Death Is Not Dying: A Faith that Saves

“Cancer does not define me. Neither does being a wife or a mother. All these things are part of who I am, but they do not define me. What defines me is my relationship with Jesus.”

On March 4, 2009, what started out as a small talk to a women's group at her church grew into an event attended by 600 women from around Vancouver, giving Rachel an opportunity to share about her hope in the midst of terminal cancer. She shares a piece of her heart in her testimony of discovering God for who He truly is in the process. Too often in life we make the focus on ourselves [our innate sinful nature], when it truly should be on God and glorifying Him.  This requires learning to ‘Die to self’ daily by putting to death the deeds of the flesh. Rachel Barkey (nee Sawer) went home to be with the Lord on July 2, 2009 at 37 years of age.

"If all is well in our world, our view of God is unchallenged. He is good, He’s loving, He’s fair. But when things start to go eerie: that is when our true view of God is revealed. We think that God is not good, or that He is unjust. Or that He is not in control because hurricanes destroy whole cities, children are mistreated and abused. Wars break out and innocent people are killed, or women get cancer and die leaving their children without a mother and their husbands heartbroken. We try to fit God into who we want Him to be, rather than seeking Him for who He really is.”

Steve Lawson addresses this issue in his book “Made In Our Image”: 

“Our most rudimentary problem is that we do not fully comprehend who He is. Our thoughts about Him have become very unclear, fuzzy, and oblique. The results of this distorted view of deity is that it leaves everything else out of focus as well. Whenever we lose a right view of God, everything else gets out of perspective. Essentially, our view of God will inform our view of everything else. It will be the lens through which we perceive reality. And it will shape our thoughts, world view, attitudes, and perceptions. When our view of God is erroneous, our view of other things will be erroneous by default.”

Rachel concludes with this statement:

“In His providence, God has used the tough things in my life to draw me closer to Him. To show me His great love, and to teach me many things. I have learned that I am not perfect, and I have the scars to prove it: 13 of them. And they serve as a physical reminder of a spiritual reality that I can never be perfect on my own: I need a Savior. I have learned that the greatest evidence of God’s love is seen when I stand at the foot of the cross. He took my shame upon Himself and rescued me. I have learned that being a Christian is not just hope for the future, although it is most definitely that, but that it is the joy of knowing and trusting in a God who is loving and faithful no matter what the circumstances. So when I say that ‘Death is not Dying’, death will not kill my soul it is eternal just like yours, it is just this physical body that will die, but even it will be raised again, just like Jesus, and it will be better than the one I have now. Like everything, it will be better, because God is going to make everything new. And I know this Why? Because I know God, I know myself, I know the Gospel, and I know my purpose. I know I have a faith that saves, because my faith is in Jesus alone.”
To learn more about Rachel's journey or Watch the event video, visit: [Deathisnotdying.com]
[Click on either link above to watch video]