One year ago today I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. The journey has been one of tears, heartache, researching, praying, faith and trust. Now here I am in remission thanking God for His faithfulness and for all of you who have stood with me on this long journey. I have faced the giant of cancer with a God saturated soul because I know my Father loves me and I trust that love. My rejoicing Psalm is 107:22-31 which says:
Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.
Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up the tempest that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits end.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
I have seen God's work as He has taken me into deep waters. The mighty waves have crashed in around me and at times my courage has melted away. But each day I have cried out to God in my distress and He has been faithful to give me the strength to face the day. He has stilled my storm to a whisper and is guiding me to my desired haven. I am giving thanks to Him for his unfailing love and for His wonderful deeds for me. I have been given a gift of excellent health, my marriage is stronger, my priorities are in focus, ministry is joyfully abundant, I walk in the understanding that each day is a gift to be treasured and my faith has grown deeper as I have had to face a giant, that without God. I could not conquer.
I encourage all of you to stay the course and focus on God as you face the storms your giant brings. God has not forgotten you. He is taking you to the deep waters so you will learn to depend completely on Him. He will not let you be destroyed in the storm. When He is finished with the work He is trying to do in your life, He will whisper to the storm, "Peace, Be Still". When He brings you safely to shore you will never stop proclaiming the good deeds He has done! Your life will be a vessel now fit for use.
For my friends Beth and Rhonda who are now facing their own giant of breast cancer, know that I am praying for you! My heart is with you as you face this giant who is NOT BIGGER THAN OUR GOD! I pray you will continue to face it with God saturated souls! My love and hugs to you both! I hope my journey of faith has been of encouragement to you. Keep up the good fight!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Trials of Trust
Preliminary reports show the nodule to be BENIGN!
Once again I found myself in a trial of trust. The amount of trust we have in God is gauged by what we say and how we act. What we say and how we act comes from what is in our heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." A heart with the right attitude only comes as we give it to God on a daily basis to mold and shape. A heart that trusts God has the right attitude and speaks words of trust. I have come to learn that much of life can not be controlled by me. My attitude is the only thing I have control of every minute of every day.
Chuck Swindoll says, "The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it. I believe the single most important significant decision I can make on a day-to day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me."
This past week I found myself telling people that it just didn't matter if I was going to have to battle cancer again this year. My trust is in God and He is a loving God and knows what is best for me. I didn't say these words flippantly. They were born from silent stillness before God. I poured out my tears and anguish and He poured out his love, courage and hope to face whatever giant He may allow to come into my life.
Don't let the giants control your attitude or cripple your progress. Listen to what you say and you will know the condition of your heart. If your words are angry, bitter, blaming or despondent then you know your heart is not trusting. Let the giants you face deepen your faith and trust in God. Above all else guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life. I pray what flows out will glorify and honor the maker of that heart.
On the 5th anniversary of her cancer surgery Lynn Eib wrote this poem summing up what her journey with cancer had taught her.
When your world is crashing down around you, trust Him.
When what is unfolding doesn't make sense, trust Him.
When you see no light at the end of the tunnel, trust Him.
When your silent tears spill down, trust Him.
When your heart screams, "Why?" trust Him.
When you have more questions than answers, trust Him.
When the devil tells you otherwise, trust Him.
When it's the last thing you feel like doing, trust Him.
When there's simply nothing else to do, trust Him.
Once again I found myself in a trial of trust. The amount of trust we have in God is gauged by what we say and how we act. What we say and how we act comes from what is in our heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." A heart with the right attitude only comes as we give it to God on a daily basis to mold and shape. A heart that trusts God has the right attitude and speaks words of trust. I have come to learn that much of life can not be controlled by me. My attitude is the only thing I have control of every minute of every day.
Chuck Swindoll says, "The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it. I believe the single most important significant decision I can make on a day-to day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me."
