Identifying the Enemy

As most of you know, my wife has a brain tumor. It is just about the worst brain tumor you can have - Glioblastoma Multiforme. It is an aggressive tumor that usually takes the host's life in a relatively short time. While there are exceptions (like our doctor's brother), most die within one or two years at the most and some much sooner than that.

Many people would refer to this tumor as an enemy. Certainly the medical community is treating it as such. Every day, Linda receives radiation at Rex Hospital and takes 2 pills of oral chemo every night. It is the desire of the doctors to attack this tumor with everything at their disposal. In fact, we talk with our oncologist next week about an experimental intravenous chemotherapy that has shown some definite promise with this particular tumor. No decisions yet, but we got word that there is a strong possibility that Linda would be a candidate.

Is the tumor the enemy? Well, we know it is a really bad object that is creating havoc in Linda's body. We also know that it is the result of sin - not Linda's sin, but the sin that began in the Garden of Eden. From the beginning, the gene pool was damaged, and it has gotten increasingly worse through thousands of years. Since all humans trace their roots to Adam and Eve, we are all susceptible to disease and worse. No doubt, though a brain tumor is of our own (humanity's) making, it is not something with which one wants to deal. You never want to hear your doctor say, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but you have a brain tumor."

I have mentioned several times in this space that when Linda heard those words, almost immediately her response was, "This did not catch God by surprise." I agreed. Whether these exact words were uttered that night or not, we both believed, and still believe, that this is not a mistake. Why? We are way too finite to answer that question! We do know, though, that God is sovereign, kind beyond our ability to appreciate, wise beyond comprehension and in complete control (to complete the circle).

There is one, though, who is the enemy of our soul - Satan. We need not fear him, but rather we should fear the One who controls our eternal destiny - God (Matthew 10:28). Praise be to God, Linda's eternal destiny was sealed when she was 7, and eternal life (this phase of it, anyway) began for me when I was 18. As long as we are on this earth, though, Satan dogs our every step with evil intentions for us. 1 Peter 5:8: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Linda has joked - as she lies in the bed - that she would like to think that Satan would cut her a break since she has a brain tumor! She may think that because every time she asks for anything I tell her, "You get a pass on this one!" One night when Michael was here, Linda asked him for an almond cookie (incredibly healthy - Phyllis Lane made them for Linda) to eat after she took her chemotherapy. Michael replied, "How can you deny your mom when she asks for a chemo snack?" As you can see, we are quite attentive to her needs - and wants!

Satan is paying attention, also, but his intentions are quite different than ours. Jesus described him as he is: John 10:10: "The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy (emphasis mine). Oh, he has an agenda, to be sure, and it is our destruction! He never says, "Well, the radiation is wearing her down, so I am going to call off the dogs today." The exact opposite is reality - when we are down, Satan seeks to finish us!

2 Corinthians 2:11 assures us that spiritual believers are able to discern his schemes. Of course, all of us would confess to being blindsided by Satan at one time or another - we never saw him coming and were hurt with his evil actions against us. In our case, it is pretty easy to discern at least one of his choice weapons against Linda - discouragement.

It seems important for us to say once more that we are aware of the damage a GBM (tumor) does to the host (what an odd choice of words for the one suffering from this unwelcome guest!). It is deadly. We are equally aware that our lives are in God's hands, and it may not be His will to heal. Until that is crystal clear to us, though, we will continue to pray for a miraculous healing, whether it be through treatment (as in the case of Dr. Patterson's brother), or through supernatural removal of the mass and all its insidious offspring.

Having articulated the obligatory qualification, we are praying for a miracle and we are encouraged - most of the time. Satan's tool of choice against Linda is discouragement. He slithers in like a snake in the mornings (rather than like a roaring lion) when her back is hurting and hope seems remote. She assures me that this is not the voice of God telling her to get ready, but it is a discouraging word from below. We all know how real that voice can sound, and how deeply it can affect us!

The tumor is not the enemy. God is in absolute control, and we submit to His will. We are obedient to Him, though, when we repeatedly approach His throne and make our desire - Linda's complete healing - known to Him, praying in faith. Those prayers, though not ended this way every time, are offered in the spirit of the prayer that never fails - as Father Tim (you will have to figure that out on your own!) would say - "Your will be done." As my sister Nan reminded me last night, Linda's days were determined (as were all of ours) before the foundation of the world. If this is her time, God be praised. But, not every illness - even a serious one - is designed to end in death. Satan wants us to think otherwise, and we would do well to ignore his suggestions.

SO, we have a prayer request. In the mornings, would you please pray that God will defeat Satan when he slithers in to discourage Linda? Although I type the posts in this blog spot, Linda's heart and hand are in every single one. She covets your prayers. Just as the radiation will soon move from a general field (surrounding the tumor) to a very specific target (the tumor itself), she desires that your prayers be directed in this way.

I promised in an earlier post that I would remember the maxim that brevity is the soul of wit. It is not that I lied - it is just that I am not witty (bright) enough to follow the wisdom offered in the aforementioned pithy word! If you have read this far, you have found some value, perhaps, or it may be that you are really bored. In either case, thank you!