My mom has Alzheimer’s. All she ever did was love Jesus and
she’ll spend the rest of her life, in a nursing home, babbling incoherently with
someone feeding and changing her.
If that sounds bitter, it’s because I am. She has been relentlessly
robed of her wit and wisdom, displayed in the hands of a servant. Is this
really how God treats the ones who love him?
Though she was diagnosed 11 years ago, God and I are still
working through some issues. He came to die for her, so I know he loves her,
but I don’t think I will ever understand.
As the son of someone with Early Onset
Alzheimer’s my sister and I have a 50-50 shot to develop the disease. That means I may have 15 years before I start
losing my mind. Last fall, that reality hit me about the same time I was
reading Love Does. I
started to wonder, “With 15 years or less, what should I do?”
As a missionary, I've been writing letters to people for
years, telling stories of how God is working in the world and in me. I never
started a blog because I couldn't imagine having something worthwhile to say
each week.
But the looming prospect of the disease compelled me to
start sharing some things that are on my heart. So if anything I write
encourages, challenges or provokes you, you can thank Alzheimer’s.
I've decided bucket lists are stupid. We need “to do” lists.
If you knew you had a fixed number of years left what would you do? The clock
really is ticking. Don’t wait… go do it.
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