I couldn’t believe this was real, as I took a moment to process that I was sitting in the OKC Children’s Hospital cancer wing, trying to keep my daughter somewhat quiet while our friends circled around us to pray over Zion and her upcoming cancer removal surgery. I was terrified, but as I watched our community wrap around us, I knew that I wasn’t alone.
Sitting here, trying to figure out how to put to words the gratitude I feel for my church family, I thumb to the back pages of Beyond Our Control, the new book my husband and I wrote, and read the “acknowledgements” section. There is a paragraph specifically thanking Council Road Baptist Church for the support it has shown our family over the years. I wish I could have taken the time to name each person who prayed for us and cared for us, but that certainly would have filled too many pages. While I can’t list everyone, I do want to take this opportunity to say a word about my community.
In our new book mentioned above, Michael and I write on the concept of “control.” Grasping for control in life and wrestling with what we can’t control is certainly a theme with which many can relate. Having some semblance of control brings comfort and predictability. But what if facing the reality that we have less control than we think is the very catalyst for God to work in our lives? In my own life, circumstances completely beyond my control, such as Zion’s cancer diagnosis or losing our son Ezra in a failed adoption, ended up being the very circumstances God used to highlight not only my dependence on Him, but my need for our church community.
Looking back on those painful seasons of life, I recall the many meaningful memories of those individuals who held us up and walked alongside us in our pain. Without the trials and loss, I wouldn’t have felt the same depth of community. So, while our book is on the ways we unknowingly idolize control, and how to trust in the God who has all control – it is also a book you will find woven with stories of connection and community.
You will find stories of our pastor saying a word on Sunday right when I needed it, our home group bringing us meals during Zion’s chemo treatments, of prayers that sustained us when we said goodbye to our son, of a Sunday school class that kept me from feeling alone in the pain, and so much more. Yes, the book is about control, but as Michael and I share our story, it is really about community.
I am deeply grateful for a supportive church community, but maybe you haven't felt the benefits of a close community in Christ, or maybe you have felt lost as to how to be that for others. If so, it is my prayer that, by reading Beyond Our Control, you will be inspired by examples of how others cared for us and let that guide you toward being that type of support for others. I also pray that for those at Council Road specifically, that if you read this book, you will see yourself in the pages of our story and know that Michael and I are forever grateful for you.
Meet the authors!
Lauren McAfee is a PhD student in ethics and public policy from Southern Seminary. Lauren is author of Not What You Think, Only One Life, and Legacy Study. She also works at the Hobby Lobby corporate office as a project coordinator. She grew up in Oklahoma City and loves her church community at CRBC. Lauren and her high school sweetheart, Michael McAfee, have been married for over ten years and have two daughters, Zion and Zara. Connect with Lauren at www.laurenamcafee.com or on Instagram @laurenamcafee.
