THIS is Living Humbly....

Over the weekend, I found out my aunt has been diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer.  It has spread to her liver and pelvis, and she's got no more than two and a half years left.  Thirty months - a time in which she'll be ravaged by the disease, sickened by an extremely aggressive chemo treatment regimen, and battered psychologically by the trauma associated with the coming end of her life.

I know God has a plan, and I know God is good.  I know He has a role in mind for all of us who know her and love her.  As for me, I wish I had a clue...I don't know what to say, I don't know what to do, and I don't even know what to pray for.

But in an amazing case of divine timing, I believe, I ran across this video, and I had to share it with you.  As I watched it, I found myself choking back tears, and at the same time, I was flooded with happiness for this man and his family.

Be warned...although nothing in this is visually graphic or disturbing or offensive, it is NOT easy to watch.

Zac was right; he did just celebrate his last Christmas with his family...he died on May 16th.

He knew it was coming.

He knew his wife was going to be left without a husband.

He knew his children would be left without a father.

And He praised God through it all.

All of us know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace.  It's one of those great Bible stories we tell the kiddies in Sunday School.  We lay out every miraculous detail as they sit in their story time circle, hanging on our every word.  Then, they scramble to their little kiddie work area to use all the red, orange, and yellow crayons to color the drawing and make the flames look really hot.  Then we all sing about how great God is...and eat some Goldfish.

Please don't hear me saying there's anything wrong with that, because there isn't.  But what we often miss in that story is the attitude of the three going in:

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."  - Dan. 3:16-18

It didn't matter what happened to them.  God was bigger, and they knew it - no matter what the circumstances, they loved God, and submitted to Him only.

Zac knew it, too.

THIS is the best lesson in true humility I can possibly pass on to you.  It is my prayer that you embrace this, share it with everyone you know, and find a way to use it in your life.

Praise God.