Oftentimes, the relationship between a child and cancer is referred to as a "battle" or a "war." If we think about it, that is the metaphor that we use all the time to describe any relationship to illness. We "fight cancer," we "battle immune deficiency," etc.
In the past few days I've gotten glimpses from those on the front lines of this "fight;" this "battle;" this "war on childhood cancer." And our warriors are fighting so valiantly! But many of them are struggling. Indeed, they are fighting. Please hold them and their families close in prayer.
Patrick, who is in treatment for relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was just diagnosed a few days ago with diabetes. Because he is still in treatment for cancer, his medical team is not sure whether it will resolve once he comes off therapy. We are definitely praying so! This new diagnosis is very hard for his whole family to swallow. Please pray for peace, wisdom, discernment, strength, and courage for them as they begin the battle against yet another monster.
Adam, age 7, is relatively new to our Break the Grey family. He was on schedule to receive his last inpatient chemotherapy treatment for medulloblastoma, a childhood brain cancer, earlier this month. However, he suddenly came down with bacterial meningitis. He spent about a week in the PICU and endured two emergency brain surgeries within days of each other. He lost a considerable amount of function on his left side, and is now having to work hard to regain his strength. Once he finishes this latest battle against meningitis, he is set to finish out the war on cancer with his last chemo treatment. Please pray for endurance for Adam and his family. They are ready to be done.
Evan has been fighting neuroblastoma, a particularly aggressive childhood cancer, since 2006. After being treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for over 5 years, Evan and his family have exhausted all treatment options. Evan is resting with his family as they wait for Jesus to take him home.
And there are so many more! I opened up my Facebook page and was bombarded with updates coming from Break the Grey families of other childhood cancer families enduring extremely difficult things. There are many families that I don't know personally who have lost their children this week. In fact, Nick Patrick, one of our own Break the Grey kids, went to be with Jesus last month. Other families are watching their child suffer and doing everything in their power to stop it, to no avail. Others are celebrating their child's birthday in heaven this year. Still others are simply enduring treatment as usual. But that is not as easy as it sounds. They are fighting every single day.
And our childhood cancer warriors are not the only ones doing battle every day. September is childhood cancer awareness month, but this week is mitochondrial disease awareness week. This illness affects the mitochondria cells, which supply the entire body with energy. When they fail, different and entire body systems begin to shut down. We have come to know and love a few families living with this illness.
Please pray for the Hobbs family - they have three children affected by this disease - and for Matthew. Matthew was recently diagnosed, and all of his care and coordination is overwhelming.
And still more kids and families to keep in our thoughts and prayers:
Ellison Kate took her last breath on this earth and her first one in heaven at the age of three months old on August 28, 2011. Ellie is Cooper's cousin, one of our Break the Grey kids and cancer survivors! Please pray for Ellie's family, as Ellie is the second daughter that her parents have lost. She joined her sister, Maddy, in heaven.
One of our Break the Grey kids - although I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to call her a kid - will be undergoing a kidney transplant soon. We met Michelle, age 20, at one of our Break the Grey parties at Kosair Children's Hospital a year or two ago. She underwent a liver transplant at age 2, but her transplant meds sent her into kidney failure. She is currently planning on having her kidney transplant from a living, non-related donor (just like me!) in October sometime. Please pray that the transplant process goes smoothly. Please pray for peace of mind for Michelle, her family, and her donor, and for wisdom and discernment for her medical team as they move forward.
Phew! So, so many beautiful families on the front lines of childhood cancer and other life-altering illness. My prayer is that we would be the reinforcements. May we charge forward with light in the dark, advancing a Kingdom that is imperishable and unfading. [1 Peter 1:4]
Reach the day.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Ways to Help
September is childhood cancer awareness month, and we are a couple of weeks in. The further we get, the more I hate childhood cancer.
So many people have asked me what they can do to get involved with Break the Grey or to do something for kids with cancer. And, alas, I have an answer. Well, 3 answers. Can you babysit, pray, or eat? Then you can join the fight!
One of our families, the Hobbs, are actually not a childhood cancer family. But at Break the Grey we don't discriminate. We understand that there are a wide variety of childhood diseases that devastate families and affect them profoundly and uniquely.
