| Jan Drevecky came to speak to us at my church yesterday!!!
Jan Dravecky is a Depression Survivor, Cancer Caregiver, and Women's Ministry Leader. She and her husband Dave, founded the Outreach of Hope ministry in 1991 in response to thousands of letters and requests received from hurting people encouraged by the Dravecky's faith when they walked through some very dark days.
Their journey began when in Dave's seventh year in the Major Leagues, while pitching for the San Francisco Giants, a cancerous desmoids tumor was discovered in his pitching arm. The next years were a whirlwind of surgeries, radiation, pain and depression, all in the glaring light of the media. Eventually, Dave's arm was amputated to stop the spread of the cancer and save his life. Through it all, Dave and Jan Dravecky's faith in God and the love received from others provided the anchor they needed in the midst of their storm. Hear Jan share their story of restoration and healing that brought with it a joy they'd never known before!
There were many profound things she shared with us. During the same time Dave was most ill, she also went through the death of her parents both to heart attacks, and the suicide of her friend. The story above leaves some details out. His first surgery was to remove a mass that had grown on his deltoid muscle, and they removed 50% of it, leaving only 5% of function according to the doctors. His recovery, though, was so amazing and fast, the doctors were shocked. Three days after surgery he was holding his arm above his head, after 3 months he was throwing, and after 9 months he was back in the minor leagues. They were praying one day, seeing the hand of God so clearly, and praised Him and thanked Him, but questioned to one another, "What is God's plan in all this?" While pitching one day, his arm snapped, and this began the long series of chemo, surgeries, infections, and eventually amputation. They thought that through their strength God was going to use them, that their successes were going to be to His glory, but that plan went in another direction. God had something better.
Jan reached clinical depression, panic attacks, and could not leave the house anymore, and for years found no lasting help from the Christian community. Some told her Dave's arm was amputated because he was sinning, others told her she shouldn't be so down, she's a Christian. She continued to ask God questions.
One day in her living room after a few years, at the height of her depression, she was angry with God. While all alone, in her loss of power to help herself, and nobody else around, she began to think up all the ways she would turn away from God in her anger. She thought about going on a shopping spree, alcohol, eating, etc... She realized none of those things would help her. They were all fleeting and temporary. It was like God had brought her to a place, where all she could do next was choose Him. "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" She began to read the WORD as her only rational option. Thank God His faithfulness does not depend on my emotion!
She said she never felt His presence through any of the losses she and her husband were enduring, but only when she looked back, she saw His hand had been in EVERYTHING. Even in the moment of wanting to turn from God, she realized the solid faith she had- she knew God was her only answer. She began Christian counseling.
She said many Christians think they're supposed to "suffer pretty". In the refining of gold in fire, the impurities rise to the surface. So it is with a Christian, who goes through the "fire", the darkness, the sufferings- they bring our impurities to the surface. "Pain goes in, sin comes out." Jan's major sin was that she was a control freak, Dave's was his "Italian temper and anger"-( hahahaha) it all came out. Jan's trial was emotional, Dave's was physical, both affected them spiritually.
In the Psalms, we see David pouring out his complaints, questioning God, in fear and horror at his sin, feeling alone, depressed/downcast. Honestly coming to God, and knowing he can go nowhere to flee from God even in his most angry moments, he learned to be still, to offer the sacrifice of praise, to trade sorrows for joy. Elijah is another example, who after experiecing victory, became depressed and wanted to commit suicide.
She also shared that it's ok to cry. Cry instead of pushing the emotions down where they build up and never leave. In her moments of remembering and feeling the hurt, instead of changing the subject, or running away, she began to face those feelings through tears, sobbing at times for 10 minutes helped her to overcome- we need to take time to grieve. God created a means of grieving, and he also bottles up our every tear.
She also wanted to share that it's ok to question God. (Piper explains better how to query God), but her point was well taken. Eugene Peterson says, "Christians fear to ask questions becase they fear there is no answer."
Her answer was God only, her answer was the Word.
Ps 119:
71 It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
Facing his own mortality, Dave gained eternal perspective, and a longing for his glorified body. Daily, with his arm and shoulder missing, he realizes his life is a vapor, and a pitching arm is not what God wanted him to live for. Now working with cancer patients daily, Jan also looks heavenward, having forsaken the here and now, seeing her cancer patients never gets her down, rather works to shift her attention to heaven. Their missing limbs, their dying bodies remind her of the glory to come.
Isaiah 45:
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name."
"Treasures of darkness" seems paradoxical, knowing God is our greatest treasure.
Philippians 3:
8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.
Losing all things is where Christians are heading for the greatest gain mankind will ever know or witness: God Himself.
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