The Gift of Life
I invite you to slow down, regroup and assess how you are doing at living your life intentionally. Life is a gift and it is not guaranteed. Yesterday I prayed with and counseled the spouse whose husband is battling “Glioblastoma,” an aggressive brain cancer. Few survive this nasty cancer for long. I hate the word. It is a brutal and merciless cancer.
We talked about the steps that most take; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
We then talked about how Jesus processed his pain, being brutally honest with His Father, sweating drops of blood, falling to the ground in pain from carrying the full load of the wrath of God for our sin. Jesus expressed his heart, that if there was another way, let this cup pass. He prayed and received from His Father what he needed to go through the horrors of the cross before experiencing the victory at the resurrection.
“Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."” Matthew 26:38-39 ESV
It is important for people who are grieving, to express their pain out loud without feeling guilty. As messy and awkward and uncomfortable as that is, it is what the church should be doing as standard operating procedure.
I invited this spouse to talk and share and be openly transparent about the pain of seeing a loved one suffer. I was so honored to be invited into such a precious season of life. I wanted this to be a safe place for expressing unsafe emotions, fear, loneliness, lostness, inadequacy and regrets.
It is not uncommon for cancer survivors to express the concept that cancer is a gift to them, because it caused them to make the most of every opportunity to express love and appreciation for those around them. They realize that life is a gift and there is no guarantee for how long we have on this planet.
Is there someone you need to contact and express your love? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone you need to thank? Don’t put it off, don’t let the opportunity pass while you have it...