The Hobbs family deals with something called mitochondrial disease. This illness affects the mitochondria cells, which supply the entire body with energy. When they fail, different and entire body systems begin to shut down. Come to find out, September 18-24 is mitochondrial disease awareness week, so this fits perfectly!
The four Hobbs kids are Melanie, Michael, Meredith, and Madison. Michael, Meredith, and Madison are all affected by mito. One of the many complications that they suffer as a result of their disease is something called glycogen storage disease, which is a nutritional/GI defect. Their mom, Jenny, is hosting a conference on glycogen storage disease this weekend and is in need of babysitters for Saturday.
If you are free, would you consider hanging out in Indianapolis, IN and loving on some chronically ill kids while their parents become more educated about their disease? Sitters are needed from 9:00-12:15 am and again from 1:30-4:45 pm. If you can only do one shift, that would still be a great help!
If you are interested, please e-mail Jenny Hobbs at jennyhobbs@alumni.wfu.edu.
Second, please join us in storming heaven's gates in prayer for one of our most courageous cancer warriors! Because I don't have expressed permission to share his information, I can't really say more, but please pray for one of our little guys. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for the medical team and for peace, comfort, hope, and courage for our dude and his family.
Lastly, eat at Chili's! On Monday, September 26, Chili's Bar and Grill is donating 100% of profits to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Although St. Jude only treats approximately 400 of the 30,000-40,000 kids currently in treatment for cancer in the US, it is still a worthwhile investment! Eat lunch or eat dinner, dine in or take out, it doesn't matter! If you buy food from Chili's on September 26, the profits will go to help kids with cancer!
Babysit. Pray. Eat. Never lose hope.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
So many people have asked me what they can do to get involved with Break the Grey or to do something for kids with cancer. And, alas, I have an answer. Well, 3 answers. Can you babysit, pray, or eat? Then you can join the fight!
One of our families, the Hobbs, are actually not a childhood cancer family. But at Break the Grey we don't discriminate. We understand that there are a wide variety of childhood diseases that devastate families and affect them profoundly and uniquely.
The Hobbs family deals with something called mitochondrial disease. This illness affects the mitochondria cells, which supply the entire body with energy. When they fail, different and entire body systems begin to shut down. Come to find out, September 18-24 is mitochondrial disease awareness week, so this fits perfectly!
The four Hobbs kids are Melanie, Michael, Meredith, and Madison. Michael, Meredith, and Madison are all affected by mito. One of the many complications that they suffer as a result of their disease is something called glycogen storage disease, which is a nutritional/GI defect. Their mom, Jenny, is hosting a conference on glycogen storage disease this weekend and is in need of babysitters for Saturday.
If you are free, would you consider hanging out in Indianapolis, IN and loving on some chronically ill kids while their parents become more educated about their disease? Sitters are needed from 9:00-12:15 am and again from 1:30-4:45 pm. If you can only do one shift, that would still be a great help!
If you are interested, please e-mail Jenny Hobbs at jennyhobbs@alumni.wfu.edu.
Second, please join us in storming heaven's gates in prayer for one of our most courageous cancer warriors! Because I don't have expressed permission to share his information, I can't really say more, but please pray for one of our little guys. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for the medical team and for peace, comfort, hope, and courage for our dude and his family.
Lastly, eat at Chili's! On Monday, September 26, Chili's Bar and Grill is donating 100% of profits to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Although St. Jude only treats approximately 400 of the 30,000-40,000 kids currently in treatment for cancer in the US, it is still a worthwhile investment! Eat lunch or eat dinner, dine in or take out, it doesn't matter! If you buy food from Chili's on September 26, the profits will go to help kids with cancer!
Babysit. Pray. Eat. Never lose hope.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Thursday, September 1, 2011
September
In case you were unaware, September is childhood cancer awareness month. Obviously Break the Grey is extremely aware of the reality and devastation of childhood cancer, and we are trying to do something about it, no matter how small or miniscule our efforts. We are just idealistic enough to believe that they are making some sort of a difference.
I will post a more detailed, passionate, and lengthy post on childhood cancer awareness later this month, but right now I'm just writing to update you all on some of our kiddos.
