the long post...

Well, this week certainly got away from me.  Remember when I said that I didn't know how the kids were doing with Craig having cancer?  Well, the kids have kept me on my toes this week, asking many questions about Craig, and death and heaven.


Ashlyn, especially, has needed help understanding why God is causing this to happen.  She is old enough now that she doesn't just "take Mommy's word for it" and is asking (tough) questions.  She has asked a lot of the same questions with Jenny, Memejo and me.  I think she is verifying that we all have the same answers.


The Saturday that Chris and I took Craig and Elease to Yountville, Ashlyn and Jenny were going to pick up lunch and were talking about Craig’s condition.  Jenny commented to Ashlyn that God would likely call Craig to heaven soon and said God has been very good to us.  Ashlyn asked, “Emay, how can you say God is good when He is taking Craig to heaven?”  As I mentioned, Ashlyn has asked me the very same question.  I have explained to her as God said in Romans 8:28 that He causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.  Through His foresight, God orchestrates every event in life, even, suffering, temptation and sin, to accomplish both our temporal and eternal benefit.  Oftentimes we have blinders on and can only see what is happening in the here and now but God can see the big picture.  He sees the past, He sees the future and He causes everything to work together for our good and for His glory.


Sometimes it takes struggles, and hardship, and grief for us to see that God is good.  As Jenny told Ashlyn, God is good – even when it doesn’t feel like it.  I have explained to the kids that on earth there is suffering, sadness and death, but in Heaven none of that will exist.  There will be no more pain.  No more sickness.  Craig won't be sick.  He will have a new body that is free of cancer, a body that is healthy and  can walk.  We can say that God is good because He wants us to spend our eternity with Him.  He is waiting for us.  We are put on this earth to learn about Him and to glorify Him with our lives.  We can't know how good God really is without knowing how bad things can be without Him.  


The kids have also been asking a lot of questions about heaven.  Ashlyn has always had a fear of being alone and has a tremendous fear that she will die and go to heaven only to be alone and without her family.  It is times like these that I thank God that He gave us His Word to guide our lives and answer our questions because I would be completely lost without it.  Way back in the Garden of Eden when God created Adam He made us all with a desire for relationships with other people.  That is why He said, "It is not good for man to be alone"(Genesis 2:18).  So God understands our need to have friends...He made us that way!  The best part about going to Heaven is that we will be with Jesus!  For those of us who know Jesus as the Son of God, our Savior, we can't help but look forward to being in the awesome crowds around Him in Heaven.  We have no need to fear about being alone ever again!  


Many people believe that everyone who is good will wind up in Heaven but the Bible says that no one can be good enough to get there.  We have all messed up or sinned and because God IS good and does only what is right, he cannot stand sin.  The Bible tells us that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Every sinner deserves to die, and we are all sinners.  Me.  You.  Ashlyn.  Landon.  Craig.  We are all sinners.  


Hebrews 9:22 says, "According to the law of Moses...without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness."  Unless someone who is pure and righteous sheds blood, no forgiveness for sins can be granted and no one may go to Heaven.  That is why Jesus died on the cross... for our sins.  Jesus knew what he would have to endure and at any time could have called out to God to send 72,000 angels for his protection.  But He didn't.  Jesus went to the cross to die for us and He loves each of us enough that He would have died for us even if you or I were the only one who needed Him.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through Him. 


Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved."  To confess that Jesus is Lord is to admit that He is God and that you want Him (and not your sins) to be the Lord and Ruler of your life, now and forever.  What do you have to believe?  That Jesus, the Son of God, died and came back to life.  That is why we just celebrated Easter.  And believing isn't just agreeing that something is true.  Even Satan and his demons know that Jesus died and came back to life.  The word belief involves trust.  It is a belief that leads to a choice.  A choice to depend on Jesus and follow Him.  


If you believe with all your heart that Jesus really died for you and rose again, you will be made right with God.  He won't see your sin anymore.  He will see Jesus in front of you.  Jesus said "There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous person who do not need to repent."  Repenting involves saying we were wrong, and that we are sorry and asking for God's forgiveness.  Jesus is saying that whenever someone repents and turns to God, there is a party in Heaven!  The great thing about this is that it doesn't matter who you are...you don't have to have a higher education, you don't have to be famous, you don't have to belong to a certain religion, or have a certain amount of money or be of a certain class...Jesus died for ALL of us.  So, have those in Heaven been able to celebrate yet because you have repented of your sin and trusted in Christ to save you?  


Many people have asked me how Craig is doing throughout all of this.  God has given Craig an amazing faith in Him.  Craig recently prayed a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving to God for life and for all He is and all He has done for us.  Craig is not in denial.  When he decided to stop chemo he said, "I'm tired.  My body is failing."  He is not devastated.  He knows that all life will eventually die... whether it is a flower, a pet or a loved one...however, because of Christ's resurrection, death on this earth is not the end.  It is only the beginning!  He is not afraid of death because he believes God when He said in Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous...for it is the LORD your God who goes with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you." 


Jenny and Elease have taken leaves of absence from their jobs and they are caring for Craig full time.  Hospice began coming Tuesday of last week and has been a tremendous help in getting the care and supplies that Craig needs.  His needs change every day.  He has lost all mobility and the complete use of his right side.  But Jenny has said that God is continually giving them precious memories.  Like Craig’s grin.  Like him whispering, “Mom, you are good” or kissing Elease’s hand and saying “I love you.”


Please don't mistake our hope and faith in Christ and in Heaven as callused hearts.  We will miss Craig.  We will grieve.  Death is hard... but we know that this life is not all that there is and we are so thankful for what the Lord has done and continues to do.  We have joy in Christ who conquered death and has gone to prepare a place for us.  

This all may play a huge part in the salvation of Ashlyn and Landon and countless others.  I know that Craig would be thrilled to know that because of his life people came to know the one true God.