“As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” (Micah 7:7-8 NLT)
Over the course of the last several weeks I have been undergoing a series of tests and procedures including an MRI and PET scan of my brain. A few days ago, my wife and I met with the Neurologist and received the news that I definitely have Alzheimer’s disease. I’m not going to lie; it was and is a frightening diagnosis.
The plan isn’t to give you the proverbial “play-by-play” of my journey with Alzheimer’s, but I do want to keep you abreast of my concerns and help you understand when the time comes to bring my blog to a close. As of today, I feel good, strong, and attentive to the Lord and my goal is to record what the Lord gives me as long as I possibly can.
Today, I’d like to share some thoughts that are guiding me as I begin this journey with Alzheimer’s. First, while it may have been an unwelcome intrusion to how I saw my life going, it didn’t catch the Lord by surprise nor off guard. I’m comforted by the knowledge that the Lord has allowed this diagnosis and He never does anything without purpose and for our (my) good.
My “house” is built on the “Rock” of the Lord Jesus Christ; thus, I will still be standing when Alzheimer’s has done it’s worst. As the Lord was with the children of Israel in the fire, He is with me and you, if you’re going through difficult times. Since I have a very low tolerance for pain, I suspect I will agonize with side effects or with reactions to medicine or procedures, but I will trust Him to get me through.
My conviction is that most of us expect God to protect us from these kinds of diagnoses, but the truth is, we’re members of the human family which means any of us is subject to any kind of disease or infirmity. As a child of God I’m not immune to the effects of evil in our world, among the worst evils are the diseases that attack and cripple us in virtually every area of our lives.
I remember well the times I sat by my dad’s bedside as Parkinson’s disease finalized their ravaging effects on his mind and body. He knew no one in his final days, but I’m quite certain there was Someone with him who had not forgotten him. The Lord is with me in this journey and, though it’s frightening on many levels, I refuse to feel sorry for myself or pretend I shouldn’t have to deal with such things.
Because I love Jesus doesn’t make me exempt from anything that affects my human family, but it also assures me that my spiritual family will walk with me through the trials and victories of my journey. I’m sensing the Lord’s closeness in this season and will rely on Him every inch of the road on which He has me travel.
Realizing that there are some of you who are also walking difficult paths, may I encourage you with these words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:20-21 (MSG): “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!”
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 
Last October 2023, I spoke with my sister Jean who was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s, & was not expected to live more than a few more days. I talked with her by phone for about 5 minutes, and I had just told her that I loved her & would be seeing her soon the next day to visit her, & then she told me she loved me to. Seconds later she was became completely incoherent, then her in-home caregiver told me she was now babbling & was falling asleep. My wife & I were already planning to fly out to see her the next day, and when we arrived at her house she was nearly a vegetable of her old self. I was so glad that I had spoken to her the day before, which was the very last time that she was coherent with anyone. The next evening while we were there visiting her at home, in a morphine coma state, she finally passed away while we were with her. Three years prior to her passing, she had finally accepted Jesus as her Savior. This was before she had Alzheimer’s, & just before she had to have a major heart bypass surgery, which is what led her to finally have her come-to-Jesus-moment. I will see her again in Heaven. Praise God that He allowed me to speak to her that last time while she was still coherent & was remembering me and very happy that she would see me the following day. I did not grieve the loss of my sister because I knew I would be seeing her for the rest of eternity, though her un-saved family members grieved her greatly & couldn’t understand my lack of grief. On October 26th, 2023, Katherine Jean Payne died in Silverdale, WA., she had just turned 88 years old 2 1/2 weeks before her passing.
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