Remember

I've been trying to figure out what exactly I want to say in this post and it's been in "edit" form for a few days now. This is a tough subject to write about and so sensitive too. Please know my heart is to say things in a sensitive and encouraging way.

This week has been a tough one for the CF community.

I feel like I'm caught in the middle sometimes. The internet can be so great. It is so wonderful to be able to communicate with other CF families and get to know their kids. We find a familiar and safe community with people all over the country who are dealing with the same issues we are. The groups I've chosen to be a part of can be so incredibly helpful. We act as sounding boards for each other; sharing similar experiences, gathering advice and offering support, prayers, and sympathy when a fellow CF family is hurting or in need of encouragement. But, there are drawbacks. Questions arise about differences in care relating to geography and different clinics and differing (often opposing) approaches to the treatment of CF. This advice also often comes from those outside the CF community with promises of cures and health and the latest "have you heard of this miracle treatment, you would try it if you really loved your kid" remedy (apparently that's another post for another day). And let's just be honest, all of this can be a breeding ground for fear. We get to know others with kids the same age as ours and soon we identify with their achievements, struggles,and pain. We hear of hospitalizations, new bacteria cultures, complications, and we start to look at our kids and compare them in an unhealthy way. People post about friends' kids waiting on the transplant list and we fear that our child will find the same fate.This week, the CF community lost three kids. And, one was just 3 months older than Jason. When I first heard he "wasn't doing well" I stuck my head in the sand. It's my very effective strategy of self-preservation. I started to feel that old familiar feeling of fear, anxiety, and dread creep back into the deepest parts of me. He passed away Monday and I was all but drowning in fear. I soon learned that was not CF that ultimately caused his passing, but a complication that arose from a simple surgical procedure and the effects of anesthesia on his little system.
That's when the humbling began.
I so easily forget God's greatest promises. Not promises of prosperity and health, but promises of His strength (Isaiah 40:29 ), peace (Philippians 4:4-7, John 14:27), His wisdom (Romans 11:33), the believer's eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5, James 1:12, Romans 8:16-18), His sovereignty (Daniel 4:34-35, Proverbs 19:21 ), providence (Romans 8:32, Lamentations 3:23-26) and above all His lavish grace (Ephesians 1:7-8).
I find myself taking my eyes off His goodness and focusing on all the "what-ifs" that surround me. If we aren't careful, intentional and mindful, life can become a breeding ground for fear. We all know someone who died too young. Someone with an incurable and chronic disease. Someone diagnosed with cancer at a very young (or old) age. Someone involved in a "freak accident" or who suffered a traumatic experience or health scare. Someone deserted by their spouse, in search of something different. Someone losing their battle with depression. Someone finding themselves in financial ruin.
Life is full of pain and full of struggle and full of hard things. 

That goes for all of us. CF or not.
We are all susceptible to sickness, none of us are better than the rest. We're all human, we all face uncertain futures, and let's face it, there's not a whole lot we can do about it. Every breath we breathe, whether we recognize it or not, is given to us by the same Source.
HOWEVER. And yes, that's a very important word for this post.
God is with us in the midst of the hard things. He gives us all the promises previously listed, and then some. He gives imperishable unseen things in the midst of the perishable. He promises His presence. He commands us not to fear or be anxious.
So. Instead of living in the land of fear and what-ifs, let's choose to live in the present. To live day by day in a manner that is glorifying to God and points to His big picture. To comfort those around us with the same comfort we've received from Him. To use our circumstances to admonish and benefit others, not self-preserve to the point of neglecting those God has placed in our lives. Let's choose to trust a certain and all-knowing God in an uncertain and unstable world. That's where true joy and peace are found.

And, please, if you remember this sweet family, please say a prayer. I can't imagine what they are going through and am praying for God's promises to be evident even through this time of intense grief and suffering. May they be comforted and carried.