationship with my dad. He showed me what suffering was and what dying with grace was.

Having cancer past or present brings it all closer to home because we all know too well that we ourselves could die through suffering over a period.  It can be scary if you stop and think about it. I thought about death and leaving my family a lot when I was going through chemo. I hardly ever do now unless I am reminded of it through friends.

Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

We read scripture and we know that our suffering is for the reason of being glorified with him. He is growing us  and others close to us through our suffering! What an awesome God we serve to know that he has a plan and purpose in everything. I know that truth will help me whenever I get close to dying be it at 45 or 95. Going to scripture as a Christian we are reminded of our hope and this gives us peace. I pray for those that are ignorant to the truth and do not have the hope of Jesus in their lives. I hope you will pray for those people with me. If you are not a Christian, please seek the word of God and ask that the Lord reveal himself to you, say the sinners prayer, tell Christians you may know and then get plugged into a church to learn more and grow in Christ. It really is that easy to have hope eternal and peace everlasting.
I’ll leave with some more scriptures on the subject of death, which for Christians  is just a passing to heaven.

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

John 14:1-4 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Here's a couple videos  that I thought went well with this topic:

 Tenth Avenue North - Worn

Chris Tomlin -I Will Rise 

Please pray for the lost and those suffering, sad and lonely. 

Blessings,

Karri