Page 162 - First Steps 2023

Not only does knowing
God and following Jesus bring Wisdom Tooth Story
peace, it brings a peace that’s Darryl has cancer—and not the kind or
beyond all earthly understand- casual sort. It’s taking his life by inches
ing. and that means he’s had time to consider
It’s a calm assurance that his death in detail.
“I wouldn’t pick this pain,” he says,
all is well even when, clearly, “But it’s what God has given me so I’ll
all is not well. As floods sweep take it. And the truth is there are far
away possessions, as cancer worse things for a believer than to die of
eats away bones, a believer pancreatic cancer.”
can still know that, ultimately, Darryl points out that, in heaven, going
everything is fine. through a physical death is something
we’ll all have in common.
Heaven is right around the “When people who’ve had their wis-
corner. dom teeth out compare stories, their ex-
God is still in charge. periences are all over the map,” he says.
From a Kingdom perspec- “For some it was nothing—teeth popped
tive, no matter how hard the right out. Others have wisdom teeth chis-
eled out of their jaws. They’re flat on their
day, it’s a day the Lord has back for a week, groaning in agony.

made and he’s in all of it. “Either way, you get through it and you
For a view of how that go on. Pretty soon it’s no big deal, just
perspective looks in action, something that happened and now it’s
pause to read the Wisdom over.
Tooth story. “I think death—mine included—is like
that,” he says. “I’m at peace.”

Darryl radiates peace that
baffles people, including some Jesus-followers. It’s formed by this reality:
Darryl’s trust in God is larger than his fear of what’s coming. He believes
God’s promises—and that gives him peace.

Tell your discipler where you’re experiencing a lack of peace in life.
Pray about it together.

• Power
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

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