This past week I found myself telling people that it just didn't matter if I was going to have to battle cancer again this year. My trust is in God and He is a loving God and knows what is best for me. I didn't say these words flippantly. They were born from silent stillness before God. I poured out my tears and anguish and He poured out his love, courage and hope to face whatever giant He may allow to come into my life.
Don't let the giants control your attitude or cripple your progress. Listen to what you say and you will know the condition of your heart. If your words are angry, bitter, blaming or despondent then you know your heart is not trusting. Let the giants you face deepen your faith and trust in God. Above all else guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life. I pray what flows out will glorify and honor the maker of that heart.
On the 5th anniversary of her cancer surgery Lynn Eib wrote this poem summing up what her journey with cancer had taught her.
When your world is crashing down around you, trust Him.
When what is unfolding doesn't make sense, trust Him.
When you see no light at the end of the tunnel, trust Him.
When your silent tears spill down, trust Him.
When your heart screams, "Why?" trust Him.
When you have more questions than answers, trust Him.
When the devil tells you otherwise, trust Him.
When it's the last thing you feel like doing, trust Him.
When there's simply nothing else to do, trust Him.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Waiting, Weeping and What If's
A sonogram I took last Thursday shows something they want to biopsy. When I heard this news I wept and found my mind filling with "What if?" questions. Have you ever entertained what if questions? These are the kinds of questions that can grip your heart and squeeze until you feel like you have no breath left. Some of the questions that raced through my mind were: What if I didn't hear from God?, What if what I'm doing isn't working?, What if I have to fight cancer again?, What if I'm not really in remission like my doctor just said I was?
What if's are dead end roads. They take you nowhere but on a journey of fear, anxiety and depression. What if's are taunts from the Giant. In I Samuel 17:23-24 we read that all the Israelite men ran from Goliath in great fear when they heard his taunts. When David and Goliath finally met face to face the taunts were hurled again. "David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty..."(verse 45).
How do we overcome the fear that what if's bring? We come against them in the name of the Lord Almighty. Next time a giant what if question races into your mind do as David did and say, "I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty." We are told in II Corinthians 15:5 to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Giants wage war on many fronts and our minds can be our most vulnerable battle field.
Many of us forget that David's battle with giants did not end with Goliath. The Israelites fought several more battles in 2 Samuel 21. The Bible tells us that David became exhausted as he engaged in battle again. You may know that feeling. I do. When I left my doctors office after the sonogram a great wave of battle fatigue overwhelmed me. I told Sewell that I just didn't want to cry anymore. I feel I have spent the last year crying. There is weariness in battling not just cancer but the emotions that go with it. There may not be another giant of cancer for me to face but the waiting time for test results is a battle all of its own.
I remind myself that God's love and faithfulness have already helped me battle this giant for the past year and He never changes. He will hold me and help me to continue to have the victory. Again I am choosing to rush this giant of waiting with a God saturated soul. In Max Lucado's book Facing Your Giant he encourages all of us by saying, "Focus on giants-you stumble. Focus on God-your giants tumble. Lift your eyes, giant-slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you."
P.S. I wrote this and forgot to post it! I had the biopsy yesterday. It was not fun but I did manage to joke my way through it. It was either that or cry my way through it! I also prayed, recited all the scripture I know and sang the song Healer to myself. They had a new instrument they were testing out and I drew the lucky number. I don't know if that was why it took 3 tries of going in (and out) to get the sample they needed but it's over and now I am waiting for the results. I should have those by Monday or Tuesday.
What if's are dead end roads. They take you nowhere but on a journey of fear, anxiety and depression. What if's are taunts from the Giant. In I Samuel 17:23-24 we read that all the Israelite men ran from Goliath in great fear when they heard his taunts. When David and Goliath finally met face to face the taunts were hurled again. "David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty..."(verse 45).
How do we overcome the fear that what if's bring? We come against them in the name of the Lord Almighty. Next time a giant what if question races into your mind do as David did and say, "I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty." We are told in II Corinthians 15:5 to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Giants wage war on many fronts and our minds can be our most vulnerable battle field.
