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\n\tHave you ever thought you were headed in the right direction, only to discover you were going the wrong way? That\u2019s what happened to my husband Alan and me during a trip to Southern California. Using frequent flyer miles, we were traveling the circuitous route\u2014through San Francisco. Because our inbound flight from Denver to San Francisco arrived later than scheduled, we had to sprint across the terminal to reach our next gate in time. With no time to spare, we boarded the plane for the final leg of our trip. Reaching to put luggage in the overhead bin, I suddenly realized I\u2019d left my favorite coat in the overhead bin of our previous plane. I turned to ask a flight attendant, \u201cHow do I report the loss of something on our last flight? Do I wait until we land in Burbank or is there somewhere I can report the loss now?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t answer my question.\u00a0Instead, she looked up sharply and said, \u201cThis plane is not going to Burbank.\u201d\u00a0A large group of people was still in the process of boarding the plane, walking past a gate where an agent had announced a flight to\u00a0Burbank<\/em>.\u00a0After walking down a corridor under a sign that said\u00a0Burbank<\/em>, I was quite confident I knew where we were going. \u201cNo, we\u2019re going to Burbank,\u201d I said, kindly but firmly.\u00a0\u201cNo, you\u2019re not,\u201d she said decisively.\u00a0People around us joined the conversation. \u201cNo, we\u2019re going to Burbank,\u201d a chorus of voices insisted. Glaring around the group of indignant passengers, the flight attendant reached into her pocket and pulled out a flight manifest. \u201cLook,\u201d she said, jabbing her finger at the document to prove her point.\u00a0\u201cThis flight goes to LA.\u00a0It has always gone to LA.\u00a0It only goes to LA.\u00a0You are not<\/em> going to Burbank if you stay on this plane.\u201d<\/p>\n At her command, everyone rapidly exited the plane. We waited with bewildered gate agents until they discovered a miscommunication on the runway sent the wrong plane to \u201cour\u201d gate. My unrelated question redirected a planeload of people. (And, no, I never did recover the lost coat!) Although no one consciously led us astray, misinformation almost sent us to the wrong destination.<\/p>\n In life, it\u2019s easy to end up where we don\u2019t want to be. Maintaining a biblical perspective can keep us on track. But we need to remember where we\u2019re going. The word \u201cremember\u201d is found over 150 times in the Old Testament. What do we need to remember?<\/p>\n I haven’t met Justin Halbgewachs, but I feel like I know him. After friends shared Justin’s\u00a0 story with me, I joined \u201cTeam Halbie\u201d to pray for the 49-year-old father diagnosed with glioblastoma whose wife had recently died of breast cancer and for their three kids under age 19. Whenever Justin posted medical updates, his focus was the hope we have in Christ. Throughout his cancer journey, Justin rejoiced in God\u2019s provision for his and his family’s needs. During his ongoing battle with brain cancer, he gratefully married his second wife, Cherie, whose first husband had also died of cancer. Justin, Cherie, and their children persevered through his repeated surgeries and treatment, applying Justin’s dad’s reminder: \u201cFocus on the character of God and not your circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n Expected to live 17 months, God extended Justin’s life nearly three years. From hospital lobbies to his home, he played the piano, his music exquisitely demonstrating steadfast hope in God. When unable to play piano with his left hand, Justin continued playing with his right, thanking God he’d prerecorded the left-hand part.<\/p>\n Justin applied Psalm 23: \u201cEven though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I can have peace\u2014you can have peace\u2014the King of peace is with you..you don’t have to wait until you get to the other side of the valley to have hope.” The Covid pandemic raged during his cancer treatment, and Justin kept a biblical perspective. \u201cThere isn\u2019t a \u2018normal\u2019 or \u2018familiar\u2019 to go back to except for Jesus. He\u2019s as close as my next whispered prayer\u2026my next groan. I can walk in peace and comfort in the middle of darkness, in the middle of storms.\u201d \u00a0Although Justin acknowledged the real challenges of his battle with brain cancer, he urged his Facebook followers to \u201cKeep on coming to Jesus. Take heart. Stay with God. Don\u2019t quit.\u201d<\/p>\n When Justin was in hospice care, he encouraged people to look at hospice as a bridge to life, a good thing. He urged people not to tell people on hospice, \u201c\u2026if I never see you again\u2026\u201d He prayed, \u201cNevertheless, Lord, not my will but Yours be done.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m thinking of the Halbgewachs family now, praying for comfort after last week’s one-year anniversary of Justin\u2019s Homegoing to Heaven. His wife Cherie echoes Justin\u2019s perspective of hope in the Lord. Last week she wrote the following (which I share with her permission):<\/p>\n Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases <\/em>(Psalm 103:2-3).<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that Justin was fighting terminal brain cancer would have led anyone to think his favorite part of this bible verse was \u2018who heals all your diseases.\u2019 But that wasn’t him. His focus was on \u2018forget not all His benefits.\u2019 He said it many times and lived his life like this, pointing always to the Lord’s Amazing Grace. So while I remember my husband, Justin Halbgewachs daily, on this one year anniversary of his homegoing I’m thinking especially on all the benefits of his love for his Savior. Jesus is why, as he now lives in heaven, Justin’s iniquities are forgiven and why all of his diseases have been healed! What benefits there are when we first seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness! Matthew 6:33\u2026 We are good because God is so good! He is faithful!\u201d<\/p>\n What is your struggle today? \u201cBless the Lord\u2026and forget not all His benefits<\/strong>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He is with you, and He loves YOU! YOU matter to God.<\/p>\n Thanks for joining me today.<\/p>\n\n
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