Out of the Darkness

It’s difficult to see someone you love suffer in pain.  I am thinking about Jason and his beautiful family.  Although I don’t personally know them too well, I love them.  Why? Because he is as close as a brother and his wife as my sister since we serve the same Savior and also we attend the same church.  Jason was working as a pastor at our church before he contracted this life altering disease.  I have seen and heard of his incredible journey of walking through the darkness caused by this deadly disease, yet his faith, hope, and love shine so bright during his struggle for his life.  He has been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.  This disease aggressively attacks his entire body.  He is at home now, but he requires the use of medical equipment to stay alive.  His wife is in charge of monitoring the equipment to ensure it is working properly and that Jason’s vitals are stable. She endures the huge responsibility of knowing her loved one’s survival is in her hands.

They have two young children.  Jason fights every day for survival, knowing that he is working on extending his precious time here on this earth with his family.  In my mind, Jason is a hero—a hero of the faith. Before he contracted the disease, he worked as a pastor at Lincoln Berean Church.  He devoted his life to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost.  So even before this disease, he was shining Christ’s light to the people of Lincoln who were seeking our Savior.  Now, he and his wife are at home fighting to beat this disease. During this battle, I see the love they have for their God and for each other.  This journey has taken them and continues to take them through a lot of hurt, but they derive their hope from our Rock, the One True God, who is encouraging them to continue this fight with each and every step.  Jason and his wife’s struggles are hard to watch as there is no cure for this disease yet.  In spite of the storm, they are representing the richness of our Lord and Savior to the world by the way they are combatting this disease.  They are both an encouragement to our church and a testimony of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as they proclaim, “It is well with my soul,” under these difficult circumstances. For when this darkness disperses, they will both emerge out of the darkness and shine as bright as the sun, for this darkness has no hold us.  Amen.

Click on the link below to learn more about Jason’s story.

https://www.lincolnberean.org/story/all-stories/my-ultimate-hope-jason-knott-christmas-eve/

Isaiah 29:18-19

On that day the deaf will hear words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord,
And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.