Living Out 1 Thessalonians 5

Friday was one of the most fun days I have had in a long time. It was the day my family got together to celebrate Father’s Day. Most of my family was all together. We had so much fun just because we were together. What we didn’t know was the incredible blessing it was going to be just to be together on that particular day. Thursday evening I had been in Dallas for an event and I got back to the house a little after midnight. My parents had gotten home just a little bit earlier from going down to Houston to see my uncle in the hospital. One of my brothers and his boys were already there but I expected that everyone would be asleep. Most everyone was asleep, except my mom. She gave me an update on my uncle, he seemed to be doing a little better and told me the plan was for him to move to a cardiac rehab facility next week. Then she told me that the results from her biopsy on Wednesday might be posted online. She wanted to look and wanted me to read through it with her. (In the last 8 months I have become pretty proficient at reading medical test results.) We logged in and the results were posted. The biopsy was positive. She has breast cancer. From my basic understanding it looked as though this may be an early stage, but while I am proficient at reading these things, I am not an expert. Friday while we were all out on the golf course the doctor called my mom and told her a little more. It does seem to be fairly early stage and looks to be non-invasive. That is a good thing. She is going to meet with a surgeon and oncologist very soon and then they will put a plan into place. It was so good that we were together for that news. It was so good that I had my brothers right by my side, that my parents had all three of their children right there with them.

When my mom told me she had to have a second mammogram I wasn’t too concerned. The day she had the second mammogram she found out she needed to have the biopsy. She told me and then less than 5 minutes later my uncle called me and told me he was in the ER and had probably had a heart attack. That was rough. That is when things started to feel overwhelming. We had just been through so much, too much as one of my dad’s doctors has said multiple times. But I serve a God who is so much bigger than multiple cancer diagnoses and heart issues. He is so much bigger! Two days later, a couple of Thursdays ago, I had a fairly busy day, but I ended up with about an hour break late in the day. I was in Tyler, and I wanted to work, but my mind couldn’t do it. So I went to the Tyler campus of my church. The lights in the sanctuary were off, except for a few random strobes. Sorry to the lighting guys if I delayed your work on the program for Sunday! I went to one end of the alter and I just wept. I was sobbing, on my knees, face in the carpet. I had to lay it all at the feet of Jesus right there. I had to have time with my heavenly Father, letting him know my fears of how I was going to survive all of this again. And as He always does, He met me right there. Peace rushed over me.

So late Thursday night, a week after that time on the sanctuary floor with Jesus, when my mom and I read those results, I wasn’t fearful. On Friday night my brothers and I let each other know that we are all here for all of it as we know my dad has an eye surgery and another pet scan upcoming, my mom has tests and surgery and/or treatments ahead, and my uncle will need us in the coming days/weeks. I cried in that conversation but not out of fear or worry, out of thankfulness to have my brothers by my side. Yesterday morning, when my uncle’s ICU nurse called with updates that weren’t the best news I was able to ask questions without tears or trembling in my voice. I was able to listen and process all of the information. I talked to my parents about the info. I talked with my brothers about the info and I called a couple of my uncle’s friends.

Then yesterday afternoon an overwhelming wave of gratitude washed over me. I was weeping. I am so thankful that I have BOTH of my brothers by my side in this. Two and a half years ago that was a real concern. I am so thankful that I have my dad by my side in this. I am so thankful that we are able to do this again for my uncle, that he survived all that he went through at the end of 2020. Side note: Did I tell you about the day in early January when a doctor called and told me that my uncle had passed away? No? Well that is a story that needs to be told in person. Feel free to ask when you see me. I’m telling you, no one could make all of this stuff up!

What I am most grateful about is that God is still good. He is still faithful. My circumstances don’t determine whether or not God is good. He defines good! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” This is God’s will. So, my prayer is to live out these verses every day. I will be joyful. I will continue to pray, believe me I cannot stop praying, I won’t ever stop, it's my lifeline! I will be thankful in ALL circumstances.

My mom is being the incredible rock that she always is. She’s not looking forward to all of this but she wants to get it over with. My dad is stoic as usual. That’s both sides of his face, not just the right side. Hehe. He doesn’t like that my mom is going to have to go through this, but he has lived the most incredible miracles over the last 8 months so he knows first hand about God’s ability to heal.

I'm heading to Houston tomorrow. This trip was already planned to see a friend, but now I will spend some time with my uncle too. I'm grateful to be able to go, and also to have one of my closest friends by my side to continue to process all of this. I'm not sure how I will feel when I walk into Methodist hospital tomorrow. Last time I was there I spent a lot of time praying for miraculous healing and praising Him for his faithfulness. That certainly won't change this time. I will keep praising Him and trusting in His goodness!

God is faithful! I can’t wait to see what He does next!!!