Loss to Life: A Jewish Woman's Journey to Messiah by Susan Perlman

Author:Susan Perlman [Perlman, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jews for Jesus.
ISBN: 9781881022770
Google: h1dK1ch25BsC
Amazon: 1881022773
Publisher: Jews for Jesus
Published: 2003-07-14T22:00:00+00:00

I had always wanted to make a difference for the better, to do something meaningful with my life. Moishe Rosen, the actual founder of the modern day Jews for Jesus movement, once told me that I needed to measure how I used my life from a spiritual vantage point. He suggested I put my greatest efforts into “doing those things that would make a difference a hundred years from now.” That was good advice.

There are so many worthwhile endeavors in which we can invest our lives, causes that can bring comfort and relief, improvement and a better quality of life to others. But most of these things can only help for a time. They can only address the symptoms, not the source, of life's problems.

They don't provide eternal solutions. They don't provide answers for the person with terminal cancer or for the person who is the object of racism and bigotry. They don't bring an end to hunger or war or violence. People need a hope and a future that offers justice and mercy and healing beyond this life, and that is only possible through a personal relationship with Y'shua the Messiah.

Those truths came home to me in a very personal way when, at age 34, I received a breast cancer diagnosis. The oncologist explained that while she didn't want to be discouraging, I needed to know that the tumor was an aggressive one. “So how long do I have?” I asked. She said we can't know such things, and that she had no guarantees to offer—but an aggressive treatment was my best shot at survival. Survival in cancer terms usually means five years. The aggressive treatment she was talking about meant surgery and chemotherapy. And I might add, lots of prayer.

I'd had all kinds of plans. I had envisioned lots of years ahead. Suddenly, I had to take stock of what might be an overwhelming obstacle to my earthly future. One of the hardest things I had to do at that point was tell my family. Whereas I was not looking to shorten my stay on this earth, I honestly believed that my existence would not end here. I had a future and a hope beyond this world. But I knew my family didn't share that hope. Like the rabbi at my father's shiva, they were uncertain and unsettled about life beyond the grave. It was no surprise that they took the news very hard. They felt helpless. While I tried to assure them that I would be okay, no matter what the outcome, they took little solace. Yet I believe that my faith made the difference and I hope that they could see that.

I won't say that the next couple of years were easy. The emotional pain of losing a breast was very real, and the physical discomfort of putting poisonous chemicals into my body had its effect. And there was anxiety over every blood test or X-ray until the negative results came through. Yet I can't think of another time in my life when my relationship with God deepened as much.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.