Update: June 12th

Many of you have asked, 'how is Chara'? 

She's still with us.  The cancer has progressed, she doesn't have a much energy as she did but is still 'full of life' and we're able to enjoy her for a bit longer.  We may have the option of an oral chemotherapy to consider but we may also be at the point of just letting her be and then trust we'll have the wisdom and compassion to know when 'it's time to let her go'.

Thank you for asking.
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The recent release of the movie 'A Dog's Journey', a sequel to 'A Dog's Purpose' and the kind inquiries we have received from many of you about our dog has caused me to reflect on Chara's journey and what she is teaching me during this season.

As many of you know, Chara was diagnosed with canine lymphoma in October of 2017; she was just three at the time and we were told if we did nothing, she would be gone by Christmas.  We opted to give her chemotherapy treatments which were effective and she had a period in which there were no signs of the cancer.  We knew it would return at some point and it did in the summer of 2018.  The first round of chemo was hard on her body, so we opted for a single treatment, which helped for a few months; we repeated this process later in the fall.  We were still enjoying our furry friend as we moved into 2019.  When the cancer returned in the spring, we opted for a different form of chemotherapy, which has had limited success.  As I write this today, May 29th, the cancer has progressed significantly, we're taking her in for a final treatment, hoping it will hold back the progression for a short time until we get back from Ontario -- we're praying that  we will be able to come home and be with her through the anticipated decline; just to enjoy her for a bit longer.

We've had an extra year and half with Chara, she's five now and we have been blessed by the joy she has brought into our lives.  (Her name means 'joy' and she has certainly lived up to her name!)  The thought of seeing her decline is sad but in this season, she is teaching me some important lessons.

In the movie 'A Dog's Journey' -- Bailey's mission in life is to find his way to C.J., no matter what; to be with her through the highs and lows of life.  Chara has been my constant companion for the past five years; a faithful friend through the ups and downs of the journey.  To have those in our life who will walk with us through the dark valley and on the mountain top is truly a gift from God.  Chara is teaching me to give thanks for such friends in my life.

Proverbs 17:17 says...A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.  Thank God for the friends He has put in your path; nurture those friendships, lean into one another for strength and courage when the path is difficult and celebrate with great joy the good things you share together.  

In the movie 'A Dog's Purpose', Bailey concludes it is a dog's purpose to have fun, to love and laugh, not getting caught in the past or regret, finding someone to be with and living for today.  Wise word, would you not agree?  Chara is teaching me to live for today.  As one who has constantly struggled to live in the moment--my mind is always racing ahead, I am seeking to slow down and just enjoy the present.  Yesterday I sat on the back deck with Chara, just enjoying the sunshine and quietness and being with 'my friend' -- those few moments where a gift.

And of course, God desires for us to have those moments in our lives--moments with Him.  James writes...Come near to God and he will come near to you.  (James 4:8)  Jesus invites us...Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)  And He has told us...Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)

I had thought at this point in my journey, I might be farther along the path; being able to abide in, to rest more fully in the presence of my God and enjoy the moments as they happen; I'm still learning; and I'm thankful for a four-legged friend who's helping me during this season and for friends at Valley who are also sharing the journey with me.

The Rainy Day
                                                                                                                               Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the moldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary

 
Into each life some rain must fall; Longfellow’s words, written after the death of his first wife, remind us that everyone will experience a measure of heartache, even suffering at some point in our lives.  Sooner or later pain and sorrow will find us, and being a Christian does not exclude us from that slice of reality.  The Psalmist says:  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.  (34:19) 
 
The Psalmist also said:  It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. (119:71) And in verse 75,  I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. (119:75)   The Psalmist came to recognize it was through the hardships in his life he came to better understand the Word of God and the ways of God; he came to know more of God’s faithful love in dark and dreary days of his life than during the sunshine.
 
As I look back over my 40+ years of journeying with God, the greatest times of growing in my faith have come during times of hardship or disappointment or pain.  In 1982 my dad took his own life just three months before Janice and I were married.  His death brought back a whole lot of painful memories; I felt messed up inside.  But it also brought me face-to-face with my God, who brought His healing grace into my life.
 
A few years later, our whole world was turned upside down, when after a year-and-a-half of wrestling with God, I finally surrendered to Him and followed a leading to go to Bible College.  I did not enjoy that first semester; Janice and I were living apart, I ended up in hospital with pneumonia and struggled with being in an academic environment.  I was convinced it was a failed experiment; I was not going back in the fall.  But, another ‘affliction’ came along, I broke my arm playing baseball and was in a cast for 13 weeks.  I could not work and I swear I could hear God saying, ‘you might as well go back to school’.  I came to know better the God who leads my life.
 
