Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Walker, a steadfast friend for almost 30 years. Nell, his wife of more than six decades, died after a long battle with a rare, decimating disease. Nell's obituary poignantly reminded friends of "her unwavering faith in family and church, her intense sense of right and wrong, loving strength, her gentleness, unexpected wit and strong support for Walker … ."
After work, I stopped by the hospital to see David, who's been a great friend for almost 13 years that Joanna and I have been members of First Baptist Church in Lewisville. I can't remember how many times David has been in the hospital the past couple of years. Every time I've visited him, he's made me laugh and filled me with hope. If humor and faith could whip cancer, David would've been done with hospitals long ago. This time—we pray and believe—should be David's last stay in that hospital as a cancer patient. Yesterday, he talked about how he intends to show his gratitude for God's blessings by coming back to share hope with others.
Last night, I received an e-mail from Jean. Her husband, Eric, is a chaplain bound for Kabul, Afghanistan. I've known Eric's family for more than 30 years, since his oldest brother, Marc, and I became lifelong friends in college. Eric and Jean have a rock-solid marriage built on faith and love. But you can understand why Jean is scared. You would be, too.
Life is hard. And it just seems to get harder. When Joanna and I were 23, we had a friend named Carolyn who was the same age then that we are now. She wisely warned us life would be hard. Frankly, we didn't believe it. Couldn't comprehend it. But now that we've lived almost three more decades, we know precisely what Carolyn meant.
And that's why I can't live any day without prayer and almost any day without reading the Bible, seeking a word from God. What I can't understand at age 52 is how anybody makes it through life without a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. At least not without going crazy.
A few years ago, the late, wonderful spiritual troubadour Rich Mullins touched me with a prayer I have adopted time and again: "Hold me, Jesus. I'm shaking like a leaf. You've been my King of Glory, now be my Prince of Peace."
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