My Lovely Bride

Dacula, Georgia (ACN)

On Monday November 24th, 2008 (I believe that was the date) Stephanie and I sat in her surgeon's office and they told us what options she had as regards removing a lump that had been found in her breast. It was all matter of fact and I don't think either of us had yet felt the impact of what was coming. This meeting with the doctor was as a result of Stephanie having had a mammogram a couple of weeks earlier.

So we elected to have the lump removed prior to biopsy, because we felt it better to be rid of the lump, rather than having to come back after the biosy and have to do surgery on a second visit with the surgeon, if it turned out that the lump was cancer.

On Tuesday December 2, we went in for the surgery and by this time we had already begun in earnest to pray for a miracle of healing from the Great Physician, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Jesus had apparently decided that He was not at that time going to heal Stephanie with a miracle, and indeed the doctors removed not just one lump but two.

When the doctors nonchalantly told Stephanie that they were going to "remove both of them this morning", she mentally did a back flip, thinking they must have her confused with someone else. She only had one lump and that was that. There weren't going to be two of anything removed. As it turned out, there was no confusion, at least not about the one lump or two, but they had failed to communicate to her the fact that she had two lumps in the first place. As I said, they removed two lumps.

So then the impact of the journey set in as we began to wait for the results of the biopsy. On Friday December 5th around 10:00am, Stephanie received word that indeed the lumps were cancer. What stage was the cancer? What do we do next? We had many questions and there was only one answer, wait until next Tuesday when the doctors will know more and we can sit down with them and discuss everything.

So now it is Monday afternoon on December 8th and we wait. Tommorow we will know more.

Yes, Stephanie was upset on Friday morning when she received word of the biopsy results. Yes, she had a little pity party for a while. She came home and we went to lunch and to a movie to see Four Christmases. By the evening Stephanie had settled down and was now out of her pity party and feeling better. However, I continued to worry, since I didn't want to bother God with this. LOL

I spent the weekend doing the usual things but without a whole lot of joy, all the while praying for a miracle of healing and praying for strength. The love of my life, the gift from God had cancer. I knew better than to ask why? Oh you say, why not ask God why? Well I will tell you why you do not ask why (sounding a bit like Dr. Seuss).

When you ask the question why, are you not saying that somehow you are not deserving of this treatment? Are you not saying that somehow God has made a mistake and has not recognized that you deserve better. My answer to that and I believe God's answer to that is to reminnd you of His man Job. Here is what God said of Job and I quote from Job 1:8

Job 1:8 (NASB)

8The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no
one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning
away from evil."

You know the story of Job. God allowed Satan to kill his family, except his wife, to take away all of his possesions and to harm Job's health. However, God did not allow Satan to kill Job. God said of Job that he was righteous and Job was righteous and never cursed God even though his wife urged him to.

In the end God restored to Job all that he had previously had and doubled it. God restored everything to Job because Job was faithful, if a little demanding (read chapter 38 to the end of the book).

So I look at our lives and I certainly cannot put either of us above Job and say that somehow we are too good to be treated in such a harsh manner as to have cancer. I do know that God has a plan for us and that if we continue in faith, loving God and loving each other that He will keep us safe from the evil one and that He will take us home to be with Him in His own time.

I love my wife and I love my Lord Jesus and we both know that come what may, our heavenly Father has our lives in His control. We know that our Lord Jesus has the power to heal and when it is in His plan to do so He does, whether here on earth in an outright miracle, through doctors and medicine or through taking us home to heaven. Praise God He is in control.

We do not claim to know where this will lead but we trust that Jesus will look out for both of us all along the way. I am reminded of what Paul had to say about life when he wrote to the Philipians in Philipians 1:21-26.

Philipians 1:21-26 (NASB)
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
23But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
24yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,
26so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

Do I still want to grow old with my bride here on earth, sure I do. God put that desire in my heart, but I also know that there is no guarantee of long life and so all I can do is trust that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will take care of Stephanie as He pleases.

So we wait and we pray and tomorrow the doctors will tell us their plan and no matter what happens, none of this comes as a surprise to our Lord Jesus. He knew from the foundations of the Earth that this would happen to us and since that time He has had a plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11.

Even so come Lord Jesus!

Andy