My cousin died of a severe asthma attack. After Cody’s message this past Sunday, I have been thinking a lot about my cousin. This cousin passed away about 3 years ago. But it doesn’t seem that long ago.

To be honest, my cousin and I weren’t particularly close. He lived in Indiana. I live in Texas. When we were kids, we would see each other about once a year.  

When I found out about his passing, I got the call in the afternoon and my stomach immediately jumped into my throat. As my parents shared with me how he passed, I was overwhelmed with grief. I was overwhelmed with how one of his three daughters found him. I was also overwhelmed because I’m not confident in his salvation and eternity. 

All weekend I’ve been thinking about him and about other situations in my life that have been unexpected, shocking, or at the very least – disappointing. I’ve got several highlights, or I guess I should say lowlights already in my life. I know that we all do. 

If I were to rattle off a list of some of these lowlights, I would tell you about how my wife and I struggled for years with infertility. I would talk about my dad’s current battle with cancer. I could give you a play-by-play of the day of my car accident, due to me having a seizure while driving…only then to realize I’ve been having seizures the past 18 years. And the list could continue. All the examples were initially a shock and very unexpected.

But I could also give you a ton more examples (that far outweigh the disappointing ones) of the great things that were also unexpected. I could tell you about how the seemingly one simple choice to move to Bastrop has led to a ton of great, unexpected things in my life. I could tell you about when I met my wife. I could list friendships that I am so thankful for that could seem so coincidental if I didn’t know better. I could give you a long, beautiful miracle story about my 3 sons. And the list would continue.

But this weekend, it’s been easy for me to focus solely on my cousin and similar stories to his. I’m not suggesting I shouldn’t focus on them at all. I’m just acknowledging that I have struggled (and maybe you have too) to ONLY focus on the disappointing and unexpected. Sometimes those experiences can feel crippling.

I recently read Christine Caine’s book, Unexpected, as part of my daily Bible reading and time with the Lord. I was really inspired by her words that “whether we understand why or why not, the only way through any unexpected shock is through. No matter how much we wish we could go around a situation, under it, over it, or be delivered from it, there are times God wants to walk us through a process, because that is what’s best for us…the challenge then becomes choosing to not allow the enemy to use these unplanned events to rob us of life. The enemy wants to derail our lives from the plans and purposes of God – if not for a lifetime, then at least for a season. He wants to pull our focus away from God’s promises and divert it to our crisis. He wants to paralyze us in the present, and to veil our vision and hope for our future. Moving through whatever you’re facing isn’t about merely surviving until it’s over, and then numbing your way through the rest of your life. Moving through is about continuing to live a life of purpose and passion – of always moving forward, never losing sight of our objective – no matter how devastating the unexpected is.”

As a Christian, I know that I have the hope of eternity in heaven, forever…but I want to also choose to live fully while here on earth. No matter what my circumstance may be and no matter what the unexpected is, I am still a husband to my wife. I am still a father to my 3 sons. I am still a pastor to the people of our community. 

For example, I now see that these seizures are a condition that I have, not my identity. I don’t want my unexpected condition to define my life. I don’t want it to steal my joy, my faith, or my purpose. I don’t want it to define the tone of my day or the tone of my home. 

You will likely hear me describe this condition in this way: “I have a brain that is prone to epilepsy.” You will no longer here me say: “I am an epileptic.” This condition is something I have, and it is a struggle. But it is NOT who I am. I am a child of God. I am a son of the Most High King. I am a co-heir with Christ. (Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 1:4, John 1:12, Matthew 25:34, Galatians 3:29, Colossians 1:12; 3:24)

But just as Christine Caine mentions in her own unexpected battle with cancer, that decision to stay focused on the Lord is sometimes an hourly or daily choice. Sometimes it is easy. But often it is a grind and very difficult to do.

I am not going to avoid what I’m going through or pretend it isn’t there. But I am going to remember and operate out of the truth that I am still a child of God. I am a husband. I am a father. I am a pastor. I am a friend. I am a son. I must focus. I am in a battle. I am going to be a warrior. I am going to fight. 

One of the most important ways that I fight my battles is with prayer, thanksgiving, and with scripture. Again, Cody encourages us with this regularly. We often sing a song called Surrounded during our weekend worship that exemplifies this. 

I encourage you to read Philippians 4:8-9 with me today. “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”  Paul then encourages “whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” 

We need to look to scripture to know what Paul means here – what he has taught us in Christ, to then know what to put into practice so we can enjoy the promise of the peace of God! So read on, my friends!

One other encouragement that I want to give to you today is to go to the River Valley Church Spotify playlist here. We created this for you! You can listen to that song Surrounded (Fight My Battles)! This is a song we regularly sing on Sunday mornings. Listen to it during your week as you listen to the entire playlist. The playlist is a compilation of all the songs we sing during our weekend services. May these songs encourage you and charge you to keep fighting!