Cancer Can't Take it Away

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 NIV)After a number of years of sickness and knowing that she is probably very close to the end of her life here on earth, today the wife of our Senior Pastor, asked to be able to talk to the people of her Church family.She is physically very frail, but today she was strong and brave, as she shared with us the words she wanted to say. Her love for God still radiates so strongly; her belief that God hasn't forgotten her in her pain, but that He in His grace, has been there all along, even during the very dark times; her gratefulness for all of the many forms of support and encouragement she and her family have received over the time of her illness; how much she has missed being able to worship with her Church community. She also talked about how she has been challenged to pray for others who are sick or suffering – and encouraged us to go on doing the same.Her words were heartfelt and powerful, that even though cancer has been able to progressively take away so much from her life, there are things that cancer can never take away. It can't take away love – love that is given and love that is received, and the ultimate love that comes from God. God's love transcends even the hardest parts of our lives and not even death can separate us from God's love. Nothing can take God's love from us.These words of Paul in his letter to the Romans, give us a promise that we can hold onto – no matter what life holds for us, today or in the future. God is there and His love and His grace is sufficient, give us the courage we need to go on, until that day when we will be reunited with Christ and with those others who have gone before us.Fiona Burrows lives in Melbourne, Australia and knows that only with God's help does she face the challenges of chronic pain.