Many of you know of my friendship with the Daniels family. Tim was my youth pastor when I was in high school and he and his wife were like second parents to me. So much of what I am today is because of their involvement in my life. They have 4 children, all of whom I babysat. They called me Miss Andrea : ) Elizabeth was the flower girl in our wedding. They moved to Washington state about 6 years ago.
Please excuse my dramatic Anne of Green Gables title . . . my despair is sincere.
We just found out that their daughter, Elizabeth (age 13) has a rare malignant tumor below her eye. It is at either stage B or C (they are still investigating that) and more testing is being done. Because the tumor is so rare, the doctors aren't even sure how to proceed (radiation, surgery, etc . . . )
Please be praying for this dear family. Pray for wisdom and peace for them as they proceed. Also for wisdom for the doctors who will be treating her.
I've been in a sort of stunned silence all afternoon. There are so many different parts of me that want to scream and cry. As a friend I want to hug Tim and Deb and make it all better. The wife in me just wants to cuddle up with my husband and cry. As a mom I feel freaked out - first of all thinking about how their daughter has such a rough road ahead. How are siblings going to deal with the reality of what is happening (and what could happen?) And secondly, I think of my sweet girls . . . I can't even go there. Then the taskmaster in me wants to freak out over details! They live on an island . . . which means the time and expense of ferry rides back and forth, still having to take care of 3 other children (ages 8, 10, and 14) and then the mundane things . . . dinner, laundry, etc . . . That's hard to deal with when everyone is healthy.
So yes, my brain feels overloaded and my emotions feel raw . . . I'm not used to this . . . I'm usually pretty thick skinned and even keeled.
Then come the questions and protests. If only I were two and could throw myself on the floor screaming "it's not fair!" There have been a couple of times today that I've been doing that on the inside. How is it fair that horrible people can live long healthy lives, yet this sweet little girl has to deal with something like this? Yet, I know that my protest is out of line. I know the character of my creator. I rest in the fact that this is all within the realm of His sovereignty. It's no accident . . . many would like to say it is . . . that it would be cruel to think that an all powerful and all knowing God could allow something like this. It may seem that way, but we don't see the big picture . . . He does. He saw the big picture when He sent His Son to be tortured on the cross. Cruel? Heartless? No. Salvation. "For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever belives in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
Here I find my resting place and choose to be thankful that He sees the big picture.
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