Karine's Hope

This afternoon, a large crowd met at our church for the funeral service of 34 year old Karine Melby. It was tearful farewell -- but yet, an inspiring celebration of faith and hope. Karine was filled with the love of Christ, and shared His grace with everybody she met.

In her last months, she lived by the "Win/Win" philosophy. "If I am healed, I get to stay with my family and friends, and I win! If, on the other hand, the cancer kills me, then I go to heaven to be with Jesus -- and so I still win! Either way, I'm the winner!!"

The following is an excerpt from her journal, which she penned shortly before she passed away:

Because of the physical pain Jesus suffered on the cross, He can relate to our pain and suffering. He loved his life on earth and asked God if there was some other way -- but God said no -- and Jesus' strength to obey came from His close relationship with the Father.

How can we say it's not fair for me to die . . . because I am too young, or too nice? Jesus never did anything wrong, yet he suffered a painful death at age 33. It was certainly not fair -- but God deemed it necessary because He loved us and wanted to save us from our sin. He wanted us to live with Him someday; and Jesus obeyed.

We shouldn't be ashamed of our fear of death -- but know He has taken away the fear for those who trust Him. He will give us strength when we have none of our own, courage when we are weak, and comfort when we are hurting.

The Apostle Paul prayed that God would take his illness away, but He did not. God did, however, promise to give him power that can be evident only through weakness. . . "my grace is sufficient for you."

Life is not a do-it-yourself project.