There has been a man in church that I have always admired. I see him almost every Sunday in church with his two kids, junior high age. There are times when I watch him more than I listen to the sermon. I do this for no other reason than admiration. It really is that simple.
I don't know his full story, and to be honest, I ALWAYS struggle with what his name even is. But I do know that he is a single father who has raised these children after his wife died of cancer. My admiration for him comes from his parenting, yes, but also just for his evident joy and dependence on the Lord for strength.
Today, I am sure he is summoning the Lord to give him a little bit more strength than normal. I found out today that he has pancreatic cancer. And it's bad. The kind of bad that doesn't look promising. When given this information to pray about, it was accompanied by these words: "Pray for either a miracle or that he will be given wisdom to know what to do with his kids."
My day stopped and my heart sank and I was absolutely overwhelmed with questions. Why would God put something like this on someone like that who has already gone through so much? Sometimes these things just don't make sense. They don't seem fair. They don't seem right.
As I tried to explain the situation to my children who overheard the conversation, it brought a smile to my face to be able to tell them that Steve knows Jesus and that, even though it's hard to understand why God would take a Mommy or a Daddy away from their kids, it's good that he knows and has a real and deep relationship with the Lord. Though my heart aches for him and his family, it also rejoices in knowing the legacy of fatherhood he is leaving with his children as he has raised his kids in faith and the knowledge of God.
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