Shattered, but not without hope

Shattered, but not without hope...

Love has a way of stretching our hearts to the point it HURTS and a way of uniting us to others to show us we don't have to walk alone.  I thank the Sauer's for allowing me and thousands of others, to fall in love with Ben, to cry along side them on this difficult road, to pray for their beautiful son... literally as though he were my own, my heart ached as though I was watching one of my own beautiful babies draw closer to the day when Jesus would call them home.  My heart shattered into a million pieces as I read Mindy's precious blogs and sensed God had better plans for Ben than this world could ever offer him... a HEALING that would far exceed the 70+ earthly years, but one that would last an eternity! What greater joy than to know that sweet Ben walks with Jesus?  Ben is at home... this world is not our home, always remember we were created more than this life can ever offer us.  We were created for eternity, that's why it hurts so bad to lose loved ones, because our hearts want MORE than a lifetime can offer us, we want ETERNITY... and in Christ Jesus he offers us that kind of hope, when we put our trust in him to remove our sins and to save us from a life of eternal separation from him, when we ask him into our lives and have a personal relationship with him.  I feel so blessed to have been able to fall in love with Ben, to have my heart stretched in love and faith like it has never been stretched before!  I hate when I hear the terms like "he lost his battle" No! in Christ there are NO lost battles, there are no premature deaths, God had a plan to use dear sweet Ben's life to reach and circumcise Millions of hearts, to penetrate and open up Millions of lives all over the world to feel a love so deep and to pray for him as if we all knew him.  That is LOVE, to love a stranger as if we know him.  God DID heal Ben in a far better way than our human minds can understand.  My friend's Ben's life was not without purpose nor will his earthly death be without purpose. God used Ben's life to fulfill HIS purpose, one that will far exceed his 5 short years on earth, one that is bigger than you and I can see in the here and now.  Our minds are not big enough to understand, how is it that something beautiful can come out of something so tragic?  All we see is a lump of clay, it looks hopeless and lifeless, but to the potter he sees the beautiful creation in his mind from start to finish. He knows and has it in his control to shape his creation as he has planned to make a beautiful masterpiece, a one of a kind work of art.
    The world may see it as a lost battle to cancer, but let me share with you part of what I wrote in my daughter's baby book, she is 5 and at the age of 3 months was diagnosed with the chronic illness, cystic fibrosis.  I wrote: Although you have a chronic illness all that means to me is...
-we all do it's called death for most of us, others have a name attached to it such as cancer, but no one is promised tomorrow, God has a plan and is in control of it all, there is more to life than the here and now after all life is ultimately about eternal life; not earthly life, so make the most of each day and love the ones you are with.  I wrote this not only to her but also to me as a reminder of the truths I had come to learn and believe in the bible. One I hold dear is John 14:6 Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.  (Jesus gave this promise to those who put their faith in him that we have hope that there is life beyond this one, and Jesus was the key to this life.) And there is another one I cling to, Romans 8:28 And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  (This does not mean that all things that happen to us will be or even feel good, but that God is capable of using even the bad to be worked out and be used for His good.) Death does not have the final call here, it was defeated on the cross by Jesus once and for all.  I am looking forward to meeting Ben, an amazing miracle, one day face to face...in a place where there is no more sickness and death has been defeated.  I thank-you God for the promise of eternal life. Amen.