90 Days...

A quarter of a year. Three months. The amount of time you spend in a probation period when you start a new job. And the amount of time it took me to read through the Bible last fall. (By the way, that's something I'd highly recommend if you're up to the challenge! It's amazing how you see the big picture of God's Word that way.)

But, most significant to me of late, 90 days is the amount of time until I leave my current job.

My last day at the hospital is also my seventh anniversary there. The number of perfection, which is also significant. I can only hope that my time there will come to perfect completion before I leave behind my career, my co-workers, my patients, such an enormous part of my life.

I have spent the last seven years - as well as the previous six - learning to treat children with cancer. It is tremendously rewarding at times, shockingly tragic at others, and mostly in between. But, though I will miss the people I have met on the job, I really don't think I will miss the work itself. And that seems to surprise everyone I tell.

After all, I am called to minister to the terminally ill. That has been my calling for years now.

But God has taught me something profound during my time in Virginia. He has finally gotten through to me that the things of this world don't matter. His Word tells us this:

"...Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

What is seen is temporary. Everything you see, everything physical. Our cars, our houses, our televisions, even our bodies. They're all just temporary, and they will waste away and, one day, disappear altogether. So, even if I could find the perfect chemotherapy drug that would give a kid 50 more years on this earth, it's still only temporary. And "temporary" is not our goal here. We are to fix our our eyes on what is unseen, on the eternal.

Don't get me wrong. God brought me into my job, and He guided me every step of the way. He took me to pharmacy school, through two years of postgraduate training, and finally to my first and only "real" job in pharmacy, my seven years at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters. But, even here, His goal was to get me to fix my eyes on the eternal rather than the temporary.

So what is eternal? Only our relationship with Jesus Christ and our relationships with fellow believers. Those are the only things that will last. My job was only eternal to the extent that it allowed me to build relationships with others that would glorify my Lord or to the extent that it allowed people more time to be able to spend on this earth so that they could come to know Him. Jesus is the only medicine that can cure the terminal spiritual illness of this world, and His disciples are the only ones He has tasked with giving out that medicine.

And that's why He is taking me away from here in 90 days. His purpose for me has not changed. It never has and never will. It remains His purpose to use my life to glorify and exalt Himself before a lost and dying world who is desperate to hear about Him before it is too late.

I still have a calling to the terminally ill. As a matter of fact, so do you. Let's go give out some Medicine.

Field Update:

1. OK, so this post got put up a little later than anticipated, but... the trustees recommended me for appointment!!!! Yes, I'm a little excited. :-) Praise the Lord!

2. My appointment will be held on June 25... in Richmond. What a wonderful surprise that was! (In an unusual turn of events, the IMB will be holding dual appointment services in June, one in Oklahoma City and one in Richmond.) I am so very delighted that many of my brothers and sisters from my home church will be able to attend. Please pray that the Lord will provoke the hearts of many of those in attendance in the direction of missions (whether it's to go, or to give, or to pray). As you well know, the fields are white unto harvest, and we are to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send workers out into those fields. Please do so.

3. My parents, Garry and Denise Johnson, will be leaving for their own mission work in Germany in early June. Please pray that our Father would prepare the way before them and that they would bring Him great glory among the people. I'd also love it if you would pray that I get to spend a little additional time with them before they go. Their house needs to sell quickly in order for that to happen.

4. Please pray that I will be faithful in obedience to the Lord in these remaining few months in the States. It's so easy to develop "short-timer" syndrome, but the Bible tells us that "whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Col. 3:23, NKJV). He is the One to please, and continuing to do my work heartily is a good witness for Him.

I am so thankful to have gained new prayer supporters during a recent visit home to Alabama. It is such a blessing to know that you and the rest of my "old" supporters (don't worry, that's not a comment on age - at least for most of you! Kidding! :-)) are praying for me. As I'm so often reminded recently, we are constantly engaged in battle with a powerful enemy. I'm well aware that I can't do this on my own, and I desperately need your prayers. Thank you for doing battle with me!