The Agony, the Ecstasy and the Everyday

It’s a strange thing to be sitting here writing knowing that it was a year ago yesterday since I was diagnosed, twelve months since I received the news that I probably only had six to eight months to live. And in that time, our lives have been irreversibly changed in so, so many ways. The great irony of 21st century life is that despite advances in all areas of science, of technology, leisure and more – our lives are so finite and despite our wishful thinking, we have so very little idea what the future holds or any power of ourselves to control it. I remember so clearly when Catherine and I moved to the UK in 1997 and I joined the staff team at St Mary’s Upton on the Wirral, my first preaching engagement at their large evening service was teaching from the New Testament letter of James, a book that they were working through on Sunday evenings. James’ words struck me then, but strike me now with even greater force –

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Our lives are precious but unpredictable. We have no idea what’s round the corner. If someone had said to me on the morning of 2nd July last year – the day before news of Ben’s first seizure in Brazil reached us – that by May this year, he’d have died and I would be retired from parish ministry because of a terminal cancer diagnosis, I would have looked, in the very least, bemused.    

But in a generation that, faced with both mortality and death, quickly sticks its fingers in its ears and loudly shouts “la, la, la, la, la, la”, producing all manner of distractions –  including remaking God in our own image – in an attempt to avoid facing up to the big questions death poses, questions about what life is ultimately about, about how we’re facing up to standing before God (if we believe in a God at all), about our own shortcomings and failures, then…then I’m reminded of the sheer wonder of both the place of peace and the answers found in the man who came from heaven as ‘God with us’  saying “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” and then, standing at the grave of his friend confidently asserted, “I am the resurrection and the life…those who believe in me, though they die will live”. And the apostle Paul, speaking about Him wrote, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It’s just that what He says throughout the gospels, hard though some of his words are, makes sense to the human condition and why his teaching has spoken to generation after generation over 2000 years.

Some do wonder, looking at our family thinking, “well if God is so amazing, it’s not exactly a good advert for Him that these things have happened to you”. But I can honestly say that for us, while it’s been a painful year, it’s been a precious one of knowing Father’s grace and supply in the middle of weakness and devastation in ways that we’ve not known before. We wouldn’t say that God has necessarily caused the things that we’ve experienced this year – they’re bigger questions for another time, perhaps another age – but neither has He been back-footed by any of them, as if left wringing His hands in despair, caught out, surprised and not sure what to do next. No, right there in the middle of the twists and turns of those things that happen to you and me, for anyone who’s repented and believed the good news about Jesus and placed the weight of their life’s trust on Christ, He’s immediately and already there by his Holy Spirit, using even the worst of things to bring not just glory to His name, but grace and strength for us as His precious sons and daughters, as well as an opportunity for a deepening trust and encounter with Him that no other circumstance perhaps would offer. If I consider that God’s greatest purpose and plan to save you and me involved Him using what hell and evil thought was its finest hour of triumph gained through crucifying Jesus Christ, and turned it into heaven’s greatest victory, then I’ve got a confidence that His arm is not too short to save and help us in our smaller circumstance. Quite truly, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”.

And it’s from that place of peace that we continue to live with the things we face. We continually feel so blessed living in our new home, pinching ourselves that we can be here, with great neighbours all around us. The garden (click the photos for a bigger image) is now looking beautifully transformed thanks to my wonderful mother’s design, Marc & Angie’s spadework and then some careful planting. It’s also been great to have friends who’ve lately scooped us up and taken us out or had us to stay – thanks Matt & Louise, Phil & Mal. I’m generally keeping well, although regular bouts of nausea – AKA Jeremy’s morning sickness – as well as the recent appearance of marble-sized lumps, one in an armpit and one at the top of my throat, accompanied by some tenderness and discomfort, have brought us up short. A phone call however to the oncology department assured us that they didn’t think it was anything to be worried about, more just swollen glands because of other things. My next scan takes place in two weeks, with results returned three weeks after that. Bouts of sudden tiredness regularly strike me, confirming that it’s been right to change tracks work-wise and be about other things. Among them, I’ve taken on a pastoral support role serving the twenty five or so ministers and pastors from across the denominations here in the city who belong to the Exeter Evangelical Partnership, visiting them, listening and praying in what, for some, are sometimes lonely and difficult situations. Our church family at Grace Church in Exeter have been a real blessing to us and provide us with a place of care and enormous encouragement, as well as giving us opportunities to continue to serve in a variety of ways. Catherine has started back at school, this time as class teacher and being interviewed for the permanent post this Monday; Tom is back in Cardiff, Josh now living in Honiton and loving working for his church for the year (click here to see more), Lydia enjoying a fresh start at Exeter College and Simeon the rush of a new motorbike.    

