When your heart hearts for others

 My heart hurts for some dear friends of ours.  

Tomorrow, our friend, Ryan, goes in for his third brain surgery.  He has a malignant tumor and it has come back. Not the news they were hoping to hear after his bi-monthly MRI.  He had been symptom free and had stable MRI after stable MRI for almost three years.  

"When I walk through deep waters 
I know that You will be with me
When I'm standing in the fire
I will not be overcome
Through the valley of the shadow
I will not fear"

Ryan is our age.  He is a father of two boys and husband to his dear wife.  He is our friend and he loves Jesus!  

My high school friend, Julie, just texted me that her breast cancer has now spread to her bones and lung.  My heart is aching!  Kent and I saw her at Thanksgiving and what a special time to spend with her, her husband and their two sweet boys.  Julie got her diagnoses last summer….right around her second sons first birthday.  Julie and I had babies really close together….her second and our third.  It hits really close to home.  Julie is my age, mother to two sweet little boys and a loving wife. She married her high school sweetheart and I actually went on my first ever date with my high school boyfriend with her and her husband back in 1997.

"I am not alone
I am not alone
You will go before me
You will never leave me"

Julie is a dear friend from home and she loves Jesus!  

The blessing in all this is that both of our friends know where their hope lies.  They know it lies in Jesus alone!  I praise God for that!  What hope and peace we have in Him!  

"In the midst of deep sorrow
I see Your light is breaking through 
The dark of night will not overtake me
I am pressing into You
Lord, You fight my every battle
And I will not fear"

This is hard stuff!  I really don't know how to process such suffering.  It makes me look at life differently.  It inspires me to love on my kids more, to not sweat the small stuff and isn't most of life small stuff? It pushes me to be in His word reminding myself of His promises.  It reminds me that what truly matters is to love each other, encourage one another and point others to Jesus, the only way that we can spend eternity in heaven with God.  

"You're my strength
You're my defender
You're my refuge in the storm
Through these trials
You've always been faithful
You bring healing to my soul"

Thank you Lord for fighting our every battle!  

(Song by Kari Jobe.  It is an AMAZING song!  click here to watch.  Its basically been on repeat on Spotify the last couple of days.)