From his book ‘Changed Through His Grace’ Brad Wilcox shared (continuing from a previous post):
“How many times have we asked, “Why this? Why now? Why me? when the questions we should be asking are the ones asked by Tyler: “What am I to learn from this?” “How can I endure this faithfully?” Grace is not the promise of perpetual green pastures and still waters (Psalm 23:1-2). It is the power to trust the Good Shepherd wherever He leads.
When the word came back to Tyler that the tumor was cancerous, he and his family were devastated. To make matters worse, further surgery was out of the question because the tumor had merged with vital nerves that controlled his breathing, heartbeat and blood flow. Leanne wrote, “This has been horrible to watch and experience as a mother, so I can’t begin to imagine what Tyler is going through . . . . My saving grace is knowing that Christ has felt what we are feeling. My boy is not alone.”
Sister Chieko Okazaki wrote, “We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don’t experience pain in generalities. We experience pain individually.”7 That is why it is so vital for us to know that Jesus understands. Discussion about the strengthening power of grace can all be very academic until a young man gets a malicious brain tumor, until a mother has to watch him suffer, until a father has to deal with it from half a world away. Suddenly the needs are personal. We need to know that Jesus understands—that it is personal to Him, too.
After leaving the hospital Tyler and his mom needed a place to stay. Dr. Rich and his wife, Lori, opened their home to them. Leanne said, “I’m still shaking my head in disbelief over those people. Who does that? Who opens their home, family, lives, everything to two strangers? Well that’s what they did for us!”
Tyler spent the next six months going through radiation and chemotherapy. Privately he wondered what was worse—the disease or the cure. He lost forty pounds and was so sick at times that he couldn’t even get out of bed. He saw his athletic frame melt away and along with it all his plans, goals, and dreams for the future.
Despite the incredible help and encouragement Tyler received from others, there is only so much people can do. The ultimate help has to come from above. “Grant us, Father, grace divine” (Hymns no, 170). Christ did not perform the Atonement to free us from suffering but to be able to accompany us in our suffering. What’s more he did not perform the Atonement just to be able to understand us but to assist us. He overcame in order to help us overcome. Tyler didn’t need Christ to save him from his sins as much as he needed Him to strengthen him in his sorrows. ~ Brad Wilcox (‘Changed Through His Grace’ Deseret Book, Salt Lake City) 221-225 Dwarsligger edition.®
