"Saving the Best for Last"

Pondering the title of Pastor Katrina’s January 18^th sermon, I find myself turning to a personal application of God’s work in my life. He has saved the best for last.

I have several answers to when “the last” began. Moving to Whidbey Island, Washington in June 2008 to help my youngest brother care for our mother was one definite beginning. My world had been rocked by unusually difficult times since 2000. I still was not sure where I would end up in my faith journey. The 5 ½ years that followed my move to the island provided a new beginning, gradually established with a firm foundation. To this day, I do not know all that the Holy Spirit did in my life during that time, save that he removed much of the fear of people that had ruled my childhood, teen years, and adulthood. And how that was done I do not know, just that I was gradually changed.

My move to Bartlesville in 2013 and being involved in my grandchildren’s lives was the start of another “best for last.” (Sadly, my own children did not have that experience, with grandparents hundreds of miles away. Nor did I after age seven when my maternal grandfather died.) I never expected that I would experience the blessing of living in the same community as my daughter, son-in-law, their children, and my son.

Serving as a pastor at Good Shepherd was another unexpected “best for last.”  It was the fulfillment of an almost lifelong call and dream. 

And here comes the shocker: three times with cancer is my final “best for last.” I would rather not have cancer, but the blessings God has given me while enduring it are enormous. Each occurrence has made me draw closer to God, enriching my faith, this third time especially. I always thought that having cancer, especially stage IV cancer, would be terrifying. It is not. I have found, much to my surprise, that I fully trust in Jesus and do not fear the end of life. I am okay with God’s timetable, whatever that is, though I would prefer more rather than less time. He has given me a peace that I could never manufacture. What the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians is true: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What greater gift is there than that?

*To be totally honest, the day after writing this, I was smacked down by a wave of discouragement over my lack of energy even on a “good” day. (Doing two short errands completely depleted me.) Later, scrolling through Google news on my phone, I ran into an October 14, 2022, blog post by Joni Eareckson Tada titled “What Does It Look Like to Persevere in Trials?” She writes, “But if I run to God in my moments of need, he will provide endurance for my trials. Endurance is his gift to me!”

If you need encouragement today, check out Joni’s blog and read Romans 15:5 and James 1:12. God is faithful.