Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Word on Wednesday...

Exodus 14:14, "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 23:4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Isaiah 49:13, "Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones."

2 Corinthians 1:5, "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

Psalm 29:11, "The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace."

Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

We've all heard these verses, and even quoted them to our family/friends in their times of pain. We say that we believe them and live by them, but do we really? What if you were diagnosed with a fatal disease and given only 2 months to 2 years to live. Would you remember these verses? Would you, "cast all your anxiety on Him" or ask "Why?!" Would you, "Be still and know that He is God" or be frantic with worry and anxiety? Would you, "shout for joy... rejoice... burst into song, knowing that the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones" or cry, complain, and gripe about your plight? I would really hope that I would trust in my Heavenly Father and continue to give Him glory and praise for the life that He has blessed me with. For it is not my life, but His. I hope that I would have Paul's attitude: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

You are probably wondering what in the world brought up this topic? Well, I have a dear friend that I taught with for 3 years who was just diagnosed with extensive small cell lung cancer that has spread to her liver. This is an extremely fast-growing and aggressive cancer, for which there is no cure. Without treatment, the doctor estimated that she would have 30 to 6o days to live. With aggressive treatment, that could possibly be extended to 6 months to 2 years.

I have always thought of her as an incredible woman of God. She is the kind of woman that you think, "I want to be more like her." She always has a smile on her face and sweet, uplifting words on her mouth. In three years of teaching with her, I never saw her lose her temper, say a negative word, or bring anyone down. When all the other teachers were griping about testing, the lack of snow days, trying students, etc, she just smiled and had something encouraging and positive to say. I know that when someone has a fatal illness or has passed away, people always say nice, positive things about that person. But I truly would (and did) say these things a year ago. Now, her light shines more than ever as she continues to give glory to God. She is trusting in Him and being more positive and encouraging than ever. She is truly an inspiration and blessing to those around her.

To read about her journey, visit her blog at: vickidees.blogspot.com
She is the adorable blonde grandma!!
(Be sure to read her profile and testimony on the left side of her blog.)

10 comments:

Julie said...

I am sorry to hear about your friend. But what a great testimony she has had for others to see.

I had a lot of catching up to do when I clicked on your blog. What a fun time you had over the weekend!!

Mandy said...

Oh Amy, I am so sorry to hear about your friend. That is so awesome that she is being so positive though. I will be praying for her and her family during this difficult time!

Jessica said...

Goodness! What horrible news! I know you will uplift her, Amy. My prayers are for a full recovery.

Faith said...

Praying for your friend. These are wonderful scriptures...thank you so much for sharing them!

destiny said...

My favorite verse is Psalm 46:10.
Thank you for sharing all of these.

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

Sincere prayers go out to your friend. I was so inspired by the guy on Dateline that was told he had only a short time to live and he lived it. I mean lived (he is still alive) but he is taking the time to live each day to the fullest, teaching others how to live through his eminent death. I feel that God is in control and to his will it will be done. I would like to think I would react the same as this guy. I am off to read your friends blog. Again, prayer s to her,her doctors family and friends.

Peace.

Angela said...

I haven't checked out her blog yet but this W on W is especially important to me as we have just found out that Chad's mom has cancer.

I'll go check out your friends blog. Thanks!

The "W" Family said...

I know who she is! Her family and David's know eachother well. I'll have to check out her blog.

The book is called Instant Bible Lessons for Preschoolers, I am God's Child by Rainbow books. It is really good. have a good week!

Candy said...

I'm about to click over to her blog now. Thanks for sharing this and these wonderful verses. :)

Melissa said...

How sad about your friend's news. What an inspiration though! I hope I could be that way in tough situations!