Whether our suffering comes from physical affliction, a tragic event such as 911, or another crisis, we all need hope. So in light of all our nation has gone through during recent times and the personal suffering many of you face, we thought it would be important for the next few issues of The Encourager to refocus our attention on heaven, our true hope.

Why is heaven so important? It’s simple. Heaven is our real home. When we lose sight of heaven, we lose sight of our hope.

When our dreams for life on earth don’t seem to be working out as we would like, heaven becomes all the more real and precious to us. But most of us have to overcome a big obstacle before we can truly appreciate and hold onto the hope of heaven. That obstacle is our mortality, and I know personally how difficult it is to face.

Prior to my cancer diagnosis, I thought I was invincible. I was a professional baseball player, life was good, and facing my mortality hadn’t crossed my mind. So when I first heard the word cancer spoken in relationship to me, I was slammed face to face with the reality that I wasn’t so invincible after all. All of a sudden, fear crept in. I didn’t want to face the reality of my death.

I know many of you had a similar experience when your doctor gave you the same kind of news I received. It’s quite natural to think of our mortality when we learn that our body has been invaded by cancer. But just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s easy.

We usually view our mortality as a negative thing, but I believe that—as difficult as it is—coming face to face with our mortality is absolutely necessary if we are to live life to the full. When we hear the word cancer or come face to face with a life-threatening illness, we have no choice but to deal with the reality of our own mortality. It’s not morbid to think about death. Doing so probes our deepest feelings and beliefs. Facing our mortality begs the question of where we find our hope. So although this issue of The Encourager deals with a difficult subject, I encourage you to journey with us through it. Facing our mortality is a necessary step toward finding a hope that will not disappoint us even in the midst of life’s most tumultuous storms.

A Grace Disguised - How the Soul Grows Through Loss. In one dramatic moment, author Gerald Sittser lost his mother, wife and daughter in a tragic auto accident. His journey through the val (more...)