Luke 12:48

This weekend at church, Bryan mentioned this verse- Luke 12:48. For those that are not familiar with it, it goes like this, "...to whom much is given, much is expected."

I always thought this just referred to good things. For example, if God blessed me with a lot of money then I had a greater responsibility to use that money to help people or further Kingdom causes.

However, when I was sitting in church, listening to Bryan talk, I had an epiphany. I wrote the following-

"I have been given a great challenge and that requires great ____ [what?]."

See, I realized that with great challenge also comes great responsibility.

I have been given much {trial}, so much {faith} is required;

I have been given much {trial}, so much {grace} needs to be received and given;

I have been given much {trial}, so much {weakness} needs to be acknowledged;

I have been given much {trial}, so much {patience} to be learned...

"Much" doesn't only mean "good stuffs".

Even amidst trials there are expectations and responsibilities. Scripture doesn't tell us "do not fear" or "be of good courage" so many times for nothing. God knew we were going to face trials and so he gave us wisdom to glean for such times. Now, is the wisdom always easy to apply to our situations? Um, gee, NO! That doesn't mean we shouldn't try though. I truly believe we are to learn and grow in and through our trials and then use the wisdom gained to help others through their trails.

I have been given a child with leukemia- cancer. That is a HARD reality to live, folks. BUT, I have a Creator who KNEW this was Dempsey's journey and HE CHOSE ME (and Jake) to parent this child. How could I possibly stick my head in the sand, and keep it there, when my Creator believes in my ability to parent Dempsey through this cancer journey?

So, what do you do? You keep your head in the game. You look for the positive in EVERY situation. You actively seek out the miracles because they are all around you. You keep breathing. You ask for help as often as you need it. You embrace the gifting among your village and lean into them to get you through. You pray. Your pray a lot. You pray like a lot, a lot. You force yourself to practice self-care and realize this act might change several times throughout the journey. You share your story with everyone because if you don't you are limiting God's help. You see, he uses all kinds of people to help you: Believers, unbelievers, old people, very young people, educated people, uneducated people, extroverts, introverts, artists, unartists (yes, I know it's not a word), people who can drive, people who can't, people who can cook, people who can't cook... friends, please don't limit the ways God can reach you because you don't want to bother someone or burden someone. You do not know what someone considers a bother or a burden, and if it comes to it, they can always decline to help. Either way you have gained something... it might be help or it might be new knowledge of someone's limitations. Both are okay.

Supporters, I pray this encourages you and challenges you. You are not alone. You have not been abandoned. Reach out to your village, however small you think it is. I promise, your family is MUCH bigger than you think it is. We are ALL family in God's eyes.