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Why Do Bad Things Happen?
Comfort for Julie
Near the beginning of this booklet, I mentioned that I was in a waiting room while my wife, Julie, was undergoing surgery. I’ve asked Julie to share what God has been teaching her during her illness.
From the initial diagnosis of cancer, to treatment, and beyond can seem like a long process. After the surgeon removed the cancerous tissue, I began six and a half weeks of daily radiation therapy. I am in the middle of that therapy now.
Sometimes I feel strong and sense God’s presence. Other times I feel sad and vulnerable. But how I feel at the moment does not alter the certainty of God love and his promises.
This experience is teaching me to express my physical and emotional needs to close friends, rather than try to “soldier on.” When I feel weak, it does me no good to deny it or fight it. When I admit the times that I’m not feeling well, I recognize more clearly that my rest is in Jesus. Then I take a deep breath, put my feet up, and relax.
Keeping a sense of humor helps when people say unusual things. A friend asked me, “How does radiation work? Do you just lie down and they kill you with x-rays?” As soon as the words came out, she felt so embarrassed. We laughed together as I gave a brief explanation of the process of therapy.
I’ve told my husband and others how much I appreciate their prayers to God on my behalf. Especially when they pray aloud in my presence, I feel so blessed as I pray along silently.
In the radiation therapy waiting room I’m getting to know people I never would have met otherwise. We encourage each other, and God has given me opportunities to tell them about God’s constant care in the midst of trials like cancer.
My appointments at radiation therapy are daily reminders that I am mortal. While many people are ignoring the fact that they are going to die someday, I can’t escape it. But that is a blessing, because it leads me to lean even more on God’s promises, like when Jesus says, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). Yes!!
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