What do the following have in common? Fishing, cooking, worship leading, playing the piano, preaching, holding my kids, racquet sports, walks along the beach? They are all things I dearly love but cannot do now. The harsh reality is there is no way to know right now if I’ll ever be able to do them again this side of Heaven. All the years of practice, learning, the cost of equipment, my grand piano … could very well be useless. It is all entirely up to my Lord. “You give and take away,” (Job 1:21).
Crisis – What do I do? How do I respond? Anger? Resentment? Anguish? .. NO. Thankfulness!!
God is with me! The Lord stood by me (2 Tim 4:17). He will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb 13:5). He will never give me a temptation too great for me to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). I know the second part of my life will eclipse the first by far.
God’s plans for us are for us to prosper, to give us a future and hope! (Jer 29:11). I am safe in His arms (Psalm 63:7). Even if I have to learn a new way of ministry, if I can do so with more patience, compassion, understanding, and gentleness, then Praise God! He cannot forget me! (Isaiah 49:15). I am God’s beloved workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). Not my will, but His be done! (Luke 22:42).
Of course, God can heal me 100% if he wants. Before this, I fantasized about selling my house and living on a houseboat … but if it took a stroke to make me a better husband, father, and servant of God, then so be it. My first preference of course is that I will regain or surpass all of my previous ability, but also with all the wonderful lessons I am learning.
One most important lesson is that life is too short and unpredictable to leave important things unsaid, so let me say that I have some of the most awesome friends and family ever. Thank you for your love and support during our time of need.
Our prayer requests:
1. Thank God for the best babysitting we could imagine that allows my wonderful wife to be by my side during my darkest and most painful time.
2. Pray that God would grant me exponentially more effectiveness in the ministry during this new chapter of life, especially evangelism.
3. Pray that God would heal me completely if that is His will, so that I could be a better father to my children and serve my wife.
4. That I would grow in humility, gratefulness, and patience in spite of success, failure, or stress.
Thank you again.
Love you all,
Tim