When Yes Means No
I thanked God for the privilege of serving as my mom’s live-in caregiver during her battle against leukemia. When medicines began to hurt more than help, she decided to stop…
Topic > When Life Hurts > Coping with Disease >
Unbreakable Faith
After doctors diagnosed their first-born son with autism, Diane Dokko Kim and her husband grieved facing a lifetime of caring for a cognitively disabled child. In her book Unbroken Faith, she admits to struggling with adjusting their dreams and expectations for their beloved son’s future. Yet through this painful process, they learned that God can handle their anger, doubts, and fears. Now, with their son reaching adulthood, Diane uses her experiences to encourage parents of children with special needs. She tells others about God’s unbreakable promises, limitless power, and loving faithfulness. She assures people that He gives us permission to grieve…
Mercy’s Lament
Her father blamed his illness on witchcraft. It was AIDS. When he died, his daughter, ten-year-old Mercy, grew even closer to her mother. But her mother was sick too, and three years later she died. From then on, Mercy’s sister raised the five siblings. That’s when Mercy began to keep a journal of her deep pain.
The prophet Jeremiah kept a record of his pain too. In the grim book of Lamentations, he wrote of atrocities perpetrated on Judah by the Babylonian army. Jeremiah’s heart was especially grieved for the youngest victims. “My heart is poured out on the ground,” he…
Never Give Up Hope
When my friend received a diagnosis of cancer, the doctor advised her to get her affairs in order. She called me, sobbing, worried about her husband and young children. I shared an urgent prayer request with our mutual friends. We rejoiced when a second doctor encouraged her to never give up hope and confirmed his team would do all they could to help. Though some days were harder than others, she focused on God instead of the odds stacked against her. She never gave up.
My friend’s persevering faith reminds me of the desperate woman in Luke 8. Weary from twelve…
Are You There?
When his wife contracted a terminal illness, Michael longed for her to experience the peace he had through his relationship with God. He had shared his faith with her, but she wasn’t interested. One day, as he walked through a local bookstore, a title caught his eye: God, Are You There? Unsure how his wife would respond to the book, he walked in and out of the store several times before finally buying it. To his surprise, she accepted it.
The book touched her, and she began to read the Bible too. Two weeks later, Michael’s wife passed away—at peace with God…
From Wailing to Worship
Kim began battling breast cancer in 2013. Four days after her treatment ended, doctors diagnosed her with a progressive lung disease and gave her three to five years to live. She grieved, sobbing prayers as she processed her emotions before God for the first year. By the time I met Kim in 2015, she had surrendered her situation to Him and radiated with contagious joy and peace. Though some days are still hard, God continues to transform her heart-wrenching suffering into a beautiful testimony of hope-filled praise as she encourages others.
Even when we’re in dire circumstances, God can turn our…
A Purpose in Pain?
When Siu Fen discovered she had kidney failure and would need dialysis for the rest of her life, she wanted to give up. Retired and single, the longtime Christian saw no point in prolonging her life. But friends convinced her to persevere and go for dialysis and trust in God to help her.
Two years later, she found her experience coming into play when she visited a friend from church with a debilitating disease. The woman felt alone, as few could truly understand what she was going through. But Siu Fen was able to identify with her physical and emotional pain…
Praying and Growing
When my friend David’s wife developed Alzheimer’s disease, the changes it brought to his life made him bitter. He needed to retire early to care for her; and as the disease progressed, she required increasingly more care.
“I was so angry at God,” he told me. “But the more I prayed about it, the more He showed me my heart and how I had been selfish for most of our marriage.” Tears welled in his eyes as he confessed, “She’s been sick ten years, but God has helped me see things differently. Now, everything I do out of love for her,…
A Song in the Night
My father’s life was one of longing. He longed for wholeness, even as Parkinson’s gradually crippled more and more of his mind and body. He longed for peace, but was tormented by the deep pain of depression. He longed to feel loved and cherished, but often felt utterly alone.
He found himself less alone when he read the words of Psalm 42, his favorite psalm. Like him, the psalmist knew a desperate longing, an unquenched thirst for healing (vv. 1–2). Like him, the psalmist knew a sadness that felt like it never went away (v. 3), leaving times of pure joy…
What We Can Do
Even though confined to his bed, 92-year-old Morrie Boogaart continues to knit hats for the homeless in Michigan. By February 2017, he had reportedly made over 8,000 hats in fifteen years. Instead of focusing on his health or limitations, Mr. Boogaart looks beyond himself and does what he can to place the needs of others above his own. He declared that his work made him feel good and gave him a purpose. “I’m going to do this until I go home to the Lord,” he said. Though most recipients of his hats won’t know his story or how much he…
Discover How To Fight Worry, Fear, and Doubt
What do you say to a person in the midst of deep, personal pain? How do you comfort someone going through a difficult trial? Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest, author, and cancer survivor Margaret Feinberg challenge us to avoid staying silent, and instead, offer the gift of joy to those who are hurting. […]
Healing For Wounded Hearts And Broken Churches
Joy is a powerful weapon for fighting back times of trouble. We can even use it to help others fight their battles. Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest, author and cancer survivor Margaret Feinberg explain how the gift of our presence can help others “Fight Back with Joy.” An uplifting conversation, today on Discover the Word!
We Can Always Respond With Joy
How are you? Usually, our circumstances dictate how we answer that question. But today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest, author, and cancer survivor Margaret Feinberg tell us why, whether we’re in pain or feeling good, we can always respond with joy. Find out why on Discover the Word!
Helping Fight Another’s Battle
God, the Great Physician, has a prescription for wounded hearts and broken churches: laughter! Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest, author and cancer survivor Margaret Feinberg explain why joy is good medicine. Chuckle alongside us as we learn to “Fight Back with Joy” on Discover the Word!
Comforting Others With Joy
When troubles start to close in around us and worry, fear, and doubt invade our hearts, God has given us a powerful tool to fight back. Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest Margaret Feinberg discover an unlikely weapon in our daily struggles. Hear about Margaret’s decision during her battle with cancer to “Fight […]
God As Both Redeemer And Restorer
The Bible teaches that God can take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it around for good. But when we’re in the depths of despair, that truth can be hard to believe. Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest Vivian Mabuni urge us to surround ourselves with hope and support in […]
