Jesus Is Our Hope

In spite of my words of wisdom yesterday about not focusing on "what ifs" and "if onlys," today when I heard the news that there was nothing that could be done but keep him comfortable, I had a breakdown and just wanted someone to blame.  I blamed myself, I blamed the doctors, and I was just so angry that I wanted to tear down the world.

After letting me vent my anger, a sweet friend shared just the words I needed to hear.  This is not my fault.  It's not the doctor's fault.  It isn't anyone's fault.  This is not fair and it's not right, but it isn't anyone's fault.  There are some things I would do differently if I could go back in time, but I did not cause his back pain.  There are things the doctors missed that I wish so badly they hadn't, but they did not cause his back pain either.  We all love Dad and want to help him and we all missed opportunities that might have made a difference, but we did not cause the problem.

The problem is cancer.  Cancer is here because this world is broken.  This world is but a shadow of the world it was intended to be, and it is broken.  And we all have to live out that brokenness in our lives.  There are good people, like family and doctors and friends, who try to help others as they navigate this broken world, but despite the help, the world remains broken, disease still exists, and we cannot escape the brokenness.  In our case, we deal with the brokenness caused by cancer in the life of a good man.

My friend went on to remind me of the "Big Picture" the bible tells of our world, of how once sin entered the world, it became a broken place.  Because of sin, the world is now a place of disease and decay, of war and uncertainty.  Even those of us who live good lives, who love much and are much loved, who have much and enjoy the blessings around us, even we are affected by this brokenness.  Already this concept helps me cope.  My dad's cancer is not anyone's fault.  It is the result of living in a world broken by sin.

But there is so much more hope than just the ability to relinquish anger and forsake placing blame.  The "Big Picture" that the bible tells does not end with the broken world.  Immediately after sin enters the world, God promises a Savior (see Genesis 3:15).  The rest of the Old Testament plays out the story of how much the people of the world truly need that Savior.  The New Testament tells of how the Savior came, lived, and died to fix forever this broken world.

As my friend said, "We have to intimately feel Jesus' saving grace that one day He will set all things right. And He will." His death on the cross defeated our sin, and the punishment we were due for our sin.  But it did more than that.  It was the payment for the healing of our world.  It is paid in full.  He waits for the proper time to return and make it so.  His return will finally destroy sin and disease and war and decay and uncertainly and death.  All things will be made new, and remain so, forever.  What a beautiful conclusion.

Several months ago I wrote up some catchphrases for the fall curriculum at church.  As I was sitting in the room with Dad, struggling with the situation, I read the email of the plan for the week.  This week's catchphrase, written several months prior was, "Jesus Gives Us Hope."  And it was sent to me in an email on the day my father passed away, the only answer to the most painful experience of my life.

Jesus is our hope.