Whoever Likes Roller Coasters, Raise Your Hand
Life is like a roller coaster ride. There are ups and downs; there are unexpected twists and turns. Some parts of the “ride” are exhilarating, other parts terrifying. But there is one unmistakable reality: once that bar comes down and locks you in, there’s no turning back; there’s no jumping off. At times we would give anything to break free. The coaster is clicking up a monstrous rise, and we know what awaits us over the crest of the hill. Our heart pounds as we brace ourselves to plunge down the other side. The bar is an amazing component of the ride. It not only keeps you from getting off, it also holds you tight and keeps you safe. Who would want to ride a roller coaster without the safety bar?
In 2005, my husband, our four children and I, and my in-laws stepped onto a roller coaster to beat all roller coasters. The year began with weekly hospice visits in our home for my mother-in-law. She lived with us for 16 years, rocked grandbabies, tirelessly served us, and her body and mind were now succumbing to the ravages of Alzheimers. We were committed as a family to care for her at home, but that commitment was being tested by the stark reality of the level of care she required and by the intense sadness of daily watching her anguished soul slip further and further away from us.
By February, the second devastating plunge came. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Almost overnight our home became a medical crisis unit. Undergoing radical surgery followed by months of chemotherapy catapulted us to a new level of desperate dependence on God. We knew we would have to ride this out to the end; there was no jumping off, and we found ourselves clinging in desperation to the safety bar of our Savior.
In the midst of it all, my husband, my beloved, was not only shepherding his family, but also a growing group of believers at the church he helped plant just one year before. Preaching, as Charles Spurgeon aptly describes it, is “heart work, the labor of our inmost soul.” John Piper in reference to this astutely asks, “How do I keep on preaching" with a broken heart? "It's one thing to survive adversity; it is something very different to keep on preaching, Sunday after Sunday, month after month, when the heart is overwhelmed." [Bethlehem Conference for Pastors, January 31, 1995] I saw the heart of my husband breaking as he daily watched his mother slip away, as his wife became increasingly incapacitated and as he carried the burdens of ministry, yet each week by the power of the Holy Spirit he continued to preach, continued to love his flock, continued to care for his family, even with a broken heart.
Though the roller coaster seemed to be careening out of control, in the midst of it we knew that God’s sovereign love was propelling us forward and that our precious Savior – like the roller coaster’s safety bar – was holding us tight and keeping us from being dashed to the ground. This website to a large degree is the fruit of that time, though since that time the Lord has continued to shape our family through suffering with new twists and turns in this ride of life, but enough about me...
Where Are You?
Perhaps you find yourself in that confusing place of suffering, or someone you love is in deep distress and you are trying to make sense of their situation. If so, my prayer is that you will find consolation and comfort directly from the One known as “that man of sorrows acquainted with grief” (Is. 53:3). This is the God who inscribes those whom He loves on the palms of His hands, who says, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you” (Is. 49:15).
May the time spent on this website and through my ongoing blog draw you ever closer to the One who is and who knows, the One who is working all things together for good even when it seems too dark to see.
All Content on This Website is Protected by Copyright (including photographic) ~ All Rights Reserved
In 2005, my husband, our four children and I, and my in-laws stepped onto a roller coaster to beat all roller coasters. The year began with weekly hospice visits in our home for my mother-in-law. She lived with us for 16 years, rocked grandbabies, tirelessly served us, and her body and mind were now succumbing to the ravages of Alzheimers. We were committed as a family to care for her at home, but that commitment was being tested by the stark reality of the level of care she required and by the intense sadness of daily watching her anguished soul slip further and further away from us.
By February, the second devastating plunge came. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Almost overnight our home became a medical crisis unit. Undergoing radical surgery followed by months of chemotherapy catapulted us to a new level of desperate dependence on God. We knew we would have to ride this out to the end; there was no jumping off, and we found ourselves clinging in desperation to the safety bar of our Savior.
In the midst of it all, my husband, my beloved, was not only shepherding his family, but also a growing group of believers at the church he helped plant just one year before. Preaching, as Charles Spurgeon aptly describes it, is “heart work, the labor of our inmost soul.” John Piper in reference to this astutely asks, “How do I keep on preaching" with a broken heart? "It's one thing to survive adversity; it is something very different to keep on preaching, Sunday after Sunday, month after month, when the heart is overwhelmed." [Bethlehem Conference for Pastors, January 31, 1995] I saw the heart of my husband breaking as he daily watched his mother slip away, as his wife became increasingly incapacitated and as he carried the burdens of ministry, yet each week by the power of the Holy Spirit he continued to preach, continued to love his flock, continued to care for his family, even with a broken heart.
Though the roller coaster seemed to be careening out of control, in the midst of it we knew that God’s sovereign love was propelling us forward and that our precious Savior – like the roller coaster’s safety bar – was holding us tight and keeping us from being dashed to the ground. This website to a large degree is the fruit of that time, though since that time the Lord has continued to shape our family through suffering with new twists and turns in this ride of life, but enough about me...
Where Are You?
Perhaps you find yourself in that confusing place of suffering, or someone you love is in deep distress and you are trying to make sense of their situation. If so, my prayer is that you will find consolation and comfort directly from the One known as “that man of sorrows acquainted with grief” (Is. 53:3). This is the God who inscribes those whom He loves on the palms of His hands, who says, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you” (Is. 49:15).
May the time spent on this website and through my ongoing blog draw you ever closer to the One who is and who knows, the One who is working all things together for good even when it seems too dark to see.
All Content on This Website is Protected by Copyright (including photographic) ~ All Rights Reserved
