It is Possible

For many, it's a death sentence.  For others, it's a bump in the road.  In some lives, it brings devastation.  In others, it creates newness.  It is earth-shattering.  It is also considered un-surprising.  At the end of the day, the outcome will bring either sorrow or joy, maybe even sometimes a funny, bittersweet combination of both.  In any of these cases though, no matter how you look at it, this 6-letter word is life altering, life changing.

C-A-N-C-E-R

What an ugly word.  The havoc it brings is crazy.  But it is possible that life on the other side of this word can bring something amazing, beautiful.  I know that full well.

8 years ago today, I found out it is possible for Christ to overcome cancer.

(I know this is not the case for many, but this is our personal testimony.)

8 years ago today at a hospital in Salem Oregon, my brave & courageous Jim underwent an excruciating surgery to remove this ugliness from his body.

And he came through it & after the terrible pain subsided, when all was said & done (including coming out debt-free by God's provision)...8 years later, he is cancer-free & healthy.  To say 'Praise God!' is a huge understatement, but that's what I have & I am beyond thankful.

While this part of our journey has severely altered some plans we hoped for & dreamed of all our lives, it has brought so many other opportunities & possibilities to our lives.  

So we pressed on in life together, thankful that God had another plan for Jim than to take his life with cancer, as it easily could have.

Through college classes, ministry, sicknesses, death, empty bank accounts, dreams, family visits, inside jokes, broken vehicles, moving, friends...we kept taking one step at a time...no matter how wobbly they were, we kept pressing on & we learned what IS POSSIBLE in our lives.

It is possible to have life & joy after cancer.

It is possible to have a deep, epic love with the person you married, no matter what you face, you do it together.

It is possible to know that God is deeply in love with you & cares for you infinitely, even if 

He brings pain.

It is possible to enjoy each season of life, knowing that not each of them will last forever.

It is still possible for dreams to come true, even if they might look different than you first thought.

It is possible that we will face other hard things that go beyond explanation or reason.

It is possible to mourn & move on.

It is possible to worship after a storm like that, as I had the blessing of watching 

Jim do just that.

It is possible to believe His promises for our lives.

Looking back, there are so many possibilities that became reality for us.

And I am so glad I went through that trial with Jim 8 years ago--that it was a possibility for us to hold each other up & keep walking beside each other.

All of these things are made possible through Christ.  (Matthew 19:26)

His grace is enough.  His mercy endures forever.  He IS good & does good.

What has He made possible for you?

(I took this photo around this time 8 years ago & has remained one of my favorite pictures.)