Back in the early 2000’s, a family came to our church who we didn’t know. We had several opportunities to be around them and really liked them from the start. But my friendship with the wife, Nancy, really took root when she posted on Facebook that she had an extra ticket for a local Christian radio station’s Women’s Day Away the next day, on Saturday. She wondered if anyone wanted to go with her.
I responded that I would love to go and trust me, spending a day with Nancy was unforgettable. We laughed until it hurt and talked throughout the day and by that evening, a cherished friendship was cemented.
Little did I know then, that 22 years later, Nancy would ask me to come over to her house because she wanted to go over details for her funeral with me. That is something you don’t expect to do with a friend in her late 40’s. She had been diagnosed with MS in her early 20’s and by the time we discussed her funeral, she was living in a frozen body…unable to move.
Nancy loved her Jesus. You couldn’t meet her and not know that fact within a very short time. She talked about Jesus all the time and witnessed to anyone who would listen. That’s one of the many things I loved about her…she was never shy to speak out about what she believed and about her love for her Lord and Savior. Nancy made such an impact in this world and one of the main reasons was that she believed in the truth and beauty of the Gospel - that Jesus came and gave His life for all of us. Even in the midst of doubts and pain…she held fast. Even as she wrestled at times with what was happening to her and why it was happening…she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loved her. Her faith is what fueled every facet of her life and impacted everyone with whom she came in contact.
If you were a friend of Nancy’s…you were blessed with a special kind of friend. Nancy cared SO deeply for everyone and she was the greatest prayer warrior I have ever had the privilege of meeting. Here she was, unable to move and living oftentimes in horrible pain…but she always wanted to know how she could pray for me. When I would tell her of a need of mine, she was always so good about checking back with me to see how my prayer request turned out. If you wanted something taken to the Throne of God…you knew to ask Nancy to do just that. She had a direct line to her Jesus…a relationship with Him that was inspiring.
I remember asking her one day about her MS and if she thought a lot about how her life would have been without it. I asked her if she wished she would have never had it and her answer shocked me. She said that while she wasn’t happy that she had MS, she didn’t wish that it would be taken away…because she said she never would have had such a close relationship with her Jesus without it. She knew that this diagnosis made her rely on Him every single day and she said there wasn’t anything she wanted more than to be close to Him. You see, the desire of Nancy’s heart was to allow the power of Christ to work through her in the good times and in the bad. What a wonderful example to follow.
A month ago today, on March 6th, at the age of 52, I am confident Nancy heard the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” as she took her last breath on earth and her first breath in Heaven. Nancy was finally whole…completely healed with no traces left of MS. She was now with her Savior…the One she so faithfully served in the good days and in the bad.
I had the privilege of speaking at her funeral, and I shared a couple of verses in the Bible found in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 and I personalized them as a tribute to my dear friend’s life:
“Nancy fought the good fight, she has finished the race, she kept the faith. Finally, there has been laid up for her the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to her on that Day, and not to her only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Nancy left such huge shoes to fill and the words which have haunted me since that day are “Who is going to pick up the torch that Nancy so faithfully carried?” The world has lost an amazing prayer warrior and witness for Christ, and I know she would want me and you to pick up where she left off.
If I’m honest, I must admit that I don’t think I’ve done a good job lately on carrying her torch. I have so much to learn from Nancy’s example…and a long way to go to be the faithful servant she was. I must ask myself if I am willing. Are you? We are living in a dark world that needs to be told about our Jesus and if they don’t hear about Him from us…they may not hear about Him at all. Let’s make it a point this week to pick up Nancy’s torch…raise it high…and let others see Christ through us.
HEALTH UPDATE: I had another CT scan and met with the lung surgeon and was told that no surgery is needed at this time. That is a praise! My lungs have greatly improved according to the CT scan…the only problem is that the pain and tightness remain. I am currently on another round of antibiotics and once those are gone…they want me to try and go three months without any medicine to see what happens. Another CT scan will be taken at that time and if it looks good…we will know the infection is gone. If the lungs don’t look good at that time, I will return to the lung specialist and we will talk about surgery.
I asked the surgeon if this is possibly my new “normal” with my lungs and the pain and tightness will never go away. We know my disorder, Hypermobility Syndrome, is the base cause of all of this, so it is possible that my lungs are damaged and won’t improve. The surgeon said that is a possibility…but we will hope healing will take place.
Thank you SO much for your prayers. You all have been such an amazing prayer “army” for me and I can’t thank you enough!
