We woke up this morning in our hotel room to the sound of Indiana rustling in her playpen at the foot of our bed. She was cooing and talking to her hands as the 5:30 am light was streaming in through the curtains. I turned over to Joey and put my hand on hers. She was already awake—covered in sweat, head to toe. We both lay there and listened to our baby for a minute or two, then she turned to me and said, “this is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
My wife was smiling bravely, but tears were streaming down her face, and mine.
Fast forward eight hours, and I’m sitting here in the waiting room, selfishly thinking… Joey’s right. This is the day that the Lord has made, cause I wouldn’t have made it this way. The day I would’ve made for my wife would’ve been much different. It would’ve been filled with nothing but joy for her… maybe spent at the farm working in her garden, or playing with Indy in her kiddie pool. If I had made this day, no one would be saying the words 'cancer' or surgery, and we wouldn’t be anywhere near Chicago, or signing a living will in a hospital bed, and I wouldn’t have to kiss my scared wife goodbye as they wheel her down a hallway to undergo something that no amount of preparing for, can prepare her for.
No, this is not the day that I would’ve made.
But God knows better than I do. He sees the bigger picture. I only see the one above.
He is writing our story, not me. He is planning our days, not us. Instead of a day at home in Tennessee, we’re here at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and my wife is being treated by some of the best physicians and nurses in the world. And all around the country, thousands of people are praying for her. They’re taking time out of their busy lives and days and lifting Joey up to the Lord in love, asking for healing. They’re texting, calling, emailing, and posting… pouring love out on my sweet, sweet bride.
Yes, THIS is the day that the Lord has made.
And His day is better than my day. Any day.
PS – last year when Joey found out that she had cancer, she sang this song over and over again. And today… she’s still singing and believing.
Psalm 118:24
