Time for the family.

Maybe I am over reacting, but cancer has brought us face to face with the shortness and value of our remaining life. Our relationship to God becomes our top priority, and our relationship within the family second. So we have invested four days in visiting my mother, a lady who is 91 years old, but still mentally alert and physically well. This trip we discussed when she should give up driving her car!

How do you break such bad news to an old lady who has enough of her own problems? Our concern was solved when she asked about our plans for a summer holiday. We explained that Jan was recently diagnosed, and we could not plan a holiday until we knew of plans for treatment.

In more detail my diary is:

13 Feb, Read from book of Job, a classic on suffering. Job saw physical healing, yet at the end of the book in Job chapter 42 verse 17 we read "Job died, old and full of years". So death is inevitable, all we do by healing is put our clocks back to God's perfect timing. I listen to an MP3 by Mark Talbot, a man paralysed since he was 17 years old. He talks on Joseph who suffered imprisonment in Egypt, yet God meant it for good. So our suffering can be for good. The talk is at http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByConference/1/1671. Mark's story is mentioned in this blog http://www.reformation21.org/Reformation_21_Blog/Reformation_21_Blog/58/month__200508/pg__3/vobId__550/

12 Feb, Listen to John Piper's intro to a healing conference. He states there are 2 types of healing, the immediate physical healing, and the more long term route in which there is no physical healing yet God bears us up in our troubles. He states it is important to see and know the difference, and to be sensitive and pray correctly dependent upon circumstances and what God is doing in each case. So far I have had no indication from God in my prayer time that he is offering immediate healing in this case. All our bible readings have been about how God supports us in our troubles. John Piper's talk is at http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByConference/1/227

Mum says "it can be best not to talk about cancer". I disagree! I presume she doesn't want to talk about our mortality and the inevitability of death, even though she is 91 years old and admits she may not be here by next Christmas. She was able to joke with us about the likelihood that Janet would need a wig however!

The bible encourages us to pray without ceasing, and Jan and I agreed to pray about this disease "morning, noon and night". I try to pray whilst driving home, a 240 mile or so journey. I find there is no way with our speed cameras etc., I must have passed 200 or so on that single journey! A moments loss of concentration could so easily end in a fine.

11 Feb, Both Jan and I separately have the chorus "Faithful one" written by Brian Doerkson put into our minds. It runs:

Faithful one so unchanging
Ageless one you're my rock of peace
Lord of all I depend on You
I call out to you again and again
I call out to you again and again.
You are my rock in times of trouble
You pick me up when I fall down
All through the storm Your love is the anchor
My hope is in you alone

The words above are taken from http://www.nme.com/video/id/Cwn9ycaDSzU/search/unchanging, and is a great encouragement. Please excuse the poor "YouTube" video!

10 Feb. We watch a Sunday morning TV program called "The Big Question". It dealt with faith healing, and had two Christians who gave testimony, one healed 20 years ago from cancer where doctors had given him just 2 weeks to live, the other a lady healed from arthritis. Encouraging!

9 Feb. We receive letter from hospital giving Jan an appointment with doctor for 19 Feb 2008. At that point we will be told the recommended treatment.

We study Psalm 28. In verse 8 it reads "the Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one". Also in verse 7 it states "My heart leaps for joy, I will give thanks to him in song". It seems that many find singing hymns to themselves can encourage them in times of trouble. I try it when walking by myself and escape certification as insane!