Wednesday, March 12, 2008
II Corinthians 1:3-11
Several years ago Cindy shot a video testimony of a man who was battling cancer. He had accepted the fact that if God didn’t save him, he was going to die. He talked of the agony he felt about leaving his family and giving his six year old son an honest answer when he asked: “Daddy, are you going to die?” At the same time, he longed for the day he would be free of the physical pain and be held in Jesus’ arms. He was at peace with what God was going to do: Heal him or call him home.
“Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God…”
Do I have enough faith to experience comfort and hope in the face of death? I don’t even have enough to experience it in the face of a stack of bills. The passage tells us that God comforts us so that we can comfort others. My self-reliance not only deprives me of the peace God wants to give me, it deprives me of the ability to pass it on to others.
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As I read your story I couldn't help but wonder what became of the man and his family. Did God heal him? Did they find some way to resolve the pain and loss and unfair treatment? Thank you for not telling us. What I found is that I want a happy ending or I threaten to take my faith back. Somehow, Paul seemed to think that whatever the reason for our pain, we should accept the responsibility of our pain: sharing the burden of others. That is something I can't leave behind.
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