First is Nick Patrick. Some of you might remember me writing about Nick and his family before. They live in Georgia and found out about Break the Grey through our website. Nick recently turned 15-years-old and has been battling brain cancer since 2009. A few months ago he was placed on hospice. However, he made a miraculous recovery and began exploring treatment options to keep the cancer at bay and extend his life. Unfortunately, all of his treatment options were exhausted and Nick met Jesus face to face on Sunday, August 28 at 7:16 am. Please hold his family close in your prayers as they grieve.
Just as we are heartbroken for Nick's family, so we experience joy at the other end of the spectrum for two of our families who have just finished or soon will be finishing treatment. One is Noah Goldberg, who just finished his IV chemo for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He will finish his oral chemotherapy and steroids on September 15. Also the week of September 15 our buddy Adam will finish his chemotherapy for medulloblastoma, a childhood brain cancer. As you pray for Nick's family, please say a prayer of thanks for these families.
Such joy and sorrow in the same breath.
"There will be things in this life that we will mourn. But everything that we mourn has been triumphed over in the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ." - Dr. Brian Barlow
Reach the day.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
I will post a more detailed, passionate, and lengthy post on childhood cancer awareness later this month, but right now I'm just writing to update you all on some of our kiddos.
First is Nick Patrick. Some of you might remember me writing about Nick and his family before. They live in Georgia and found out about Break the Grey through our website. Nick recently turned 15-years-old and has been battling brain cancer since 2009. A few months ago he was placed on hospice. However, he made a miraculous recovery and began exploring treatment options to keep the cancer at bay and extend his life. Unfortunately, all of his treatment options were exhausted and Nick met Jesus face to face on Sunday, August 28 at 7:16 am. Please hold his family close in your prayers as they grieve.
Just as we are heartbroken for Nick's family, so we experience joy at the other end of the spectrum for two of our families who have just finished or soon will be finishing treatment. One is Noah Goldberg, who just finished his IV chemo for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He will finish his oral chemotherapy and steroids on September 15. Also the week of September 15 our buddy Adam will finish his chemotherapy for medulloblastoma, a childhood brain cancer. As you pray for Nick's family, please say a prayer of thanks for these families.
Such joy and sorrow in the same breath.
"There will be things in this life that we will mourn. But everything that we mourn has been triumphed over in the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ." - Dr. Brian Barlow
Reach the day.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Friday, August 5, 2011
Christmas in July (Err...August?)
We had our Christmas in July event on Tuesday, August 2. It was postponed due to air duct issues on the unit, so it ended up being Christmas in August. It was our first time doing this event, and I think that for the first time it went well.
We passed out toys and talked with about 10 children receiving treatment or undergoing procedures in the OMO (Outpatient Medical Observation) at Kosair Children's Hospital. There were a few kids who really enjoyed their visit from Santa. One little guy, upon realizing he had received a large container of PlayDough and cookie cutters, began yelling, "Open it! Open it!" and grinning. His nurse walked into the room to check on him and when she left she grinned at me and said, "I guess he's good!"
Another little guy was just coming out of sedation when we entered his room to give him a toy truck. He lay flat on the bed, held the truck inches from his face, and tried to make sense of his surroundings. When Santa bent over to talk to him and see if he liked it, his face lit up and he said, "Santa Claus!" He was very excited to get a visit from Santa!
One of the unique things about our ministry is that we aim to serve, support, and encourage siblings as well as parents and patients. We definitely accomplished that! There was one little girl whose sibling was receiving treatment and she was spending the day there too. The look on her face when she realized that Santa held a gift for her too was priceless! She clung to it and her smile was, well, as big as Christmas!
We were able to pray with one family, and make almost everyone smile.
Thank you to those who gave to make this event possible - whether you ran errands, let us borrow your Santa suit, gave financially, helped sort toys, cleaned out bins, or prayed for us. You all made a difference!
Please keep us in prayer as we brainstorm and plan other upcoming events in our quest to show Jesus to these families by loving hard. Thanks.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
We passed out toys and talked with about 10 children receiving treatment or undergoing procedures in the OMO (Outpatient Medical Observation) at Kosair Children's Hospital. There were a few kids who really enjoyed their visit from Santa. One little guy, upon realizing he had received a large container of PlayDough and cookie cutters, began yelling, "Open it! Open it!" and grinning. His nurse walked into the room to check on him and when she left she grinned at me and said, "I guess he's good!"
