When I refer to CJ’s “status”, most folks think of her physical status in relation to her cancer. To be honest, it is not good. She is getting weaker each week, and struggles with shortness of breath and water retention as symptoms of this cancer. Fortunately, the pain has been quite manageable and the medication is doing the trick in keeping the pain down. It’s also good that she is still fully alert and enjoys reading, watching TV, listening to praise music, doing her Bible studies, and is still active on social media with friends. Saturday all of our kids & grandkids came over for the day and that was wonderful to have all 17 of us together!

While we both continue to pray for God’s  physical healing and have no doubt he can do that, and we know many of you are praying that as well, it is becoming more likely that God is not going to do that. CJ’s body is dying, and we are certainly aware of God’s presence and leading as we go through this process. As humans there is no easy way to go through this process, and to put it in human (not spiritual) terms, dying sucks! We both grieve those things we will never do together any more, and CJ grieves especially not seeing our 9 grandkids grow up, get married, etc. As those of you who have gone through this experience of losing a spouse, child, parent, relative, or friend, you know life is never always fair and the way we think it should be! It is easy as we face the process of physical death to fall prey to fear, discouragement, and hopelessness, especially if you don’t believe there is life after death.

BUT FOR THE CHRISTIAN, WE CAN HAVE HOPE AND ASSURANCE THAT THE DEATH OF OUR BODIES IS NOT THE END, BUT RATHER A CONTINUAITON AND FULFILLMENT OF A WONDERFUL NEW LIFE FULLY LIVED IN GOD’S ETERNAL KINGDOM!

In God’s viewpoint, CJ’s status is not is not of one a dying person but that of a daughter of the King, who will live forever with God in his coming Kingdom of Heaven. Remember that when Jesus came his message was of the good news of a coming Kingdom, to begin in the lives and hearts of his followers which is the Church, but to be fulfilled in the future when he returns to earth and establishes his Kingdom forever! CJ is already a member of the Kingdom because of her faith in Jesus and what he did for us on the cross, NOT because she is a “good person”. (Now, before I get in trouble for that, realize that compared to most people, and to me, she is an exceedingly wonderful person! But the Bible makes it clear that NONE of us are “good enough” to get into the Kingdom on our own works or goodness, and that is why we must trust in Jesus alone):

¹⁶  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 (ESV)

SO, KNOWING THAT ALL OF US ARE GOING TO DIE PHYSICALLY AT SOME POINT, WHAT IS THE  HOPE AND PROMISE THAT GOD HAS FOR US TO COUNTER OUR FEARS AND DISCOURAGEMENT?

1) Even though our bodies will die, WE will not!

In John 11:25, 26 it says
²⁵  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Both Peter & Paul refer to our bodies as “tents” in the New Testament. I like this analogy, because tents (or today’s version as motor homes) are great places to spend a few nights, but they are not meant to be permanent dwellings. Paul explains in II Corinthians 5 that we will eventually get NEW bodies in the Kingdom, which will never die or get sick:

¹  For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ²  For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, ³  if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. ⁴  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. – 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (ESV)
Just a word of caution: while all of us will continue living after death, Jesus teaches that only those who put their trust in him and ask for forgiveness and trust their lives to his Lordship will enter his Kingdom. All others, who freely choose not to follow him, will be separated from God forever in what Jesus describes as Hell. So, please choose wisely! 

⁵  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
⁶  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  – John 14:5-6 (ESV)

Although I hate what this cancer has done to my wife, and the pain and suffering she is going through, I find great comfort, peace, and hope in knowing that physical death will not be the end of her life at all! I believe with complete confidence, without a doubt, that this beautiful, kind, talented, amazing God-honoring  woman that I have shared life with for 43 years will at some point step out her body and walk into the arms of Jesus. Her life will be better and more amazing than we can imagine. And I’m sure that I will join her and many others in this amazing new life in God’s kingdom, a life that God meant us to have from the beginning of creation.

2) God can use the worst in life to bring us closer to him and offer us hope for a wonderful future of redemption and restoration of what was meant to be!

Consider some of these classic passages from Pauls’ writings in Romans 8:
¹⁸  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ²⁸  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ³¹  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³⁵  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹  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.

This near 18-month journey of CJ’s cancer has been at times discouraging, fearful, and has brought us to question God’s plan and the depth of our own faith at times. But it has also brought many unexpected “God moments” where he has spoken to us and others through this trial.  In spite of questions, I believe we have each drawn closer to God and trust him now more fully than ever. In many ways it has also brought CJ and I closer, appreciating just how much God has blessed us in 43 years together! It has brought our family closer together, and enabled us to talk about more serious issues in life and express how much we appreciate each other, and how proud we are of our sons and daughters-in-law. CJ has had wonderful conversations with old friends on Facebook or in person that would not have happened otherwise.  And through the marvel of the internet we have had wonderful conversations with you folks on CJ’s Facebook update page and my blog page as well. Your thoughts and prayers for us have not only strengthened us, but they have a profound effect on others in our circle as well. God has used our faith journey to speak to and strengthen other as well. SO, as awful as this has been, he has used it to strengthen us, strengthen many of you, and hopefully convince most of us that as we trust in Jesus, we have a future forever with God that is better than we can imagine!

  3) God wants us to work together as brothers & sisters to “walk each other home”, along with Jesus, of course.

Recently we heard someone express the idea that we Christians are here to “walk each other home”.  I like that idea. We need each other to navigate through this sin-stained world and make it to our future destination with God in his Kingdom.  King David had a similar thought in Psalm 23, although he pointed out that God is our shepherd and will lead us on our journey home:

 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ²  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. ³  He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ⁴  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ⁵  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.- Psalm 23:1-6 (ESV)
What a great reminder! God leads us to still waters, he restores our soul, he leads us down his path for our life, and when the time comes, he will walk and guide us through the valley of the shadow of death, so that we can dwell with him in his Kingdom forever!

However, the walk for us is not clear all the time. We trust God, we encourage each other, we read and obey God’s direction in the Bible, and then we walk by faith through life. After Paul talked about our bodies being “tents” and the Kingdom our destination, he goes on to say that right now we must walk by faith in God, because we don’t see clearly all that God has in store for us:

⁶  So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, ⁷  for we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (ESV)

My friends, I ask that you walk with us on our walk home to Jesus, as you pray with us and encourage us. We are so grateful that you  have done that in amazing ways over these last 18 months, and it has gotten us to this point, and we know with your support and Jesus’ guidance, we will get home just fine.

Truth is, none of really know when our walk will end and we finally get home.  Each of us walks one day at a time, by faith.

But the good news of the gospel is that when we finally get home, we will no longer walk by faith, because then we will see God clearly and finally understand his goodness and grace and his plan for our life. Then, we will walk by sight!

Please pray for CJ and me, as well as yourself, that our walk will be filled with God’s peace and joy, and that God will lead us home gently and holding our hand all the way!

Walk together, and walk with God!