Hearing the words "leukemic process" was a shock for me. As far as I had known to that moment, I was in good shape for a 57 year old man. I exercised regularly, worked long hours and was super busy with everything from home renovations to graduate studies to international missions trips. "Leukemic process" sounded ominous and brought to mind the people I had known who suffered through cancer and cancer treatments. I easily envisioned them with emaciated bodies and bald heads struggling to do even the most routine tasks.
I had ministered to many people at the end of their lives. I had counseled them from the Bible about life and death, heaven and hell, meaning, purpose, and hope. I had prayed with them, sat with them, cried with them and sung to them. I had held their hands as they slipped into eternity.
Now it was my turn. Not so much my turn to die as my turn to put the biblical promises to the test. It is easy to say we believe something when the skies are blue and everything is well with our world. But our faith is actually proven in our crises. How do we respond when our lives are on the line? Would the message I had preached to others prove to be comforting to me in the days ahead?
The Bible says that all things work together for good to those who love God and that nothing can separate us from the love of God for us. (Romans 8:28-39)
The Bible says that God will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)
The Bible says that through Jesus Christ we can be sure we have eternal life with God. (John 3:36)
The Bible says we should count it all joy when we have various troubles because we know God is using these to perfect us. (James 1:2-4)
When the church was gathered together on that Sunday morning I reminded them of these things. We do not know what our future may hold, but we do know that God will be faithful through everything.
This is my opportunity to live my theology as I face my own mortality. God is sufficient for these things.
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