Another little guy was just coming out of sedation when we entered his room to give him a toy truck. He lay flat on the bed, held the truck inches from his face, and tried to make sense of his surroundings. When Santa bent over to talk to him and see if he liked it, his face lit up and he said, "Santa Claus!" He was very excited to get a visit from Santa!
One of the unique things about our ministry is that we aim to serve, support, and encourage siblings as well as parents and patients. We definitely accomplished that! There was one little girl whose sibling was receiving treatment and she was spending the day there too. The look on her face when she realized that Santa held a gift for her too was priceless! She clung to it and her smile was, well, as big as Christmas!
We were able to pray with one family, and make almost everyone smile.
Thank you to those who gave to make this event possible - whether you ran errands, let us borrow your Santa suit, gave financially, helped sort toys, cleaned out bins, or prayed for us. You all made a difference!
Please keep us in prayer as we brainstorm and plan other upcoming events in our quest to show Jesus to these families by loving hard. Thanks.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Christmas in July Postponed - Until August!
As we were preparing to pack up and head out for our Christmas in July event this morning, the child life specialist from Kosair Children's Cancer Center called. The OMO is closed due to an air duct issue, so all the OMO patients were moved over to 7 West. We elected to reschedule the event so that we can make the most out of it for our OMO kiddos. The event will now take place next Tuesday, August 2 at 11:00 am.
The good news is that leaves more time for all of us to pray! Please continue covering this event in your prayers - for the volunteers and for the families with whom we will come in contact.
Speaking of prayers, please storm heaven's gates for Patrick McSweeney. Reading his mom's update this morning made me all the angrier at childhood cancer. Patrick is 12-years-old, and was first diagnosed with leukemia at age 5. He endured 3 years of treatment, and then enjoyed a few years cancer-free. His cancer returned last April, and, while still in the middle of his intensive relapse treatment protocol, his family received the news last week that his cancer has come back a third time. This also took place the week of the funeral for Patrick's grandpa (his dad's Dad).
Please pray for wisdom and discernment for Patrick's family and his medical team. Please pray for peace, comfort, strength, courage, grace, hope, and joy for the McSweeney family.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
The good news is that leaves more time for all of us to pray! Please continue covering this event in your prayers - for the volunteers and for the families with whom we will come in contact.
Speaking of prayers, please storm heaven's gates for Patrick McSweeney. Reading his mom's update this morning made me all the angrier at childhood cancer. Patrick is 12-years-old, and was first diagnosed with leukemia at age 5. He endured 3 years of treatment, and then enjoyed a few years cancer-free. His cancer returned last April, and, while still in the middle of his intensive relapse treatment protocol, his family received the news last week that his cancer has come back a third time. This also took place the week of the funeral for Patrick's grandpa (his dad's Dad).
Please pray for wisdom and discernment for Patrick's family and his medical team. Please pray for peace, comfort, strength, courage, grace, hope, and joy for the McSweeney family.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Friday, July 22, 2011
Christmas in July
Around this time last summer, we put on an event called Hoops for Hope. It worked like a walk-a-thon, but instead of walking laps participants shot free throws. We had a great time and raised roughly $1,000 to help us continue to fulfill our mission of sharing the love and hope of Jesus by serving, supporting, and encouraging families facing childhood cancer or other life-altering illnesses.
We wanted to do another summer event, and came up with Christmas in July. The elementary students at Christian Academy of Indiana did a fantastic job supplying us with toys for our winter parties; so much so that we have extra! We have a couple who has agreed to be our Santa and Mrs. Claus, so we're going to dress up and take the extra toys over to Kosair Children's Hospital. Instead of going to 7 West, the inpatient kidney/cancer unit where our winter party takes place, we are going across the hall to 7 East, also known as the OMO (Outpatient Medical Observation).
The OMO is an outpatient unit where kids go to receive outpatient treatments, infusions, procedures, and check-ups. The oncology patients go there for chemo, blood products, spinal taps, bone marrow aspirations, blood draws, etc. The OMO is where I received IVIG for 4 months immediately following my immune deficiency diagnosis, and I spent a lot of time there for kidney treatment growing up. During my treatment time there, I met lots of kids being treated for a variety of chronic conditions.
