Terminal

A couple of months ago, my wife received news that there was an untreatable mass on her sister's liver. At the time, she was told that her sister would live another year or two. Not long after that, she was informed that the mass was spreading more rapidly than had been realized earlier. This resulted in the time being shorten to 3 to 6 months. This latest information left no choice except to plan a trip to see and help care for her sister. So she boarded a plane to Texas to spend at least two weeks with her sister. Sometimes, indeed, when it rains, it pours. Some 18 months prior to this visit, the two of us visited with the family for Thanksgiving. Since that time, a younger brother and an older sister passed away in 2020 unexpectedly. The brother in February, and her sister in August. Sometimes, in the form of cancer, heart issues, or other illnesses, death will inform us of its proximity. Doctors will then inform us of approximate timelines in which to expect death to occur. When we hear the words 'cancer and terminal', they usually will provoke certain emotions like fear, sadness, shock, etc. Yet, in the company of all those adverse emotions, there resides an even stronger force or power called Faith. That Faith not only calms and comforts us, it also impowers us to believe God for the impossible. "For with God, all things are possible"*. And God Himself 'fights for us'**. When or after all natural means and resources have been exhausted, there resides a greater impetus and opportunity for God to operate in the realm of 'The Supernatural'. In the natural world, we use formulars and equations to describe many of the things we do and the 'theories' in which we believe. If we were to express our 'Faith' in the form of an equation, it would be "G+N=S". In the realm of Faith, it is not a theory, but it would be another way of saying, "God Plus Natural = Supernatural". My wife and her siblings are prepared as best they can be for the departing of their sister. However, I recently heard her say to one of her siblings as well as to others, "We will pray until there is no further reason to pray". In my mind, that is another way of saying, "It's not over until it is over". Or, "It's not over until GOD SAYS IT IS OVER". These words are not cliche or token words. They are 'Faith Words'. For praying people like my wife, they are as real as the rising or setting sun. There is no greater comfort for people in general and 'people of Faith' in particular, than knowing that God Himself is Sovereign and has the final word. 061121PSCtest, Cancer Ivy, Chantelle Cooke. 1P *Matthew 19:26 **Exodus 14:14