A year and half later, after making a move to Toronto and feeling somewhat settled, another affliction,
Janice’s dad died suddenly.  Driving back to Chatham the sadness of it all, hit me, I become undone and had to stop on the side of the road to seek to pull myself together. It was in that moment I met God in such a powerful way, I can’t even describe it.  I learned about the God of all comfort, who would meet me again and again in times of loss.
 
Five years later, we were expecting our second child; Janice had a miscarriage and we were devastated.  Another affliction, another opportunity to learn, to trust; the blessing of son came the following year.  Nine years later Janice’s sister lost her battle with cancer; that was part of a really hard season, with many losses.  Just days before the calendar turned to 2000, my senior deacon and good friend Gerry Johnson died and I was reeling on the inside. 

I had so mismanaged the pace of my life and ministry during that season, a year later I resigned.  With no opportunity on the horizon for work, I started to wonder, how am I going to provide for my family?  It was during this season I came to know more intimately the God who sees and cares.
 
I wish I could say that was the end of my afflictions but my pathway has been littered with hardships and sorrows throughout my journey.  But, looking back, I can testify, with the psalmist that it was good for me to be afflicted because I have been able to experience more of God, more of His grace and goodness.  It has been during times of affliction that I have learned to…be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.  (Psalm 27:14)
 
In a way that we won’t fully understand until we get to heaven, our troubles are a gift from God.  They humble us and force us to admit our weaknesses and drive us to the Lord, who alone can help, when all other supports have failed.  In every circumstance of our lives God is at work and the greatest tragedy would be to miss what He wants to teach us through our trials.  So my friends at Valley, hold on, keep believing, don’t give up, let God do His work in you, for in Him we have an anchor in times of trouble.

May God bring us to the place where we can say with the Psalmist:  It was good for me to be afflicted that I might learn your decrees.  (Psalm 119:71)

For almost 12 years now I have been calling you, the people of Valley to remain faithful--faithful to the One who has called us on this journey, faithful to His church, faithful in worship and giving and serving.  I celebrate the heart of Valley in doing just that but I also recognize we all need to be reminded of how easily we can slip into patterns of carelessness, neglecting those things that we would claim to be of highest importance; those things we intuitively know to be of the highest priority for our spiritual well-being, particularly as we grow older.

The Psalmist says…The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;  planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green… (92:12-14)  We who trust God should never view any season of life as unproductive.  Our ‘retirement’ years are a time for accomplishment, an opportunity to continue to advance the purpose of God in this world.  In the words of Dr. John Dunlop, 'Wake up every morning knowing what you are going to do that day and go to bed every night knowing that you helped someone'.  Do something!  Do something to make each day count for God.
  
As we age, what we are able to do will no doubt change, our passions may change.  We may be less involved in those things that require physical strength and more involved in quieter activities like praying and encouraging others, but we can do our part to stay faithful and honor our Lord and His church.
 
As His church we called to be Kingdom builders / workers and the admonishment in the Bible to work and serve is not age specific.  Consider how the apostle Paul viewed his life:  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.  (Philippians 1:21-26)
 
Facing execution, Paul wrestled with whether he should hope to keep on living or to allow death to become that which would allow him to be with the Lord.  He chose to hope to go on living because he saw a purpose in doing so. His remaining days would be spent encouraging Christians in their walk with the Lord
 
It was Paul who said…Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. (Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.) Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
 
The Bible tells the story of men and women, like Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Caleb, David, who built the temple just before his death, and Elizabeth and Zacharias, Anna, Simeon and the Apostle John, who made significant contributions in their later years.
 
Dallas Willard, in his book Renovation of the Heart  argues that meaningfulness always requires a context.  
And that it is faith in God is that which gives life its ultimate purpose and meaning.  Willard says...Knowing God and believing that there is a plan and purpose for our lives should fill us with joy.  So he exhorts...you should devote the rest of your life to doing those things which you know to be good and profitable for humanity.
 
I believe that it is not dying that people are afraid of.  Something else, something more unsettling and more tragic than dying frightens us.  We’re afraid of never having lived; of coming to the end of our days with the sense that we were never really alive; that we never figured out what live was for.   (Harold Kushner)

Staying faithful means figuring out what is important; it means living well to the end and finishing well when our race on earth is completed.  So, my friends at Valley...Stand firm. Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.