Do you ever read the obituary column? I do. Remember what Mark Twain said? If he gets up, reads the obituaries and doesn't find himself there, he dresses and goes to work. Same thing for me. One thing I have often noticed is that people are often reported as having "fought a courageous battle against…" It is a war and it does call for courage. We have talked about the power of prayer in fighting illness. I want to focus on some of the less obvious, but necessary elements of an organized military operation. Jim Smith, my friend and longtime colleague, is my model for these.
I want to consider 7 actions to take within confronted with serious disease.
1) Appointment of a board
Jim has asked five of us to personify needed functions in his battle with cancer. He has also listed a sixth place for the Holy Spirit. It's my first time to officially serve on a board with the Holy Spirit, and none of us take it lightly. This critical member is called "the comforter, who will lead you into all wisdom."
2) Human participation
Sometimes we are tempted to say, "Just leave it all to God." This can be a very irresponsible response. I believe it is a firm principle of scripture that God never does for us what we can do for ourselves. Even in raising Lazarus he asked the sisters where he was and to show Him. It would be difficult for me to believe that the God of the universe who could raise Lazarus didn't know where he was, but he wanted human participation. Even the miracle healing of the man with the withered hand exemplifies this when Christ asked him to stretch out his hand. Christ could have healed the hand without its being stretched out, but He wanted the man to participate. God does not want to encourage our irresponsibility in problem solving.
3)Journaling
Jim is enjoying those wonderful periods of illumination which come many times in serious illness. They come particularly in the early morning hours. They came to me when I had my bout with malignancy. During these times there's great clarity and focus, when you stand between life and death. Oftentimes people who are suffering with great physical handicaps achieve greater clarity of mind; for example, Steven Hawking, Helen Keller, or Fanny Crosby.
During my experience I learned that these times were called lucubrations. Jim is sitting at his computer putting down his flow of consciousness, chronicling the events and feelings. This is important, because as you read back through them you see the evidences of divine relationship. We don't automatically store these in our present consciousness.
4) Family unity
It is necessary to keep the family loop intact.
It's a great time for the family to meld and be welded in the heat of a life threat.
Our younger daughter wrote us a note saying that the best memory she has of 1992 is the family together when Mary Alice was having her brain tumor operation and how we had closeness, love, and blessedness in that event.
It's important that we not undermine, even without ill will, family unity. Sometimes we're tempted, after talking to Jim and feeling the optimism that he has, to get his wife Jan on the side and say, " Tell me how things really are."
5) Medical possibilities
Jim will continue his cooperation with the medical team. There are very few medical options open at this time. Yet he is going to keep an open mind to any reasonable experiment or possibility. He is not dismissing the medical science as a failure or with any disregard but, rather, augmenting their efforts with his concerted effort to strengthen and enhance the immune system.
6) Focused energy
It is critical that Jim channel his energy to help the immune system. He must focus on this almost to the exclusion of other matters. He must be tough-minded in order to do this. Jim has a great feel for ministry, but this must be suspended while his energy ministers to the minister. I have known ministers who literally killed themselves because they kept putting their ministry in front of their own health, which to me is short-sighted and certainly doesn't seem compatible with God's purpose.
7) Appreciation and Support
He was telling the other day about reading the many letters, up to 45 a day, stopping, sitting and crying, "like a baby. " He was crying tears of joy, and there could be nothing more healing than the tears of joy which can bathe the wounds. How much more positive they are than the tears of bitterness. In a situation this severe a person should cry, and it's so great that they can be tears of joy.
One of the interesting symbols in his room is the fighting fish that one of our members brought him, knowing Jim's love for fishing and his willingness to fight.
Others have brought food, others flowers, many call and one of our perceptive members gave Jim a foot rub. He was almost startled to realize that there were spots on his feet that gave him very pleasant sensations around the area of his disease. Others have sent books and articles. All of these are playing a part in the support which he is receiving and appreciating.
If you or someone in your life is fighting a courageous battle I want you to be strong in the Lord. I hope that these practical and strategic suggestions are helpful.
