“If
you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23
NKJV
Last
Wednesday night my two boys hugged their grandpa as we were leaving their
cousins house. It’s been a regular
routine for them – they hug their papa and grandma when we leave their presence. But, little did my kids know the hug they
shared could have possibly been their last.
Their papa was about to have risky surgery the next day to remove his
cancer.
Their papa
is an incredible man. Not only is he a
great grandpa to my kids, but he’s the father-in-law that you could only dream
of having. He has lived a life of
service, and will always put himself second to everyone else and their
needs. He’s a farmer. Like all farmers – they work their tails off
for the benefit of everyone else. They put
countless hours of work in so that households across the world will have food
on their plates. Really when I think of
Jim Kjos (Papa) – the phrase that continues to pop into my mind is “he provides.”
Without a
doubt he provides. He provides
support. He provides love. He provides an inspiration that is
contagious, and let me tell you – he has inspired my two little boys beyond
belief.
This past
summer he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Doctors gave him two to five years to live and told him that his cancer
was not operational. He began to undergo
chemo treatments and did so for many months.
It must be noted that these chemo treatments came during the peak
farming period but they didn’t stop him.
He provided when his body told him not to. He rolled out of bed when it would have been
much easier to fall back asleep. When
his body was telling him to NOT give another inch, he gave a mile.
About a
month ago he was given the option by a second doctor to undergo surgery to try
and remove most of the cancer. He was
told that without the surgery he would have months to live. The surgery was going to be risky; a 50%
chance of survival. Without a blink of
an eye and caution being tossed at him from all around – he decided to undergo
the surgery. A surgery that would last
10-12 hours.
The prayer
chain that had started back when he was first diagnosed began to grow much larger
and stronger. People that didn’t even
know him prayed for him day after day after day. The Shiloh community that I’m a part of
lifted him up in prayer each and every day.
My family and I prayed for papa every night before we went to bed.
We prayed
even harder the day of the surgery.
Anticipation and nervousness surrounded the family as we waited to hear
the first report from the doctor. Shortly
after 9 am – we received the first report.
The doctor told the family that the cancer was not as bad as they had
first thought. Each report after for the
next 10 hours was better and better. Finally
just before the surgery was complete the doctor visited the family and told us that he believed to have extracted
all of the cancer. Not only that, he
believed that papa has a very good chance to beat this cancer all
together.
The power of
prayer is amazing. God provides
support. He provides love, and he continues
to provide us inspiration. He tells us
to cast all of our worries on him. As
the verse at the top of this blog post states “if you can believe, all things
are possible to him who believes.”
Really when I think of God – the phrase that continues to pop into my
mind is “he provides.”
“Cast your anxiety on
him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NIV
God does
care for you. We all have stories that
are similar to the one above. Each day
we deal with pressure and anxiety. We
have loved ones that are sick and we have loved ones that we have lost. Throw your worries to the lord and trust in
his will.
“I will answer your cry
for help every time you pray, and you will find and feel my presence even in
your time of pressure and trouble. I
will be your glorious Hero and give you a feast!” Psalm 91:15 TPT
 |
| Papa and Grandma with all the grandkids. |
No comments:
Post a Comment