So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. —Job 2:7-10 NIV

When my husband Ray was first diagnosed in June of this year, I had a hard time grasping just how serious his type of cancer was. Ray has the worst kind of brain tumor. A glioblastoma. Most patients with this type of cancer have less than two years to live. But wait. Ray has the very worst kind of glioblastoma. Unless God intervenes, he is unlikely to live more than a year. Needless to say, my whole world changed in a matter of minutes. As it finally sank in, the passage from Job above came into my mind and has stayed there.

Job’s wife’s response is very understandable—anger and bitterness. (See Job 1 and 2, where the couple loses everything—property, children, and Job’s health.) Job’s response has always amazed me: “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” Job is affirming that if God is indeed God … King over everything and ultimately wise and good and right … then all that He allows comes with purpose. Even the troubles. Living that out and choosing Job’s way, not his wife’s way, is not easy. But it’s so much better! Here are some of the lessons we are learning as we walk this path God has marked out for us:

God alone numbers our days. Despite all the “best guesses” of doctors, only God knows how long my Ray will live. Psalm 139:16  tells us, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be”  (NIV). This is so reassuring, especially when making difficult decisions about which medical treatments to choose. Before Ray was born, God knew how many days he would live, and Ray will live every one of them. God alone sees the future. He knows the best time for all of us to be taken home to Heaven. We can trust Him with that.

Don’t let tomorrow’s sorrows rob today of its joys. We’ve been weirdly happy this summer. Once Ray’s pain was under control, we’ve enjoyed dinners on the deck, a slower pace, quiet moments to whisper our love to each other—and more ice cream cones than usual. Jesus has strong words about the foolishness of worry in his Sermon on the Mount. As it happens, my latest book (arriving this fall) is a study of that sermon, so I’ve been steeped in His words for the past year and a half. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life … Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? … Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”  (Matthew 6:25a, 27, 34 NIV). A time to mourn will come. I know that. But today Ray is alive and beside me, and it would be extremely foolish not to enjoy him.

Self-pity is deadly. When Ray was first diagnosed, the shock was great. He had just delivered the commencement speech at the Christian school where he had taught for 30 years. It was his last “official” act before retirement. We enjoyed the day after—his first day of retirement—by puttering about the yard together. The day after that, we were in the emergency room, then in a hospital, and then in Boston awaiting surgery. I cried and mourned. That is normal and good. But then, I started to indulge in self-pity. He worked 30 years and was looking forward to retirement, and he only got one good day? We’re still in our sixties. My parents are in their nineties. Not fair, cried my petulant mind. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit brought me up short. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is one of many verses that calls us to a different kind of focus: “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”  (NIV). Self-pity was leading me toward selfishness and misery. Instead, what about thankfulness and a more other-centered view? I’ve been loved by Ray Gamble since I was 16 years old. Over 50 years. Already, that means I’ve been blessed abundantly. We’ve now been given the gift of “knowing” that our time together is short, and, therefore, we can live it out with purpose. Who are we to receive the good from God and not the bad? Looking around me, I am currently praying for over ten wonderful adults and one child with cancer. Some of these are young mothers who desperately want to live to raise their children. Ray and I are not the only ones enduring pain. Jesus was pretty clear about trouble. He said we’d have it. And out of his twelve closest companions, one killed himself (Judas), ten were killed by others because they believed Jesus, and one was exiled to an isolated, rocky island. They didn’t escape trouble, and they were Jesus’ best friends. Good grief. Trouble comes. Our only choice, really, is how we deal with it. It will be there whether we indulge in the ultimately harmful self-pity or not. Choosing gratitude and praying for others has kept me anchored.

Don’t waste the pain. It comes with purpose. After Ray’s diagnosis, he was given a strong steroid and was able to speak again before the surgery to remove the tumor. Among his first words were these: “I guess this is our new assignment.” Well, yes. I guess it is. Please pray for us as we walk through these days together. Long or short, may we savor each one and share with others the sure hope of Heaven we both have, as well as the very real blessing of walking through it all with God—who certainly knows sorrow. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me …”  (Psalm 23:4a NKJV).

Father God, how Your words from Your Word have comforted and taught us thus far! Thank You for every kindness You’ve shown, every gift You’ve given, and every lesson You are teaching. Help us to walk this path You’ve marked out for us well. We can’t. But with You holding our hands in Yours, we can. We look to You, Lord! We need You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You are loved,
Sharon Gamble
Pictured here with her husband, Ray

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing Him
matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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