Another one gets ready to go home...

In an earlier post, I mentioned a very courageous woman I've met over the internet. Her name is Kara Tippetts and she is a wonderful woman of faith who is in the very last stage of her battle with breast cancer. Every day I check her blog to find out the latest news. Can you believe she's been posting throughout her entire journey? Even when she's been extremely weak and barely able to type, she does it because she wants her followers to be informed. She wants them to stay current on her struggles and she wants them, most of all, to understand her faith.

Kara, when she was first diagnosed, wrote a book about her journey called The Hardest Peace. I thought the title of her book was rather interesting...just the concept of peace being hard caught my attention. I bought and read her book right after I was diagnosed and I was so blessed by reading it. Kara used examples of her faith brilliantly as she wove the story of God's love through her life. I won't share the details of the story with you because you'll want to read it for yourself.

The reason I'm writing this blog post about Kara again is because her story is so close to my heart. Without sounding morbid, I can't help but put myself in her shoes. One day, and only the Lord knows when, I'll be at the point of death...I only hope I can finish as well as Kara will.

Kara with her husband Jason sharing a tender moment

The one lesson I've learned from following Kara's story is this...nothing but love matters. That sounds so simple doesn't it? And really it is simple! Over and over and over the main theme of the Bible is love. As Christians, our lives should so focus on love that nothing else is important. I think Jesus feels the same way otherwise, why would He have emphasized love so much? "…37And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38"This is the great and foremost commandment. 39"The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'…" (Matthew 22:37-39)

As Kara's life nears the end, her one last wish is to be able to go to the beach with her family. She and I are alike in our love of the beach. It would also be my last wish. I feel the most close to God when I'm on the beach looking out at the water. Just the vast expanse of the sea overwhelms me. Just knowing that God, in His omnipotent power, not only created the sea but set boundaries to contain it amazes me. He is so much more than we can fathom!

Will you join with me in praying that Kara is able to have her last wish? I'm sure it will be a huge undertaking to have the medical equipment transported over such a distance and it will be a great challenge to work out the logistics for her family. I hope she is able to bask in the sunshine as she looks out at the rolling waves of the sea and feel the glorious presence of her Savior's love. I hope her family will savor every last minute of time they have to spend with Kara and that precious memories are formed.

Kara and her family at the beach before she got so sick

Life is so short, even 60 or 70 years seems to flash by in the blink of an eye...and we are reminded we are nothing but a vapor that disappears. "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." James 4:14

Let love be the most important thing in your life. It really is all that matters. 

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