Faith not Fake
I met Chris a couple of years ago when we both attended a workshop for work. He stayed in my memory, maybe because of his enthusiasm about his job, or for his transparency as he shared how Jesus saved him from a life of addiction. I recall his adoration for his wife, Christine. They had recently learned they were pregnant and his excitement was contagious.
Now and then Chris’ Facebooks posts would pop up on my feed and I watched his young family’s life unfold from afar, including the birth of their beautiful son, Brice.
Fast forward to September 2019. It was with a heavy heart that I read that their precious baby had been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer – the worst possible news for any parent. The prognosis was not good. I wept as I prayed for God to intervene.
Since that day, Chris and Christine have continued to openly share their hopes, fears and faith with their on-line community. They have partnered with Brice’s medical team to leave no stone unturned in his treatment. They also joined with their spiritual family to stand firm in their faith that their Heavenly Father can, and does, heal.
Sadly, in early February the day came when the doctors told Chris and Christine that Brice had only weeks to live. I cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like to hear that news. It was a dark day. Chris was honest and real as he shared the doctors’ report. He acknowledged the love and prayers of those supporting his family but didn’t pretend to be anything other than the grieving father and husband he was.
That day, Chris and Christine also made a courageous choice. They chose life over death. They decided that, for however little time they had left with Brice, they were going to cram as much life into every day as they could. No work, no looking back or forward - just living every day to the full and making as many memories with their little guy as they could. They made a bucket list of all the things they would have done with Brice if things were different and set out to make those memories now. People rallied around them and raised funds so they could focus on their time with Brice, and not worry about paying the bills.
They shared every day with us - the good and the really bad ones. But never once have they wavered in their faith that God is there for them, that Brice is in His loving hands, and whilst they don’t understand why he hasn’t been healed, God is their comfort and their rock.
In the middle of the storm, Chris and Christine continued to find things to be thankful for. No doubt there have been a lot of tears and some really dark hours. It must be so hard watching their precious child suffer and endure surgeries and chemotherapy, nausea and so much more. How a baby can endure what Brice has been through is hard to fathom – yet he has done so without complaint and with a happy spirit.
On one particularly hard day, Chris shared,
“I’m starting to find that faith isn’t something you have. It’s something you live. Each day Christine and I are living our faith. We don’t get more or less of it. We live it.”
This really struck home. Until you are in the middle of a life-changing crisis, you cannot know how you will respond or how your faith will be tested.
About a week ago, Chris started sharing updates about Brice via Facebook Live. In the midst of his own trials, he chose to encourage others as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world.
Chris has continued to post updates and encouragement, sharing his faith in Jesus and inviting people to send their prayer requests so he can pray for them. In his post yesterday, he said “The Lord has been so good to Christine and I through this. I know that sounds crazy if you don’t trust Christ, but man, He’s been so faithful, and He’s carried us through the darkest valleys. The worst places you can imagine mentally to go into, God has literally lit a torch in front of us and I’m so grateful for that.”
The time is drawing near for Chris and Christine to part with their precious boy. No doubt there will be many days of tears and sorrow as they grieve and ache to hold him near. But there will also be hope – hope in an eternal future and the deeply held belief that Brice will be free from pain and in the arms of Jesus.
Maybe you have experienced the deep pain of loss of a loved one, or are grieving the loss of your job and looking fearfully into the future. Whatever you are facing, my hope is that Chris and Christine’s faith will help you choose faith over fear. Not fake. Not ignoring facts. But choosing to believe that through it all God will comfort you, provide your needs and lead you through the valley of death into green pastures (Psalm 23). Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t mean we won’t face sorrows or trials. In fact, Jesus tells us just the opposite (John 16:33). But what we do have is a firm foundation in Him. He is our Rock and He has overcome the world.
“And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words. God, the searcher of the heart, knows fully our longings, yet he also understands the desires of the Spirit, because the Holy Spirit passionately pleads before God for us, his holy ones, in perfect harmony with God’s plan and our destiny. So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.”
It comforts me to know that even when I don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit is interceding with the Father on our behalf.
My prayer today is that whatever you face, you will trust that God has a perfect and good plan for your life, and that He is working every detail together for your good.
