Monday and Tuesday found me in Springfield, Missouri speaking to a group of pastors from surrounding states and to students at a Bible College. I had not been on the campus of this particular campus for years, but I was pleased to discover a couple of friends from many years ago, including the college president whom I had last seen in a similar position in Boston. I love being around students and I love to reconnect with old friends.
Another person with whom I reconnected was a man named Jim Smith. No, that’s really his name. His father was also named Jim Smith, and was sent out from our church as a missionary to Mexico in the early 50′s. All of his ten children faithfully serve God. His namesake ended up ministering for many years in Quito, Ecuador. The amazing Rachel Saint was a member of his church in her later years, and it was my joy to meet her there and enjoy dinner in her home. When I was last with Jim and his wife Sharon in Quito, his children, Zack and Stacy were still at home. Great kids! Jim is now a mission executive and Sharon also works in the office.
Jim and I exchanged a good Latin abrazo and relished the moment of seeing each other again after so many years. Jim is an upbeat, pleasant man who is very comfortable wearing a smile most of the time. We caught up on a number of life’s details.
Zach is married, has three children and living in Anderson, South Carolina, Jim told me.
His next words were like a surprise kick in the gut.
Zach has stage 4 colon cancer and will probably die in the next few months.
I hurt because my brother was hurting. I stopped and prayed for them right then and there. Do you every pray when you have no idea what to say?
Then, we walked across the street to Sharon’s office so I could pray over them again without knowing what to say except to commend them to the grace of a loving God.
Zach tells his story on YouTube and it’s pretty powerful.
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Jeff, This broke my heart. We lost my sister’s young husband to a similar cancer on Christmas eve 2005. I truly believe that he was saved, but very much doubted for my sister and her grown children. I don’t know God’s plans, but I know that today my sister has remarried a man that not only has her growing in a bible based church, but also my mother and his unfluence is begining to reach her daughters.
Seeing his months of suffering and our hearts break as we were told nothing more could be done and he made the unimaginable choice to stop all feedings so that he would have 5 months with his family instead of 3… watching the cancer starve his body and to hear my sister crying out to God to please take him now so he wouldn’t suffer anymore and then return to him strong and unshaken in her ministry to him has shown me the inhumanity of cancer and the humanity of the ones that love the stricken.
Today I can see God’s plan as a man that knew Christ went home to be with his Lord and another man is now helping my sister to grow in Christ. I can see that part of the plan. As painful as it is, it is a glorious thing to see a man of God go home to his God and to watch what God can do in that man’s absence. I pray for your friends to trust completely in God as they go through what no one should.
Incredibly powerful…I am stunned at how tragic Jim’s story is, but also quite humbled at how very edifying his life is and will be to anyone who sees & hears this. May our Lord comfort him and his beautiful family. I pray for Jim’s healing if that is God’s plan for him, & peace for his family if He takes Jim home.
What a powerful story! I will be praying for God to heal him but most that God’s perfect will be done in his life. We are not told how many days we have but I know as Zak knows is the God is good all the time. My prayer is that God would shower extra grace to Zak and his family. May we all not waste a day given to us by our loving God.
Thanks for sharing this.
Pam
To V:
It isn’t often that God give us the opportunity to see things with “20-20 vision” when looking back over a period of time.
I have experienced this and count myself privileged.
Keep looking forward to the miracle that is happening in your sister’s life. Remember, it has affected your life also. How have YOU changed? My Pastor once told me something to the effect of “think of how different you would be if you hadn’t gone through such and such.”
Outside of my salvation, I can look back with 20-20 vision and see two distinct life changing events that changed the course of my life. Hard as they were at the time, I’m grateful for them now.
Christine, thanks for that reminder of how it has impacted me. I guess I haven’t felt like I had the right to feel “impacted” because my sister suffered so greatly as she ministered to her ailing husband. Truly I think I was most impacted by how much he loved me in my life and how much he loved others until the day he passed and his daily plea that we set all discord aside and always, always love.
It has been a blessing to see how God has used that death for His Glory. We just don’t know what God is planning and how he plans to use us.
My desire in sharing his story was to give hope and to instill trust that even when we don’t understand the incredible pain we are facing or see others facing, God can, and likely is, using it for something incredibly glorious. Time will give them that understanding. Until then I pray that they truly have the peace that passes all understanding to deal with the pain they are facing.
To V:
It isn't often that God give us the opportunity to see things with "20-20 vision" when looking back over a period of time.
I have experienced this and count myself privileged.
Keep looking forwarc to the miracle that is happening in your sister's life. Remember, it has affected your life also. How have YOU changed? My Pastor once told me something to the effect of "think of how different you would be if you hadn't gone through such and such."
Outside of my salvati9n, I can look back with 20-20 vision and see two distinct life changing events that changed the course of my life. Hard as they were at the time, I'm grateful for them noa.;
It was an incredible blessing to see you again. Thank you very much for praying for us! Thank you for the way God has used you to be a blessing to our family for many years!
Same right back you! Waiting for you to cash in your free meal ticket here in KC! And, we will hold you up in prayer.