Day 6- Rebekah Tauber: God's Odd Gift

June 20, 2008
Sisterfreaks
- Rebekah Tauber: God’s Odd Gift

In Genesis 24, when we first meet Rebekah; we find her at a well. The servant of Abraham and Issac was given clear instructions, that if he asked if a maiden would fill his jar of water, and she also added she would let the camels drink until they thirsted no more; she was the one the Lord wanted for Issac.
Genesis 24:61-66
61 Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, [h] and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?"
"He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
This last sentence of the verse 66; describes such a picture of Rebekah; I mean we can look at it two ways. Issac was “ comforted”; its either that he had another woman around to watch out for him, and care for him; but I get the deeper sense that Rebekah somehow healed Issac of grieving his mother in a supernatural way that could only come from God.
Rebekah Tauber is similar to our Rebekah in the Old Testament.
She was 17yrs old. The last six months of her life were very difficult for someone of her age.
In her early highschool years, she was so in love with life, and everything was going fabulous for her.
Until she found a spot on her neck.
Doctors didn’t seem to believe it was something she should be concerned about, so she tried to go about her normal life again; however, something told her that she needed to get a second opinion.
Rebekah went back to the doctor; a biopsy was taken. She was diagnosed within a few days with a rare soft-tissue cancer called, “ rhabdomyosaroma.”
The only thing she could think of beyond anything was, “ As soon as I heard it was cancer, all I could think was losing my hair.”
350 patients under the age of 21yrs old are diagnosed each year with this particular cancer.
This particular cancer with proper treatment would let a person live longer than with most cancers.
Rebekah did have to lose her hair, but she also adds with the treatment,
“ Knowing the schedule and what will happen when, is kind of comforting.”
She always would bring all she could to the hospital to make it feel like Home Sweet Home, a favorite pillow, a cozy blanket, a faded San Diego Padres t-shirt and flannel PJ’s.
She was seventeen, and didn’t go out and giggle with her friends, she spent most of her time with her parents in a hospital room.
She did have friends; a 4 yrs old, who was going through chemo, who would race his little plastic car in Rebekah’s room.
She found her own way of happiness, although it was so different from the outside world, and she was 20 pounds lighter than she was a week ago.
Rebekah knows that its hard to see her illness as a gift from God, because of how much she has gone through, but she did through time in being there see what most people fail to….themselves, and what needs to improve in who we are.
“ I’ve learned so much from cancer, I always used to depend on other people before. I went to church every Sunday, but the walk I had, was not the walk I wanted. I depended on my friends first before God. But not anymore. My friends are great, and they care about me, but they couldn’t really understand what is was like to be sick. And I realized they couldn’t make me happy anymore. In normal situations, maybe they could help, but with this, God is the only one who really knows and understands. He is the one who helps me.”
Rebekah, in a strange way, was given a gift of knowledge.
She understands that her illness is something not everyone could understand, but she knows for herself that she has become closer to God through it, and to her own family.
At a time when most teenagers break away from family, and do their own thing, Rebekah appreciated the time she had with them at her side.
Her older brother, whom she didn’t get along well with when she was well, almost took off school completely for a year to spend time with her.
“ Mom said it best, We are more used to being on the giving end, than the receiving end. But I get so much love and encouragement from other people, It’s amazing, to see people reach out and really care. I am so blessed.”
Rebekah’s church gave her a pager, so people could page her with their zipcodes, to let her know they were praying for her.
And her dad had a special number he would send.
She was sent emails and letters, and this is one she wrote:
“ I just thought I would share something small I’ve learned with everything I’m going through. I’ve realized that you honestly CANNOT live without talking to God everyday of your life. My friends and the people by my side may help, but they can’t heal my hurt inside. But as soon as I talk to God or read the Bible, its as if I’m a totally her person! When I talk to God I have so much joy and go from feeling empty to feeling completely filled—and even thankful for everything I am going through.”
When she tells people about her cancer she always adds, “ God doesn’t make mistakes, Everything is the way it should be.”
Rebekah believes she would never have known the things she does now about herself or her life without having the cancer.
This story is amazing to me, because in horrible pain and agony is where the deeper things of God can be found.
We see that all through the bible, but we always want God to show things to us without actually having gone through something.
I can write you now and tell you that I understand Rebekah’s story; and maybe you could too. We all have gone through things in life, but looking back…we know somehow the value of it to who we are, and who God needs us to become.
Friends and Family are great, like she said; but without God their mouths would never speak.
It’s always God at the center, we just sometimes forget.
I think back to the story of Rebekah in Genesis 24, and just like Rebekah comforted Issac in his time of pain and agony after losing Sarah; this Rebekah in her pain and agony, comforted others.
Only God!

Reflection:
1. Can you think of a time in your life when you didn’t understand somekind event or situation that was happening? And did you go to God for help?
2. Do you know anyone who was like Rebekah’s story, someone out of their own pain, helped others?