Finishing Well

I have been reading a little book called Finishing WELL: Learning to LIVE Through Terminal Illness. I hope that doesn't sound too morbid, especially since it doesn't fit my situation, but I am able to gain perspective and inspiration through the struggle that Presbyterian pastor John Eaves experienced as he faced terminal cancer. He is remarkable in his faith and his courage.

During his downhill fight, he was a strong witness for Jesus Christ. He preached about his fight and God's role in his life.  Toward the end, his doctor decided to stop treatment since it clearly was not halting the cancer and was just causing more pain. Eaves reaction was, "If you believe, as I do, that life is not about us but about Jesus and our faithful witness for him...."    I did not finish the quote because the attitude expressed at the beginning is the point. Eaves was not focused on the outcome that he wanted. Instead, he had managed to get to the point that most of us miss. This life is about service to God and man.  It is not about our comfort nor about our version of how things should happen.

He was concerned about all the people who had been praying for him and what their reaction would be when their prayers were not answered in the manner that they had hoped. He said, "We are not sent here to protect assets but to risk them for Jesus." In his case, that meant that he was glad to expend his life for the sake of those he was able to influence and to be a witness to the Savior who gave everything for him.

I wish I had a more of the focus that he had. I wish I did a better job of being a witness to the God who loves me, saved me, and sustains me. That is the life of adventure and meaning.