The other thing about the OMO is this: it's boring. Very boring. The kids don't spend the night on the OMO, but many of their treatments take hours on end. I was usually there for 5 or 6 hours total for IVIG, and have spent as long as 8 or 9 hours on those kinds of units getting treatment before. Many kids are there all day - from 7:00 or 8:00 am until 7:00 at night. The child life program at Kosair Children's is wonderful, but they are often so busy with the inpatient children that they don't have time to bring distractions to the outpatient children.
That's where we come in. I know it's boring, from personal experience. The movie, game, and snack selection is limited, and the space is cramped. So we're going to come bring a little joy and distraction - Christmas cheer, if you will - to the kids who have to spend a summer day cooped up in treatment.
We're taking Santa and Mrs. Claus with awagon sleigh full of toys from room to room to spread some Christmas cheer on Thursday, July 28!
Where do you guys come in? Our event is less than a week away, and we still need the following:
1. A suit for Mrs. Claus. If you have a Mrs. Claus suit or know how to obtain one, please contact us.
2. Christmas cookies. We would like to take treats to the kids when we go. However, they must be store-bought due to infection control regulations. If anyone knows where to obtain Christmas cookies in July, or has connections with a bakery that would be willing to donate Christmas cookies, please contact us.
3. Prayer! As always, we need our event covered in prayer! Please pray for the volunteers as we go to serve - pray that God would prepare our hearts, that He would give us boldness to share His love and hope, and that all of the logistics would fall into place. Please pray for the families that we will encounter - pray that God would prepare their hearts ahead of time to receive His love and His hope. Please pray for opportunities to share the Gospel - and that we would be willing and bold to recognize and take those opportunities.
Thanks again for all of your support! What you do makes a difference!
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
We wanted to do another summer event, and came up with Christmas in July. The elementary students at Christian Academy of Indiana did a fantastic job supplying us with toys for our winter parties; so much so that we have extra! We have a couple who has agreed to be our Santa and Mrs. Claus, so we're going to dress up and take the extra toys over to Kosair Children's Hospital. Instead of going to 7 West, the inpatient kidney/cancer unit where our winter party takes place, we are going across the hall to 7 East, also known as the OMO (Outpatient Medical Observation).
The OMO is an outpatient unit where kids go to receive outpatient treatments, infusions, procedures, and check-ups. The oncology patients go there for chemo, blood products, spinal taps, bone marrow aspirations, blood draws, etc. The OMO is where I received IVIG for 4 months immediately following my immune deficiency diagnosis, and I spent a lot of time there for kidney treatment growing up. During my treatment time there, I met lots of kids being treated for a variety of chronic conditions.
The other thing about the OMO is this: it's boring. Very boring. The kids don't spend the night on the OMO, but many of their treatments take hours on end. I was usually there for 5 or 6 hours total for IVIG, and have spent as long as 8 or 9 hours on those kinds of units getting treatment before. Many kids are there all day - from 7:00 or 8:00 am until 7:00 at night. The child life program at Kosair Children's is wonderful, but they are often so busy with the inpatient children that they don't have time to bring distractions to the outpatient children.
That's where we come in. I know it's boring, from personal experience. The movie, game, and snack selection is limited, and the space is cramped. So we're going to come bring a little joy and distraction - Christmas cheer, if you will - to the kids who have to spend a summer day cooped up in treatment.
We're taking Santa and Mrs. Claus with a
Where do you guys come in? Our event is less than a week away, and we still need the following:
1. A suit for Mrs. Claus. If you have a Mrs. Claus suit or know how to obtain one, please contact us.
2. Christmas cookies. We would like to take treats to the kids when we go. However, they must be store-bought due to infection control regulations. If anyone knows where to obtain Christmas cookies in July, or has connections with a bakery that would be willing to donate Christmas cookies, please contact us.
3. Prayer! As always, we need our event covered in prayer! Please pray for the volunteers as we go to serve - pray that God would prepare our hearts, that He would give us boldness to share His love and hope, and that all of the logistics would fall into place. Please pray for the families that we will encounter - pray that God would prepare their hearts ahead of time to receive His love and His hope. Please pray for opportunities to share the Gospel - and that we would be willing and bold to recognize and take those opportunities.
