A husband's thoughts

 I want you to know I write this with a smile on my face and in my heart.  The last week and a half has been unreal.  I don’t know if I would call this a trial a test or just a crazy time.  There are lots of things that can happen during times like these – but I definitely know the true heart of people can really come out.   

Here are three truths that I’ve observed in this process:

·      God is real.  He is close to us, His presence is with us and His peace truly surpasses all understanding.  I’ve known these things, I’ve taught these truths, I’ve preached these things.  The last week and a half, I’ve experienced God’s with-ness in incredible ways.  I thank God that He is God and I am not.  I thank Him that He is the one who created the universe, created Susie and created our baby inside of her.  I praise Him for who He is and how He loves us.

·      My wife is amazing.  Seriously.  Seriously.  She is courageous, beautiful, humorous and she’s mine.  A lot of you have been able to experience her through her writing, her posts or other ways.  I want you to know it’s not a front she puts on.  She is real.  She is a woman who is grounded in how much God loves her, in who He has created her to be, and the journey that God has for her – regardless of what the journey is.   I love being her husband – it’s one of the greatest joys, gifts and privileges God has blessed me with.  I wish so much she wasn’t going through this, but I can’t imagine anyone handling it with more grace than she is.  She’s amazing and she’s mine and I love her.

·      People rise to the occasion when trouble is near.  We’ve been blessed by so many of our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and prayer partners worldwide.  We are part of the global family of Athletes in Action and the global church.  We have so many people around the world encouraging us, praying for us and supporting us.  Thank you to each of you . People we know, people we don’t know, people who have been in our lives recently and people we haven’t connected with in awhile.  Regardless of who you are or how long its been, if you’ve met us in person or not, thank you.  We feel loved, supported, prayed for and encouraged. 

We head to the hospital today and surgery is scheduled for tomorrow.  We don’t know if this is the start, the middle or the end of the journey.   There are so many things we don’t know, but clinging to God’s love, the love of my wife and the love of others helps us each moment of each day.