hope of Jesus

As I walked through the double doors to the lobby, I took a deep breath. I mentally prepared myself for the onslaught of emotions that assails me each time I enter this building. The instant I crossed the threshold, I met mortality. It stares you straight in the face no matter where your gaze lands.

The elderly couple sitting across from each other as they sip coffee look normal until you see the IV pole standing tall beside him. When you take a closer look you can see fatigue on their faces overshadowed by the obvious love that they have for one another. I see a young girl walking by her mother and notice the pretty scarf tied to her sweet little head that is covering the ravages of chemo.

Everywhere you look, the curse of cancer is evident. There are untold stories walking the halls of MD Anderson. Stories of disbelief and horror. Anger and fear. Strength and tenacity of spirit. There are miracles taking place around each corner and miracles in progress walking through those doors daily. 

Mothers, fathers, children. Grandparents and other loved ones. Some are just beginning their journey into this world of dreaded diagnosis and treatment and others are walking a well beaten path. 

My heart hurts and I have to be careful not to utter those familiar words... 'it's not fair'. Because I know that life isn't fair. It isn't supposed to be. God created a perfect world, but it didn't stay that way long. Sin in the Garden took care of that.  But life is certainly good. God created us in His image to worship Him and to love Him. God is good and He is faithful. We aren't promised that we will never face hardships and trials in this life, but we are promised that He will walk beside us every step of the way.

"Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed , for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you.

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"

(Isaiah 41:10)

God is with us. We can walk through the valley of the shadow of death because He Is. We can rest in the confidence that He is aware of our needs. He knows. He sees. He cares.  No detail of our life goes unnoticed by the Lord. His purpose for us stems from His unending love for us. 

So, as I walk the halls of this great hospital, I can see with the eyes of our Savior. I can see with the love that He has for each person I encounter. 

 As  I talk with Mike, a 40 year old  husband and father undergoing radiation, I can impart the love of Jesus to him. He is courageously waiting for the results of tests that will tell him where he has progressed in his treatment.  He and his wife have hope. Hope that comes from their Lord.

As we talk with a young mom in the elevator, we can encourage her with the promise of prayer for her 8-year old little boy. Tristan had surgery to remove a brain tumor and is now having blood pressure problems. Even though I sense her weariness, I also sense the determination of her spirit as she fights alongside her son for his life.

We talk with a woman who is walking this journey beside her cousin who is fighting lung cancer. She knows the hope of our Lord and it was encouraging to talk with her and exchange names for the purpose of intercessory prayer. God is so good.

I pass by a young teenage boy and his dad on their way to chemo. I can sense the despair on the dad's face of having to watch his son go through this trial of pain and uncertainty. I see a young man with a mask on to prevent germs from invading his body in the now weakened state due to his treatment.  Everywhere I look there is a story to be told and prayer to be needed. I silently pray for each person in each room I pass by.

There certainly is pain on many of the faces we pass by. Pain of the unknown outcome of the journey. Pain of watching a loved one hurt.  The pain of fear itself.  But there is also the unmistakable expression of hope etched on so many. Hope for victory over evil.  Hope for a new tomorrow. Hope for healing.  Hope that comes from an intimate relationship with a personal Savior. Hope of Jesus.