Thanks again for all of your support! What you do makes a difference!
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Reach the Day
The Children's Oncology Group (COG) is one of the biggest names in the childhood cancer community. They are the ones who do the research and come up with clinical trials. In fact, most of the current treatment protocols for pediatric cancer have been developed by COG.
Their fundraising branch is called CureSearch. CureSearch is actively involved in advocacy, awareness, and fundraising for childhood cancer. I believe something like 97 cents out of every dollar donated to CureSearch goes directly to fund the research behind the top children's cancer treatment protocols in the US.
CureSearch has a slogan that they use for one of their advocacy and awareness events in Washington, D.C: "Reach the day: conquer kids' cancer." The slogan refers to "reach[ing] the day when every child with cancer can be guaranteed a cure."
Having walked alongside many families enduring childhood cancer with Break the Grey, I long to reach that day. I long to reach the day when I won't attend another funeral for anyone under age 18; I long to reach the day when I won't hold a sobbing parent, choking back my own tears and offering only silence and a shoulder because words are simply not enough; I long to reach the day when I won't ever hear the words, "because my brother/sister has cancer" uttered by a child ever again; I long to reach the day when every child has hair, all their major organs and limbs, and no scars, lines, bags, pumps, or tubes.
This summer I am working as a nurse extern on 7 West - the kids' cancer and kidney unit at Kosair Children's Hospital. Shifting roles to work in that capacity (where previously I was a patient, and then a volunteer with Break the Grey) makes me long to reach the day that much more. I now know medically what is happening to these precious children, and of what I am having to do to stop it or to ease their suffering. And so I long even more to reach the day when I will not be asked for pain or nausea meds; when I will not wear special protective equipment to handle the chemicals about to be poured into a child's chest; when I will never again stand feet away from a doctor as she utters the words, "It's cancer" to devastated parents; when I will be out of a job because childhood cancer is no more.
As a follower of Christ, that day will become a reality. And, as of late, I find myself longing for it more and more.
I have found myself in a bit of a rough patch with my own health recently. For reasons still unknown, I've been running fevers randomly every few days for the past month. On one such day, after reporting one such fever to my mom and waiting on Tylenol to kick in, she put her hands on my shoulders and said, "Hang in there, Sweetie. Your new body is on pre-order."
I smiled at the thought, and now - as I drive to work, as I brainstorm Break the Grey events, as I take Tylenol for another fever, as I hear or read of a family who has either lost their child or just been rudely and abruptly introduced to the world of childhood cancer - I long to reach the day even more. Heaven takes root in my heart, and I long to reach the day that John describes in Revelation:
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be any mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:4
I long to reach the day when what is empty will be filled, what is lost will be found, what is broken will be made whole.
I long to reach the day when all my questions are answered; when all the pieces fit; when I can see the other side of the tapestry. I long to reach the day when I will see the beauty of the mosaic (for now all I see are the broken shards of glass) and will comprehend the magnificence of the perfect master plan of my Creator.
On that day we will find that cancer - nor anything else, for that matter - did not have the final word after all. On that day parents will hold their children - some for the first time in decades - and will realize that the time they now have with their child is so much more than the time they were without.
Oh, yes - I long to reach that day. But none of those things - complete healing, redemption, unity, joy - are the main point or the best part of heaven. No: the main point and the best part of heaven is Jesus. It is the perfect reconciliation that I will have with God because of Jesus' finished work on the cross.
For those of you to whom this does not make sense, let me try to explain: for it is of critical importance:
I was (and you were) created for a perfect relationship with the God who created us. Problem is, He is perfect and I am not (nor are you). Because I violate His standards of perfection, there was no way for us to have that perfect relationship. Not only that, but I would have to pay the consequences for such treason: death, torture, and an eternity without the One for Whom I was created.
The only way this could be remedied - the only way I could be reconciled to God - is if someone came along who could appease both parties: be 100% God and 100% man. This mediator would have to pay the ultimate price - a life for a life.
And so Jesus came. Jesus is God's Son - 100% God and 100% man. He was born to a virgin, lived a perfect life, and then died a cruel death on a cross (the ultimate torture instrument in the days of Roman rule).
