As Thanksgiving 2017 became Christmas, and Christmas became 2018, my cousin Danny Williams and his beautiful wife Arellia began numerous journeys to Arkansas’ Children’s Hospital. Their young daughter Piper had been complaining of pain that could not be relieved. Tests revealed a green slime, aka cancer, eating away inside her little body.
In the days and months since Piper’s diagnosis and the road to healing, cluttered with treatments, pain, sores, fevers, hair loss, tears, exhaustion and questions began, I have seen two completely normal young adults become extraordinary examples of Christian love. Long before they created a family together, Danny and Arellia dedicated themselves to the LORD. When they had children, they made a direct path to the Throne of Heaven and dedicated them to the providence of God. Cancer didn’t change this. There, they remain.
Arellia began “Pray for Piper,” a Facebook blog, to keep family and friends updated. She shares her heart and the things God reveals as she sojourns this uncharted path. The following is an excerpt from her entry on May 31, 2018. (I would encourage you to read it in its entirety). With her permission, I am sharing her insights. They not only speak to those facing daily trials, but for those that struggle with seasons of depression, her words point to our source of hope.
Piper needs prayer for her sores to heal and her bone marrow to bounce back. We will be here until the weekend. She also needs so much prayer for her neuropathy. It flares periodically throughout the day, and there seems to be nothing I can do to help. I remember once when she was a baby, she writhed in pain for a long time from constipation, and I swore I would never be back in that position. I controlled her diet and just ensured she didn’t get constipated, so I wasn’t in the position of not being able to comfort her. This is much like that except I can’t hold her. I can’t rub it nor touch it.
I want to pray for it, and I don’t, because it “feels” pointless.
Then yesterday, I read Psalm 146 verse 1,”Praise the LORD, Praise the LORD, my soul.” And I remembered a devotional that pointed out how David repeatedly “preaches to his soul”.
“ ‘Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God. ˆ
We must learn to fight despondency — the downcast spirit. The fight is a fight of faith in future grace. It is fought by preaching truth to ourselves about God and his promised future.
This is what the psalmist does in Psalm 42. The psalmist preaches to his troubled soul. He scolds himself and argues with himself. And his main argument is future grace: “Hope in God! — Trust in what God will be for you in the future. A day of praise is coming. The presence of the Lord will be all the help you need. And he has promised to be with us forever.”
Please join our family as we Pray for Piper, Danny, Arellia, and little brother Lincoln.
Love,
Gretchen