We’ve also just passed the five month mark since Ben’s death. The range of emotions that I find I live with leave me with both agony and ecstasy sometimes within hours of each other. Some days feel normal, others by no means. On a break away in Oxford with Tom three weeks ago (thanks again Chrissie, Nick, Annabel & Theo for having us), I shared with Tom my angst that I was living life too normally, not showing enough grief before the children, perhaps giving them the impression that I didn’t love and miss Ben much and therefore that I don’t really love them or wouldn’t miss them much if something happened to any of them. Tom was a great counsellor and just simply assured me that he – they all – knew that I loved and grieved for Ben, that he knew I loved and would feel the same for any of them, that life had to carry on with much normality – going to the shops, laughing with friends – and that none of these things meant we were turning away from Ben and our memories of him. As I shared more with him, he listened as I said I was finding it hard to cope with the thought that the photos we anticipate having of them all – of Tom, Simeon, Josh and Lydia  – will over the years show them maturing, changing and moving on, but Ben’s last photos will remain unchanged, never to age beyond 23yrs old, and only to fade. It’s in those moments that I feel an overwhelming and deep heaving sense of the loss of Ben, of what has been – of hopes and dreams that we had, that Ben and Dabi had. I felt it so deeply on Sunday night two weeks ago that I found I was rounding on myself critically saying, “HOW COULD YOU’VE LET THIS HAPPEN!? YOU WERE HIS FATHER! HOW TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE YOU WERE. YOU COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING MORE! I had to sit quietly alone realising that reasonableness told me something else. But despite that, I cried myself to sleep that night – Catherine having gone to bed earlier – heaving deeply as tears were streaming onto my pillow. Father thankfully brought healing sleep that quickly overcame me.

Yet for all that too, I have moments of utter ecstasy. The ultimate aim of any Christian parent should be that above anything else, each of their children finds a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ and that they build their lives around knowing and serving Him and that ultimately they’ll go to be with Him for eternity. And so I found myself sitting on the grass next to Ben’s grave last week, through tears, laughing and smiling and worshiping Jesus that that’s where he is – safely tucked away in that place where I’ve wanted all my children to one day ultimately be. And so moments of sheer joy overcome me as I think Ben is face to face with the One he came to know years ago – Jesus  – who Ben, with Dabi, had been building his life around.     

During this week, we gathered with our church family for an evening of encouragement. As we worshipped through song together, we sang “This I Believe”, a song based on the Apostle’s creed. I felt tears forming and my hand rising in surrendered worship as we sang…

I believe in the resurrection

That we will rise again

For I believe in the name of Jesus

I believe in You

I believe You rose again

I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord

…that because Jesus rose, so His blood-bought people one day will physically too. That Ben, not yet with his perfected resurrected body, but certainly in spirit, is there already with the “spirits of the righteous made perfect”…that one day, after Christ’s return when that which we proclaim in the creed – the resurrection of the dead – will take place. Then we’ll see with our own eyes, stand in our renewed flesh before our amazing Saviour, because of his substitutionary death for each of us on the cross, because of His amazing grace and forgiveness, …and “we shall be with the Lord forever”. The sense of the hope of glory, of what lies ahead, fills my tank for serving Him today.

Finally, we love hearing from you all either by way of comments left here on the blog on in emails. They mean so much.