By dying on the cross, Jesus took the punishment intended for me (and for you). He stood in our place and received the full outpouring of God's wrath. By realizing and embracing my need for Jesus' sacrifice, I am guaranteed hope for the future. I am guaranteed that one day, the very thing for which I was created will become a reality: I will have a perfect and complete relationship with my Creator, unhindered by anything that I have done or have messed up.
On that day, I will be made whole and complete in the presence of my Savior.
And I can't wait.
Paul puts words to this longing and this waiting in Romans 8:
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes...
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:18-39
On that day, it will be nice to have a kidney that works (who knows? Maybe I'll have 2!) and an immune system that functions normally. Oh, yes, there are so many days where I long for my pre-ordered body now!
But even better, on that day, each and every hurt will be worth it; I will see that it was not wasted because I will see my Jesus, and I will live with Him forever and ever. And that is the hope to which I cling so desperately.
If you'd like more information about starting a relationship with Jesus or about heaven or eternity, please contact us. We'd love to talk through this with you.
I'm closing with the lyrics to an anthem for those of us who are desperately waiting:
"All creation waits
Bated breath in pain
For redemption's day
All creation cries
Floods and charcoal skies
Things are not alright
With brokennes and broken fists
We beat upon the breast of fallenness
We hear the call of Kingdom come
As one more train we chase to only miss
But we will never give up on it
We're part of the resistance
We're running in the revolution
We're part of the insistance
That we are more than institution
We're part of the tradition
Of Spirit-powered evolution
We're part of the resistance
We're running in the revolution, revolution
All creation groans
In one voice alone
For them to be shown
All creation cries
Floods and charcoal skies
Things are not alright
We're living in a world
Built on the walls between the haves and never wills
But we're following a King who's ears
Are bent to those forgotten and unfilled
And He will never give up on it
We're standing up
And we're kneeling down
And we're digging in
And we're reaching out
And we're loving more
And we're holding less
And we won't back down
From this holy mess
And we're choosing hope
And we're choosing peace
We were chosen by Grace
To bring flesh and feet
To the Loving More
To the Holding Rest
And we won't back down"
- Aaron Niequist, "The Resistance"
Longing, groaning, waiting, yearning, hoping, reaching for the day when this too shall be made right...
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Their fundraising branch is called CureSearch. CureSearch is actively involved in advocacy, awareness, and fundraising for childhood cancer. I believe something like 97 cents out of every dollar donated to CureSearch goes directly to fund the research behind the top children's cancer treatment protocols in the US.
CureSearch has a slogan that they use for one of their advocacy and awareness events in Washington, D.C: "Reach the day: conquer kids' cancer." The slogan refers to "reach[ing] the day when every child with cancer can be guaranteed a cure."
Having walked alongside many families enduring childhood cancer with Break the Grey, I long to reach that day. I long to reach the day when I won't attend another funeral for anyone under age 18; I long to reach the day when I won't hold a sobbing parent, choking back my own tears and offering only silence and a shoulder because words are simply not enough; I long to reach the day when I won't ever hear the words, "because my brother/sister has cancer" uttered by a child ever again; I long to reach the day when every child has hair, all their major organs and limbs, and no scars, lines, bags, pumps, or tubes.
This summer I am working as a nurse extern on 7 West - the kids' cancer and kidney unit at Kosair Children's Hospital. Shifting roles to work in that capacity (where previously I was a patient, and then a volunteer with Break the Grey) makes me long to reach the day that much more. I now know medically what is happening to these precious children, and of what I am having to do to stop it or to ease their suffering. And so I long even more to reach the day when I will not be asked for pain or nausea meds; when I will not wear special protective equipment to handle the chemicals about to be poured into a child's chest; when I will never again stand feet away from a doctor as she utters the words, "It's cancer" to devastated parents; when I will be out of a job because childhood cancer is no more.
As a follower of Christ, that day will become a reality. And, as of late, I find myself longing for it more and more.
I have found myself in a bit of a rough patch with my own health recently. For reasons still unknown, I've been running fevers randomly every few days for the past month. On one such day, after reporting one such fever to my mom and waiting on Tylenol to kick in, she put her hands on my shoulders and said, "Hang in there, Sweetie. Your new body is on pre-order."
