A few weeks ago on your show you were talking about Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a preventative double mastectomy. You also shared that you and your wife had been having serious discussions about undergoing the same procedure for your wife. This really saddened me. Not because your wife has a history of breast cancer in her family and is at risk for developing it herself (although I am truly sorry for your loss and the situation it puts you in), but because it sounds as though Christian couples are not treating this scary cancer issue any differently than non-Christian couples.
Wally, what I heard you saying was that you and your wife would decide to have this surgery because you’re scared of her receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer. That if she were to have it done, then you could be at peace. This is fear-based decision making. What does the Bible say about fear? Don’t have it! From what I heard, you would take comfort in a surgery; what about taking comfort in Jesus?
If you were to say, “we really feel that the Lord is telling us to go forward with this surgery,” this would sound to me like you are walking by faith, but to make plans based on your fears and then ask the Lord to bless them doesn’t seem like the faith I know.
Wally, I would love to hear you encourage your listeners to SEEK THE LORD FIRST in all that they do, and FOLLOW HIM, so that then they MAY HAVE PEACE in what they do, and then the world may see that we Christians really do handle life differently.
See the thing that makes this show different from other Christian radio shows that put on a good face is that I am honest with my feelings and I share my real life, not just the stuff to try to make me look good to people.
That has historically been the problem with Christian radio. I don't always have perfect faith. I don't always trust God like I should, but if we are honest no one does. This show is about honesty and not pretending to have it all figured out.
Sometimes that means I will share things that might not sound like the perfect answer, but that is reality. I am sure there are times you have doubted or tried to control things or even had fear in your life. I would think you will agree that learning not to fear and trust completely is a process not an overnight thing. The thing we have to remember is everyone is not in the same place in our faith and we need to give grace, not judgement to those who may not be at the same level.
Later
