I’d like to tell you about my friend Rebecca Christensen. Rebecca is 50 years old, has been married to her husband Carl for more than half her life and together they have three wonderful teenaged children; Samuel, who just finished his first year in college and twins Jenna and Daniel, who are completing their junior year in high school. Rebecca became a Christian in 1985, has been a member of the Boston Church of Christ and currently the Granite State Church of Christ in
In 2005 Rebecca noticed something was wrong about herself. While driving home one day she passed out behind the wheel. The family van was damaged but she was spared any major injuries. She was immediately taken to the hospital for evaluation. The mysterious reason for loosing consciousness proved elusive. The typical battery of tests revealed little. More specialized tests were ordered.
As time passed she noticed a slight tremble in her hand. Soon after, her arm began to shake and her once clear speech began to slur. She knew she was deteriorating but she didn’t know why. More medical tests would be required.
“You have Parkinson’s Disease,” (PD) the first neurologist reported. Another specialist said, “I can say you have Parkinson-ism, but not whether it’s actually PD - you’re symptoms are atypical.” Then in October 2008 another
The physical battle, coupled with constant uncertainty, began affecting other areas of her life. Her daily household duties became increasingly difficult, if not impossible. She loved to prepare meals for her family and now, due to loosing strength in her right arm and hand, couldn’t even manage to butter toast. Planting flowers, one of her favorite seasonal hobbies, had to be done by others. Rebecca couldn’t walk unaided and soon became restricted to a wheel chair. It wasn’t long before she lost use of her right arm. She could no longer get dressed or turn the pages of a book. The simple task of putting herself to bed became a family affair.
The emotional battle, over time, became equally daunting. Thoughts crept into her mind, “Will I see my children get married?” and “Why is this happening to me?” Struggles of feeling useless and burdensome, along with the pain of watching her husband add her responsibilities to his already full schedule were ever present.
From her first diagnosis Rebecca has been faced with a choice: She can trust God’s hand in her life or she can give into fear, bitterness and self-pity. While her choice must be daily she’s decided to be an over comer.
In her own words Rebecca says this about her situation, “I want to focus on what I can become for God. Realizing all this, that no matter what a disease does to my body, I have my relationship with God. When I face moments of being overwhelmed I ask God for his comfort.”
And the God of all comfort responds in a very real way. Rebecca began to notice that comfort took a form she didn’t expect – the form of a peace and joy that, “washes over me.” She goes on to say, “Oddly, for the first time in over 24 years as a disciple I realize God has individually chosen me. Of course I heard it all before, but this time I felt a deeper confidence that it was true, that God had reached out to me through a disciple and enabled me to respond to the gospel message. For about a month I marveled at the notion, holding on to an overwhelming sense of security and gratefulness. This God who chose me could be trusted with my best interest. What encourages me so much is that I have so many wonderful friends praying for me. I want to be an encouragement to them and be someone who is faithful and positive through this time.”
Inspiring are the words of her sixteen year old daughter Jenna; “The thing that impacts me the most about my mom is her faith. Yes, sometimes she’s discouraged. Sometimes she’s sad. Sometimes she’s tired. But she doesn’t lose hope. Her Bible is always open. She’s still growing. I can visibly see how God is moving in her heart just from looking at the growth in our own relationship. If I have a problem with a friend or an issue I’m facing, a solution can be remedied by her words.”
Rebecca used to host a women’s Bible discussion in her home. Women she met from around the community would come and study the Bible together. Her health has made it impossible to continue hosting the group. Yet those same women stop by with meals, offer to do errands or simply lend a hand with household chores. They have been inspired not just by the things she taught from God’s word but from the life she lives.
Rebecca has taught me so much about faithfulness and hope when circumstances say otherwise. One of her favorite scriptures to share is Romans 15:3 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
This past December Rebecca celebrated her 50th birthday. Many friends and family joined her. It was encouraging to fellowship with so many people who have been touched by her life. She is an inspiration to so many, an inspiration of hope. Rebecca has shown us, through tough challenges, how to be an over comer. And through her life she brings great glory to our God.
If you have stories of courage and encouragement to share, please send them to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..