A Dose of Perspective

For several days, many people that I go to church with have been waiting on the results of some tests for a friend. He had lost some 30+ lbs. in just a couple of months, and no one knew why. He was a smoker...so I had a suspicion. Today, he got the news...lung cancer.

Obviously, that word automatically creates a lot of uncertainly. It also, typically, creates a lot of fear, resentment, or even anger.

However, this man amazed me as he talked to me with a smile and a positive approach from the beginning. For a full hour, he told me of how God had worked in his life. He spoke of all of the things he wants to do before he passes. He feels he has a mission to accomplish for God. He has a message to get out. He told me of people with whom he had come into contact in his previous life (before Christ), and how he was now using the change God made in him to draw them to Jesus.

He smiled as he told me about how thankful he was that God had made a difference in him. The quote that stuck with me was, "Jason, if this had happened two years ago, I would have busted hell wide open. But now I know that my last breath in this world, will be my first in heaven. Knowing that, why should I be worried about my life."

My friend starts his treatments next week.

I pray that he is allowed as much time as possible to accomplish his mission.

I also pray for a miracle to be worked in my friend's lungs.

The truth is, that God has already worked the biggest miracle of all, in his heart.