Virginia Lee shares the reality of living with Ivan's cancer...
In this month’s Southern Cross, Virginia Lee shared what it’s like supporting her husband, Ivan, the bishop of the Western region, through his diagnosis and treatment for pancreatic cancer. She speaks frankly about the difficulty of watching her “Energiser Bunny husband” struggle with fatigue and how she will be a “total mess” when it’s time to say good-bye. It’s also a beautiful testimony of Virginia’s faith in Christ.
We all pretend we’re not going to die… but it’s a reality that’s not only sobering, it makes you want to make the most of life, to look around every day, see the good things and, as the psalmist does, give thanks to God for everything. His love continues to hold you up. And that undergirding truth, which just warms my soul, is that God is good and that this will be okay.
A great book to read on the topic of suffering is Suffering Well by Paul Grimmond, published by Matthias Media. It was reviewed this month by ministry wife, Winnie Lau, on the EQUIP Book Club.
Everyone comes to a book on suffering with certain expectations. For me, I assumed that Paul Grimmond would answer the question ‘Why would a good, sovereign God allow suffering?’. Instead, he encourages us to put away our blinkers and turn our eyes to what God has to say on this painful topic. It’s an approach that is as refreshing as it is challenging. By humbling ourselves before God’s word, we find that our preconceived notions – while not entirely wrong – may have missed the central point of what God is communicating to us. God is not concerned with defending himself against our attacks on his character. Instead, he is concerned with preparing his people for a life that will, and must, contain suffering.
‘Suffering Well’ is a must-read for everyone. It’s a vaccination against fallen life that you and I need, now and for the years to come.