Praying with faith
Tonight, my 9-year-old requested that we pray for Katie’s healing. Katie is our 13 1/2 year old border collie, recently diagnosed with a tumor in her spleen. The doctor speculates that she has 2-6 months to live, and although there’s no guarantee it’s cancer, there’s a 50/50 chance.
“I don’t know,” I hedged. “Do you mean healed from the cancer?”
“Yes.”
“Well… She’s an older dog. What I’ve been praying is that when her time comes she’ll go easily and naturally, without suffering…”
“Look,” she said, “as soon as we found out, we just gave up hope. Can’t God heal her? I mean, who says it has to be 6 months? Wouldn’t it be great to have Katie for a whole year?”
So we honored Younger Daughter’s faith and prayed for Katie’s healing — and her quality of life and everything else, too.
Hopelessness can be so subtle. But why not hope? I’m grateful for the bracing faith of children.
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:23)
4 Comments
Lisa the Correspondent
I will join you and your family in praying for Katie. We have a three-year-old border collie (named Eowyn because we’re LOTR geeks), and we cherish her. I don’t even want to think about the days when she ages, gets ill, and has to leave us.
I received your email, and I really didn’t think a thing about your delay in answering. I should’ve posted my comments on the blog anyway. :-)
With love,
Lisa
Amy @ Hope Is the Word
Sweet Katie. I’m joining you in lifting Katie up.
Janet
Thank you!!
Barbara H.
Sometimes we want so much to prepare and shield them from the disappointment and crisis of faith it might be when God says No, that we forget He sometimes says Yes. I hope He does grant a Yes to this request.