Humbly Amazed: Our Family's Life With a Terminal Illness

By Christine J. Shepherd

In the most difficult times of our lives, when we find ourselves surrounded by illness and pain, hope, faith and strength are the only weapons we have to fight for our dear ones' lives. This book is here to show evidence of the impossible becoming possible when there seems to be no way out of a dire situation.

In the form of a personal story of a loved one going through one of the deadliest sickness of our times, combined with practical advice and biblical truths and real emotions, this book delivers a nugget of hope to every Christian out there going through a similar scenario and looking to hear God's voice in the middle of the storm.

Let's go together through the story of a family fighting to eliminate illness from its midst while at the same time struggling to hold onto God's promises, learning each lesson at a time, and becoming an inspiration through faith, dedication, and love of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638445418

Book preview

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Humbly Amazed

Our Family's Life With a Terminal Illness

Christine J. Shepherd

ISBN 978-1-63844-540-1 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63844-541-8 (digital)

Copyright © 2021 by Christine J. Shepherd

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Introduction

How It All Began

When someone asks us what we think our lives will look like in five, ten, or even twenty years, our minds and hearts want to imagine the most fulfilling life scenarios. We describe ourselves as being happier, more fulfilled, and more sanctified than in the present, and we hope those things will become our reality one day.

As we look to God and ask Him what our life will look like in the future, we hope that He will fix all our present issues and give us the life we so crave.

The issue comes when one day we realize that our life might not look as rosy as we would want it to look but more like there will be a lot of suffering soon.

This realization of future unhappiness and pain hits all of us who would, one day, find out our loved one has to deal with an incredibly dangerous disease.

There are so many of us: wives, husbands, parents, children, siblings to the ones going through the agony of destructive illnesses, and our hearts are broken for them and us because we don’t want to lose them.

What do we do in a situation where our loved one has a terminal illness or an illness that seems to have no cure, and we’re facing a lifetime of treatments with no guarantees of positive results? Whom do we call on in a situation such as this? Are we strong enough to handle the pressure, the pain, the anger? Will God give us a hand of comfort and healing? Or are we bound to live a life of suffering and watch the ones we love the most suffer even more?

The answers to these questions are, first of all, extremely difficult, and many have failed to find them.

But as our faith and strength come from God, there is nothing impossible for us in this world.

Therefore, I will attempt to answer all these questions in this book and provide an insight into my personal experience for comfort and proof that you are not alone in your fight, and we are all, the ones caring for an ill one, together in our pain but most importantly in our victory against disease and the evil forces of this world.

Tonight I lie awake wondering what our lives will be like when the man I love, the provider of our family, the father of my children is not able to fight anymore.

Earlier today I watched as he slowly transferred himself out of bed, as he walked slowly to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. I knew he was praying because prayer has become an integral part of his daily routine. I knew he was praying for healing, for strength, for God to help him live for his children, his family, and for the love of his life. And I prayed too: God, please send a miracle, please prolong our lives, most of all, please prolong my husband’s life. Lord, please help us!

He slowly crawled back into bed, rested his arm across my chest, administering a soft rub as he settled back and tried to go to sleep. My eyes welled up with tears as I rubbed his face, letting him know that I loved him too.

But the reality is real! Cancer kills one in five men, and the prognosis was not good. The words from the doctor’s mouth was Maybe twenty months, cancer has taken over most of his body. We’ll do our best to offer the best care. How can I sit back and listen to a death sentence that’s being cast over the life of my love, feeling helpless and crippled while the reality of the situation and the inevitable outcome runs across my mind like the crawl of words on a teleprompter? There’s no containing my tears! They run down my face with agony while a thousand