The Moment the World Stopped Spinning

Have you ever had one of those days that seemed to be rolling along just fine and then all of a sudden... it happens? Something completely unexpected crashes into your perfectly normal world and forever changes it. Maybe it's a lost job... maybe a child in trouble... maybe a relationship in turmoil... whatever it is, it rocks your world and you're not quite sure how to handle it.

For me, it was a phone call. It was Monday, February 16, 2009... a day like any other. I was at a friend's house when my cell phone rang. I thought it was Edible Arrangements calling to check on a delivery address, but it turned out to be my doctor. I had just been through a surgery the previous week to take care of what we thought was a simple issue that had been causing me some significant pelvic pain. I was scheduled to meet with him that Thursday to go over the pathology results from some biopsies he had done. Since he was calling me so early in the week, I didn't even put any thought into it - I knew he was calling with the good news, "The results came back normal. You're just fine." Little did I know I was about to collide with the worst news of my life to date.

The doctor asked me to sit down. I knew this couldn't be good. He began explaining that the results came back and he had been reviewing them carefully. Then he started saying things that just didn't compute for me... "adenosquamous carcinoma," "every biopsy positive," "oncology consultation," "very serious," "make the appointment as soon as possible." Later I learned that the doctor could hear a pin drop on the other side of the phone after he told me the news. What did he expect? The world slowly ground to a halt and stopped spinning for a few seconds there... and when it started back up (because it always does inevitably), I really didn't want it to.

What do you do with that kind of news? How do you start back up again and move forward? What do you do when the very fabric of your life changes in one phone call? That's what my journey is about. It's about taking that first step forward into the unknown... and then taking another... and then another. It's about figuring out how to trust God and live faithfully in my biggest trial yet.

This blog will be filled with all sorts of things. It won't just be physical updates and prayer requests... though that will be an important part of what I share. It will be much more than that. God teaches us through all sorts of circumstances, especially our most difficult ones, and he sure has been teaching me a lot these days! So, this blog will be filled with Scripture and songs and devotional thoughts - all the things that God is using to work in my life through this journey. As I share, I encourage you to post your thoughts, prayers, and experiences - because God doesn't just use our circumstances to teach us... he uses those around us. Think of all the ways we can encourage growth in one another as we share our world-shaking moments together! May God bless you as you walk through this day trusting in him!