I recently met a young woman who was hooked up to an IV, which happens every week for her. She indicated she had considered another round of chemo, but the cancer was in her lungs and liver and would probably be a waste of effort. Her primary goal was to live to her children’s next birthdays, one was nine and the other six. The woman could not have been older than early thirties and weighed under one hundred pounds. She was a most thoughtful and cheerful person despite her situation and put all at ease around her as she was not preoccupied with her life issues. She was interested in the lives and well-being of others.

I was awed by her courage and faith. She knew the Lord could heal her at any moment and prayed for Him to do so, but she accepted whatever God had in store for her without having to understand. She reminded me of the corpsmen on the Pacific islands during WWII. The medics ran or crawled to the wounded, exposed themselves in open sight of the enemy, without fighting back, to help and rescue a downed soldier. They were battlefield heroes to the other soldiers who would then run to medic’s aide when they were wounded helping another. People who willingly lay down their lives for others provide a most powerful example of love. This young woman put her life aside to care for others despite her imminent death.

I met her after her courage had achieved heroic proportions, but I can’t imagine that she started there. I believe she started with little sacrifices, building a lifestyle of caring for others, until she became the fortress of faith I met. I met the end result of many smaller miracles and choices that took place over time. I wonder how many falls and get-ups were required while she became strong and consistent in her courage. How many disappointments had to be overcome with encouragement before she spoke encouragement as a native language? If patience comes through adversity then her patience was proof of the adversities she has faced.

I believe the young woman earned my respect in at least two ways. First, the size of the obstacle she faced was monumental. It was far larger than I could imagine facing, especially with the grace and strength she displayed. Secondly, The long hard work it must have taken to build the consistency and reliability she expressed. She is a many layered example of the work and look of love, hard fought and hard won, built into a life by caring for others. She was an amazing example of what loving can look like when hard work and determination operate the process of loving over time.