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed
on us, that we should be called children of God"
(1 John 3:1)

~~~~~~
Please continue to pray for my father-in-law as we are embarked on this journey again. He will have surgery in a few weeks to remove the cancer in his pancreas and bile duct. We have been here since Wednesday night after the stent in that duct got blocked once again and had caused a bacteria to form in his bloodstream. They replaced the stent but he is still pretty sick. He is better, but we need him WELL so he can undergo the surgery to take care of this once and for all.

my trust and my hope is in Him

I was blessed with fabulous parents. They always wanted the best for me. They always supported and encouraged me even when they didn't necessarily agree with my choices. I always felt loved. I don't ever remember a time that I didn't feel safe and secure. Even after my dad was swept out of this life and into eternity with Christ, my mom has been my greatest supporter. I am sure of her love for me.

After my dad died, there was such a void in my life where my father played such an important role. And even though nobody could ever fill that place that solely belong to my daddy, I have been so blessed with a wonderful father-in-law that comes a mighty close second in that area. He has been there for me in the last 16 1/2 years and filled that void as best he could. As good as anyone can fill an unfillable void...

He has been sensitive to the pain I feel each Father's day. He remembers when my dad's birthday is around the corner and always try to let me know he remembers. And that he cares. He has been such a rock for me and I love him for loving me that much.

Papaw has been the true patriarch of the Herring family. Everyone loves him. Everyone depends upon him and his knowledge. He holds the family together. Even after he retired from preaching several years ago, he is still a much sought after Pastor and still fills the pulpit with grace and truth.

(Jimmie and Lucille Herring)


At this very moment, my husband is in Houston with his dad, awaiting the beginning of a series of appointments at M.D. Anderson starting this afternoon. On Monday, he will meet with the doctor to determine the course of action that will be taken.

About 10 years ago, my father-in-law was diagnosed with lymphoma. That came on the heels of a heart attack that came very close to taking his life. But God raised him up and he beat the odds. He had to take a very strong chemotherapy for his cancer that proceeded to shut down his kidneys and was almost too much for his body to handle. They had to begin radiation instead and after his treatments were over, Papaw had beaten cancer with the healing Hand of our Savior leading the way. He has remained cancer free until now.

After some routine blood work showed some elevated levels in his liver, they began keeping an eye on it. His levels kept rising and he began to show signs of jaundice, so they decided it was time to go a little further with their testing. After an ultrasound and CAT scan, it appeared that a gallstone was blocking the bile duct and causing the problems with his liver. On Monday, my husband took him to the surgical clinic where they were going to remove the stone through an endoscopic procedure. Only it turns out it wasn't a gallstone. It was a mass on both sides of the duct. A malignant mass. And it looked like it was also extending into the pancreas. Not a good thing.

So now he is at M.D. Anderson again. Waiting. In the meantime, we are putting our trust in our Lord.  I get my solace and my peace in the Word of God. Only there can I find the comfort and assurance I need to get me through trials. Only there can I find the sweet embrace of a loving God.

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." (Jeremiah 17:7)

He is my hope. He is my only hope. He is my refuge and my fortress. My deliverer. My peace.

For now, my father-in-law is in the hands of God. He has ordained this from the very beginning and He knows exactly what will take place. It is up to us to allow Him to do His work the way He knows best. We are praying for healing if it be the Lord's will. We are praying that God be glorified in whatever the outcome is. I love my father-in-law with all my heart. He has been part of my life for more than 26 years now. But he belongs to God and his life is in His hands. And that is where our trust and our hope reside.

For now, I am holding on to the verse God gave me when Melissa was in the hospital with Malaria. It spoke volumes then and I am praying that it speaks mightily to my heart now.

"For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds..." (Jeremiah 30:17)

Seeking Him,
Beth

Share the Gospel

It occured to me last night that in the midst of my busy life and in the midst of me pursuing my own spiritual growth and subsequent feeding of my soul, that I have neglected to truly reach out and share the gospel one-on-one with other people.

Oh, sure, I talk about the Lord with people all the time. I share my faith with others but in reality, most of the people on the other side of these conversations are those that already have a relationship with Christ.

On rare occassions, my office at work has given me an opportunity to plant some seeds, but it hasn't afforded me a real chance to lead someone to Christ.

I haven't taken the initiative or the time to get out of my comfort zone and seek out a lost soul. I haven't really been "soul conscious" of anyone's soul except mine!

It's easy to share our faith and beliefs with someone in everyday conversation. It's easy for me to talk about all the things that Christ has done and is doing in my life. But the thought of going to someone's house (uninvited) and knocking on the door and then asking them if they would let you come in and tell them about Jesus... well, that's a little harder. A tad out of my comfort zone.

But in these perilous times, we need to be sensing an urgency to get God's Word and His gospel out to a lost and dying people. A people that need Jesus in a big way. People like me and people like you. People that are hungry.

We know where to find that road map that will lead them to Jesus. We need to be willing to share that with others. We know that One who can fill them with the Holy Spirit. We know where they can taste the Living Water.

We know where they can find the food that will satisfy their hunger. After all, we are just one beggar showing another beggar where to find the bread.

Christ died for us all. We are all sinners, but for those of us who have accepted and received God's gift of salvation and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, there is forgiveness. There is hope. There is mercy. There is grace.

Let's share that with others.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)