Today, is the day we celebrate the life of Ezra Matthews. He lived for 800 days. Many of those days were spent in hospitals, with doctors – pushing, probing and testing his little body to see how it could beat cancer. How can a little boy who didn’t have all his teeth, fight for his life? In a world where God can do anything it doesn’t make sense.

Here is where he was the catalyst to change my life. In my journey with he and his family, God has given me a great truth to learn and lean on. On the day that Jesus was crucified on the cross, no one embraced the cross. Nobody ran to the cross and exclaimed, “This is what I have been waiting for! Salvation is coming to man today! I will be able to have a personal relationship with the God of the heavens and earth today! Thanks you for the cross! Thank you for the cross!” Instead, it was chaotic, bloody and painful. People quickly distanced themselves from Jesus and the cross.

Yet, a few weeks later, the disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to speak out the message of the cross. People’s lives were changed. The movement continued and town, cities, and nations were changed. The message continued and it began to span decades, generations, cultures, eras and it is still today the most common message of hope and love.

All because of the cross…

Let that sink in for a moment. Without the cross, there is no message of Jesus Christ. The bloody, wooden tool of torture is now hung on homes, churches, cathedrals – even people’s necks and is celebrated as the symbol of relationship with God. God took the most hideous moment in the history of man and made it the most beautiful capture of his love and grace personified.

So what about Ezra? I expect God to do the same. I will not put him in a box of defeat, despair or question about Ezra’s passing. Although I wanted with all my heart to see him healed and healthy, I will set my hope on a God who will take this most difficult situation and make it a life changing experience for everyone.