Victory in Jesus

It has been a tough day for Elijah. He is not feeling well and has shed lots of tears today. He seems to be in pain but we aren't clear where. When he gets so out of sorts, it is difficult to figure out what is going on with him. He does have a 102 temp along with his other persisitent symptoms. He has had some extra doses of pain meds and lots of tylenol. Tomorrow, he will have another CT scan of his chest to rule out possible pneumonia.

What an honor it is to having been called to walk on this journey with Elijah..through it all.

Today, a precious 14 year old is saying goodbye to his family for now. The world may say he is losing his battle with cancer. But, he knows and his family knows that he is winning a much greater battle. He will be with Jesus soon. The song "Victory in Jesus" has been playing through my mind all day as I have prayed for the family. I love the words of this old hymn:

I heard an old, old story,

How a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary

To save a wretch like me;

I heard about His groaning,

Of His precious blood's atoning,

Then I repented of my sins;

And won the victory.

Chorus:

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior, forever.

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him,

And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about His healing,

Of His cleansing power revealing.

How He made the lame to walk again

And caused the blind to see;

And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,

Come and heal my broken spirit,"

And somehow Jesus came and brought

To me the victory.

I heard about a mansion

He has built for me in glory.

And I heard about the streets of gold

Beyond the crystal sea;

About the angels singing,

And the old redemption story,

And some sweet day I'll sing up there

The song of victory.

This child's story is a testimony to God's faithfulness. The Watters family had a child with a rare form of cancer. As they spent countless hours at the hospital with their daughter, they learned of another child fighting the same type of cancer. This child did not have a family able to be by his side. He was in foster care. The Watters adopted him four years ago (They tell their story so much better on their caring bridge site under the name: corinnewatters) He was adopted into their family and soon to follow, into the family of God through his testimony of faith. His faith is pure and precious even as he faces his own death. He is an inspiration.
Years ago, the Watters were called to bring him home into their family....

...and now they are being called to walk him to his eternal home...heaven. What a painful honor and privelege it is for them to be called to such a task. My heart aches for them and for their six children that are grieving as they say goodbye for now...but I do not feel sorry for them. God has come near to them. He is near to them in ways that can not be explained in human terms. They did not know all that God was going to ask them to bear as they said yes to adopting their son...but I am certain they would do it again in a heartbeat having had the chance to be a part of their his life. This is suffering...with hope.  And I am praying for all of them tonight. Will you join me?

This amazing young boy's name is  Victor....and that he is.