Victory Over Isms

Whew! Well, we made it through Death Week (much like shark week) and I think needed a few days to recuperate. :) Thanks for your patience as we walked back through such tough times in our lives. NOW on to Victory! We’d love to take a few days to share with you how kind the Lord has been in our journey with isms to provide decided victories! This is our week to not only thank Him for all that he has done so far, but to thank him in advance for the victories yet to come. And we know there will be MANY based on the incredible victories we have seen so far.

So join us as we explore “Victory Over Isms” for a few days.

What Does Victory Look Like to Me?

There are many, many examples in the life of my children that I could give of victory, especially in this season – and I reserve the right to do say another day, but I think I will let their stories speak for themselves in their interviews. For now, I’d love to give you a glimpse of a scene the Lord used last week to burn in my heart the image of victory from someone outside our home.

I had the pleasure last week of sitting next to a beautiful “young” woman who was one day away from turning 76. She sat reclined in a Lazy-Boy at a perfect 45-degree angle to give her body some relief from the cancer raging inside. This faithful woman of God sat there in her white “cancer patient” turban looking the vision of loveliness and strength. I knew that the next topic the Lord was asking me to explore for the blog was victory over isms and watching her handle her current circumstances was the quintessential moment of victory over an ism. She talked of her children, of her love of the backyard and the animals that come to rest there for a few minutes every day. She talked of the Lord and his faithfulness and of the generosity of the saints sent to minister to her and her husband during this time. We reminisced about a day where she had walked our socks off on a local trail - and how much has happened in just a year. And when for a brief moment she felt deeply the coming possibilities of her circumstances, she was overcome with emotion. (We both were.) God in his sweetness helped me to instantly recall some incredibly sage advice given to me when I was anguishing over whether or not to put daddy in a nursing home or care for him in my own home. I was terrified of all the “what ifs” that would soon follow that type of decision. A clear, calm, tender voice said to me over the phone one day, “Denise, the Lord only ask you to care for today. Take this one step at a time, one day at a time.” It was the Balm of Gilead – the very “medicine” I needed to put all my fears in there proper place. It was what I so desperately needed to remember the goodness of the Lord, whose goal was not for me to suffer and twist with anxiety, but to rest in His sovereignty. And so last week, I looked in my friend’s eyes and repeated back to her the words she had so aptly spoken to me nearly 4 years ago.

“A wise woman once told me, one step at a time – one day at a time. YOU were that wise woman and your wisdom is as true today for you as it was for me. You can do this, but only one step at a time – one day at a time.”

As is often the case when I am in the presence of this woman, I wept. I felt I was in the presence of greatness. I also knew that I stared into the eyes of one who is and will always be VICTORIOUS. My friend continues her daily battle with the ism of cancer, but she does so with victory in sight. God has determined how he will heal her and in the mean time we have the honor of watching her run the race with dignity, humility and most of all victory.

May 2009 - A day when Mrs. Mary "outwalked" us all.