To God be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done!

This day.  This glorious day.  It seemed like an eternity away when we heard that the protocol for treating leukemia in boys required almost three and a half years of chemotherapy.  It felt like we were facing a mountain of days and the only way to get to the top of it was to take one baby step at a time.  Thankfully, we are about to take our last, and most beautiful, step.

Today is Camron's final day of chemotherapy at the hospital.  While he will have about ten more days of oral chemo to take at home, the days of getting his port accessed, getting needles crammed into his spinal column, and having chemo (life-saving poison) run through his veins are soon to be over.  I wish I could adequately put into words the sheer joy that this day brings our family, but I don't think it's possible.

I would love to tell you all about the boy who has been the focus of all of your prayers and support over the past three and a half years, but I'm not going to.  I'm not going to tell you about his amazing courage, his unbelievable strength, or his never-ending faith.  I'm not going to tell you about how he has rallied through an overwhelming number of days of sickness, months of hair loss, or years of fatigue and pain.  I'm not going to tell you about how much he has continued to inspire me to look past current circumstances and long for better days ahead.  

I'm not going to talk about Camron because he wants to receive no attention at all for what he has been through.  I told him that that was perfectly fine because we're going to wholeheartedly and emphatically direct all the attention and praise to God.  As amazing as my son is, can I just say how awesome my God is!

I can't merely put the feelings of my heart into words for you to read because I want to make sure they are directed solely to His almighty ears.  Therefore, I'll let you hear my heart's prayer that I offer up to Him on this special day:

"Oh Father in heaven, my heart is full of praise and adoration for a God who is ever faithful.  I think back over the ways You have shown your love for me and my family through our journey.  I rejoice because never once were we ever alone.  Your steady and trustworthy hand gently held onto ours as we faced dark days and even darker nights.  

Your presence gave us unimaginable peace as we entrusted our child's life to You, no matter what the outcome might be.  When the taunts of the devil whispered fear into our ears, Your precious Word drowned out his lies.  Your Word provided comfort in the uncertain times and joy when times were good.

God, the body of Christ is such a blessing and is filled with amazing people.  We have seen the church BE THE CHURCH over the last few years, and for that, we praise You, God.  Your people have undoubtedly served as Your hands and feet, but more importantly, the time they have spent on their knees is what we're most grateful for.  The prayer warriors that You have placed in our lives have sustained us and given us hope when hope seemed far away.

You have blessed Camron with excellent medical care.  From nurses who seem more like friends and doctors who seem more like family, we have felt peace in knowing that he was being cared for by people who truly cared for him.  But God, You are his doctor.  You are the one who makes each breath and heartbeat possible.  You are the reason why Camron is able to face each day optimistically and with no doubt that his Physician is looking out for him at all times.

God, I could go on and on about your goodness and your grace or about your faithfulness and your never-ending love.  However, all I can say right now is "Thank You."  Thank You for being You.  Thank you for being the amazing God that You are.

Amen."

I'm not exactly sure what our new normal will look like, but let me just say that I'm ready to find out!  I look forward to watching both of my children walk across high school graduation stages and then seeing how God directs their paths from there forward.  I look forward to many fun-filled family vacations, lots of memories with future spouses as our family expands one day, and then seeing the awe in their eyes when they hold their first-born children in their arms for the first time.  How sweet it will be!  

I was heavily convicted by the Holy Spirit one day when Jody and I were asked if today would in fact be his final treatment.  We both replied in unison, "Well, that's what they tell us."  How faithless of a response that was after seeing all God has done thus far.  It was from that moment on that I decided to speak confidently and matter-of-factly in response to that question.  So, here goes . . .

Today IS Camron's final day of chemo.  

We continue to trust and believe God for his complete and continual healing.  

We stand in awe of what God has already done and what He will do in the months and years to come.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!