3991
I was watching a Gaither TV special
today. And as so often is the case, the one hour segment featured a well-known Christian
vocalist, duo or quartet.
Today, the featured (prerecorded)
guests were Joey and Rory Feek, a husband and wife duo. The video in which they
appeared today is about ten years old, and a great deal has happened in their
lives since then, as you may know.
When this particular program was
recorded, Joey had been experiencing cervical and colon cancer, and her
prognosis was less than favorable. In spite of this awful development, Joey and
Rory seemed upbeat, though during the interview with Bill Gaither the dear lady
wiped tears from her eyes.
In between songs, Joey spoke of what at
that time was a “iffy, it could go either way” diagnosis, and an encounter she
had with another patient at a local clinic.
“Not long ago I was having tests done,
and the lady sitting near me, who recognized me and who was also battling
cancer, asked me a question.”
‘Why are you always smiling, and how do
you keep going when you are dealing with such a vicious diagnosis?’
“Well, not one to miss an opportunity, I
looked over at her, and replied,”
‘Don’t you see? If I am allowed to stay
here awhile, I win! If God takes me home, I win! Either way, I win!’
The day after the Gaither interview with
Joey and Rory was filmed, Joey learned that the chemotherapy was not working.
She went home to die.
Joey and Rory released videos of her last
couple of months. Joey had lost all her hair, she was frail, and confined to
her bed. Her morphine drip had to be quadrupled to give her some measure of
relief.
Not long thereafter, Joey went on to
her rightful reward. As believers we are not guaranteed ceaseless joy on earth,
nor length of years. Joey realized that, at best, life is momentary. We cannot
stay here. I think there is a great deal of wisdom in the words this dear lady
shared with that other patient, and, subsequently, her listening audience.
‘Don’t you see? If I am allowed to stay
here awhile, I win! If God takes me home, I win! Either way, I win!’
No comments:
Post a Comment