I smiled at the thought, and now - as I drive to work, as I brainstorm Break the Grey events, as I take Tylenol for another fever, as I hear or read of a family who has either lost their child or just been rudely and abruptly introduced to the world of childhood cancer - I long to reach the day even more. Heaven takes root in my heart, and I long to reach the day that John describes in Revelation:
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be any mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:4
I long to reach the day when what is empty will be filled, what is lost will be found, what is broken will be made whole.
I long to reach the day when all my questions are answered; when all the pieces fit; when I can see the other side of the tapestry. I long to reach the day when I will see the beauty of the mosaic (for now all I see are the broken shards of glass) and will comprehend the magnificence of the perfect master plan of my Creator.
On that day we will find that cancer - nor anything else, for that matter - did not have the final word after all. On that day parents will hold their children - some for the first time in decades - and will realize that the time they now have with their child is so much more than the time they were without.
Oh, yes - I long to reach that day. But none of those things - complete healing, redemption, unity, joy - are the main point or the best part of heaven. No: the main point and the best part of heaven is Jesus. It is the perfect reconciliation that I will have with God because of Jesus' finished work on the cross.
For those of you to whom this does not make sense, let me try to explain: for it is of critical importance:
I was (and you were) created for a perfect relationship with the God who created us. Problem is, He is perfect and I am not (nor are you). Because I violate His standards of perfection, there was no way for us to have that perfect relationship. Not only that, but I would have to pay the consequences for such treason: death, torture, and an eternity without the One for Whom I was created.
The only way this could be remedied - the only way I could be reconciled to God - is if someone came along who could appease both parties: be 100% God and 100% man. This mediator would have to pay the ultimate price - a life for a life.
And so Jesus came. Jesus is God's Son - 100% God and 100% man. He was born to a virgin, lived a perfect life, and then died a cruel death on a cross (the ultimate torture instrument in the days of Roman rule).
By dying on the cross, Jesus took the punishment intended for me (and for you). He stood in our place and received the full outpouring of God's wrath. By realizing and embracing my need for Jesus' sacrifice, I am guaranteed hope for the future. I am guaranteed that one day, the very thing for which I was created will become a reality: I will have a perfect and complete relationship with my Creator, unhindered by anything that I have done or have messed up.
On that day, I will be made whole and complete in the presence of my Savior.
And I can't wait.
Paul puts words to this longing and this waiting in Romans 8:
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes...
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:18-39
On that day, it will be nice to have a kidney that works (who knows? Maybe I'll have 2!) and an immune system that functions normally. Oh, yes, there are so many days where I long for my pre-ordered body now!
But even better, on that day, each and every hurt will be worth it; I will see that it was not wasted because I will see my Jesus, and I will live with Him forever and ever. And that is the hope to which I cling so desperately.
If you'd like more information about starting a relationship with Jesus or about heaven or eternity, please contact us. We'd love to talk through this with you.
I'm closing with the lyrics to an anthem for those of us who are desperately waiting:
"All creation waits
Bated breath in pain
For redemption's day
All creation cries
Floods and charcoal skies
Things are not alright
With brokennes and broken fists
We beat upon the breast of fallenness
We hear the call of Kingdom come
As one more train we chase to only miss
But we will never give up on it
We're part of the resistance
We're running in the revolution
We're part of the insistance
That we are more than institution
We're part of the tradition
Of Spirit-powered evolution
We're part of the resistance
We're running in the revolution, revolution
All creation groans
In one voice alone
For them to be shown
All creation cries
Floods and charcoal skies
Things are not alright
We're living in a world
Built on the walls between the haves and never wills
But we're following a King who's ears
Are bent to those forgotten and unfilled
And He will never give up on it
We're standing up
And we're kneeling down
And we're digging in
And we're reaching out
And we're loving more
And we're holding less
And we won't back down
From this holy mess
And we're choosing hope
And we're choosing peace
We were chosen by Grace
To bring flesh and feet
To the Loving More
To the Holding Rest
And we won't back down"
- Aaron Niequist, "The Resistance"
Longing, groaning, waiting, yearning, hoping, reaching for the day when this too shall be made right...
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
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