Have you ever reached what you felt was your lowest point? On your knees, on the floor, desperate for hope, crying out for relief.

This is where she was. She felt sicker than she ever had before in her life, and part of her wondered, “Am I going to make it?” She still had so much to live for … memories to make … and another grandchild on the way.

This is the situation my dear mother-in-law, Deb Germann, found herself in during the fall of 2018. She had recently been diagnosed with a rare, stage 3 cancer. It was serious. She had already undergone surgery to remove several lymph nodes, and now, she was in the middle of intense chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

To this day, she describes this point in her life as one of the most difficult challenges she’s ever faced. She looks back on some of those days and wonders how she ever made it through. It’s a rhetorical question, of course, but now, we all know the answer.

“God gave me a second chance,” she says from time to time. I can always sense the immense gratitude – you can hear it in her voice and see it on her face.

It was also an incredibly difficult time for my father-in-law, Mike. On the outside, he appeared a pillar of strength, constantly at her side and caring for her with dedication. But inside, he was scared to death of what might happen. He was already losing his mother to terminal cancer after she’d refused treatment.

I can’t imagine the darkness they both must have felt during that time. But I know that God was walking closely with them every step, even if they couldn’t feel it. They had many prayer warriors – myself included – “fighting” on their behalf, and God himself was carrying them through this deep, dark valley.

But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A few months earlier, Eric and I had announced we were expecting our second child. My in-laws were overjoyed! Then, shortly after, came the diagnosis.

But instead of accepting this as a tragedy, my mother-in-law used it as motivation to fight through the pain. Although I’ll never know for sure on this side of heaven, I believe this was a gift from God to sustain her during a time of trial.

Every time she felt like giving up, she thought of her grandchild on the way. To her, that baby represented hope and a future.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”

– Jeremiah 29:11

I can’t express how thankful I am that my mother-in-law made it through the treatments and has been in remission for five years now. It hasn’t been easy, though. She continues to deal with pain and complications from the radiation, along with a weakened immune system. Unfortunately, these are things that will never completely heal this side of heaven.

But God has made good on his promise of hope and a future. I think back on all the sweet memories she has made in the last five years.

There were some sad memories along the way, as well. In the past three years, she lost both of her parents, Tom and Dorothy Sunderland. She still misses them every day, and the grief is still heavy on her heart.

But as Paul encourages us in Thessalonians 4:13-14, Deb does not grieve as if she has no hope. Her parents loved the Lord dearly and followed him all their lives. She knows that they are healthy, happy and whole in the presence of Jesus – no longer plagued by old age or disease.

Just imagine – if Deb had given up five years ago, she would have missed out on all of this. Five years of living may not sound like a long time, but she recognizes every day God has given for what it is – a precious gift not to be wasted.