"It's OK to not be OK - just don't stay there."

“It’s OK to not be OK – just don’t stay there.”

(Tuesday, February 9, 2010)

This past November, on Thanksgiving day, a young pastor of a large Baptist church in Texas, suffered a seizure caused by a Grade 3, aggressive, malignant brain tumor. Pastor Matt Chandler is 35 years old, married and has two young children. In early December, he had major brain surgery and is undergoing chemotherapy and treatment.

I have never personally met Matt Chandler but I have read several articles about him. He has for some time had a saying, “It’s OK to not be OK – just don’t stay there.” When he made this statement, he wasn’t specifically referring to how we handle a difficult diagnosis or illness. But like a number of other sayings - the minute I heard it - I claimed it as one of those thoughts that will help me through my own journey.

I am asked several times a day, “How are you?”

I almost always answer, “I’m OK.”

“No, really, how are you?”

“I’m really OK.”

Faith, family and friends – those are the reasons I’m OK.

I really am OK. Right now.

But I don’t know if that is going to be true tomorrow, next week, or even later today.

Someone may soon ask me that question, and I will say, “I’m not OK.” And that’s going to be OK, too, as long as I don’t stay there.

My faith may falter. I sincerely hope not, but I do not know. I’ve never done this before. I don’t know the future. When I read the Bible, it doesn’t sugar coat – even the apostles went through times where their faith faltered. There were times when they weren’t OK. But they didn’t stay there.

Faith, family, friends. When I think about those three foundations, I have a cheerful heart and I am optimistic that more often than not, when you ask me, I am going to say, “I’m OK.”