| God's Blessings - December 2009 |
 |
 |
 |
|
This month's devotional is written by Angela Bailey, a runner for Team Inheritance of Hope who shares her unique and uplifting personal connection to the mission of Inheritance of Hope. Thanks for sharing your story with us, Angela! Inheritance of Hope (IOH) is a charity very near and dear to my heart. Both my mother and father faced terminal illnesses during my childhood. My father passed away of leukemia when I was 10 years old, during which time my mother was battling aggressive breast cancer. I am overjoyed to say that my mother is now a 22 year breast cancer survivor. My parents were very purposeful in their actions and the way in which we lived our lives, especially after my father’s diagnosis when I was 5. God blessed our family, as we faced these incredible trials, in such an amazing way. I wish every parent and child could experience life the way that we did without having the heavy burden of terminal illness. It is miraculous how differently the world looks and the way in which you live your life every day, every moment when the constant in your life is the unknown of what tomorrow will bring. It truly changed me as a person and the course of my life in such a profound way that I cannot imagine my life today without these experiences. Through God’s grace so many blessings have come from the dark and trying times. As you might imagine, my mother and I have a very special relationship. We could not have done it without each other, and most importantly, we could not have done it without a relationship with God. His grace is truly amazing! It takes a very extraordinary, strong, and compassionate person to raise a young child through such difficult times, for this reason, my mother remains my hero! IOH would have been a great resource for our family, which is why I am so passionate about helping IOH grow and be there for others in need. Now that I am a mother of two young children, I cannot imagine facing the possibility of terminal illness. However, I know that God is good and God will get us through anything that is a part of the great plan God has for each of our lives. The reality is none of us knows what tomorrow will bring and how our life course may change at any moment. God’s promise to us is eternal life, but He does not guarantee anything about the course of our lives on this earth. Some have the burden and the blessing, every single day, of facing the reality that tomorrow may not come on this earth. That is exactly what it is, a hard burden to carry and a great blessing to be intentional and purposeful with our time. IOH’s amazing mission fulfills a significant need for children and families battling terminal illness. My passion for seeing Inheritance of Hope grow and touch more lives extends beyond my personal experiences and connections. I met Kristen, co-founder of IOH, over four years ago through our mutual friend Jill Thompson (thank you Jill!) and she, and her family, have held a special place in my heart ever since. God has such an amazing way of weaving people and purpose in our lives at just the right time – His time! Interestingly, this summer, I had decided to train for my second marathon at the end of 2009 or early in 2010. After considering many different events, I decided on the Disney Marathon (January 10, 2010). Shortly after making that decision, I got a phone call from Jill. She wanted to share highlights of her recent visit to see Kristen. God was weaving away in my life. The conversation with Jill had a profound influence on me and I knew that I needed to do something for Kristen and IOH. A few days earlier I received an e-mail from IOH announcing a marathon fundraiser to take place at the end of October 2009. I was convinced that God wanted me to run that marathon for IOH. This would have moved my marathon date up by over two months. For those of you that have never trained for a long running event, your last two months of training are probably the most important part of training. God helped me to take a deep breath and recognize the insanity of what I was considering and the impact it would have had on me and my family. So, I decided I needed to continue with the Disney marathon. I was extremely disappointed, and prayed for God to show me His plan, as I had felt a strong call to do something to support IOH. God quickly answered my prayers, as a few days later; I found out that Inheritance of Hope was also participating in the 2010 Disney Marathon. The additional answer to my prayers came in finding that IOH is doing a family retreat at Disney during this same time and that the runners will have dinner with the families! As we all know, God works in remarkable ways and has amazing timing! My hope is that you will find a special place in your heart for IOH as they continue to provide love and support to young children and their parents as they battle with terminal illness. God Bless! |