Many of us forget that David's battle with giants did not end with Goliath. The Israelites fought several more battles in 2 Samuel 21. The Bible tells us that David became exhausted as he engaged in battle again. You may know that feeling. I do. When I left my doctors office after the sonogram a great wave of battle fatigue overwhelmed me. I told Sewell that I just didn't want to cry anymore. I feel I have spent the last year crying. There is weariness in battling not just cancer but the emotions that go with it. There may not be another giant of cancer for me to face but the waiting time for test results is a battle all of its own.
I remind myself that God's love and faithfulness have already helped me battle this giant for the past year and He never changes. He will hold me and help me to continue to have the victory. Again I am choosing to rush this giant of waiting with a God saturated soul. In Max Lucado's book Facing Your Giant he encourages all of us by saying, "Focus on giants-you stumble. Focus on God-your giants tumble. Lift your eyes, giant-slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you."
P.S. I wrote this and forgot to post it! I had the biopsy yesterday. It was not fun but I did manage to joke my way through it. It was either that or cry my way through it! I also prayed, recited all the scripture I know and sang the song Healer to myself. They had a new instrument they were testing out and I drew the lucky number. I don't know if that was why it took 3 tries of going in (and out) to get the sample they needed but it's over and now I am waiting for the results. I should have those by Monday or Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Unseen Victories
Victory over cancer is measured by tumor markers, CBC panels, PET scans, mammograms, sonograms and a host of other medical tests. Their are unseen victories that can't be measured. I had one of those yesterday when I reported back to school. The arrival of new carpet had been delayed and the teachers might not be able to get into their classrooms to set up until Friday or this weekend. School starts this Monday. All of my o file cabinets, book cases and school supplies are in another classroom. I picked up my new curriculum for a class my principal asked me to teach on FRIDAY! This class is in addition to another new class I was asked to teach in June. Our school is also in the process of getting another accreditation so there are many, many documents that must be created by the teachers. I am behind due to all the events of last year. Before cancer I would have been very stressed about trying to get everything done before Monday. Yesterday I found an odd perspective filling my heart and mind. The most important thing about getting ready for school isn't about the curriculum or the room, it's about getting my heart ready to love these kids! So, I set aside all the stress and worry of my to-do list and I picked up the phone and started calling my students to tell them how much God loves them and how excited I am to be their teacher. In the process of praying with my student's, God lifted the stress and worry off my shoulders and began to give me eternal perspective.
I have 3 friends that lost their lives to cancer and yet I watched them win their battle in so many other areas. They continued to trust and love God even until they drew their final breath. Lynn Eib addresses this topic in her book When God And Cancer Meet. She says, "My prayer time consisted of nothing other than self-centered pleas for my personal healing. But God gradually began to enlarge my picture of beating cancer as He spoke to my heart: "Whether you live or die from this is up to me, but how you live is up to you." The pressure was off. I would do my part to physically combat this cancer, but I would not judge whether I beat it by whether or not I was cured. I would beat it no matter what because I would refuse to let it conquer me and control my life. Certainly we can beat cancer when we are declared in remission or cured. However, we also beat it moment by moment as we allow God, not cancer, to control our thoughts. We beat it hour by hour as we remember that God's power within us is greater than the cancer. And we beat it day by day as we trust in God's strength and not in cancer's weakness."
I don't know what giant you may be facing now or will face this year. I never believed I would have so many march into as they did this past year. I pray that you will gain unseen victories every day by how you choose to live while you are in the midst of your battle. God is the one who will fight every battle for you. You are the one who must choose your attitude and response to the challenge. Like Paul, I pray you will be able to say, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. " (Philippians 4:12) God's power is greater than anything you will ever face. Declare to the world, "I can do all things through HIM who gives me strength." Win your battle as you trust in God's strength and not in the weakness of your giant.
I have 3 friends that lost their lives to cancer and yet I watched them win their battle in so many other areas. They continued to trust and love God even until they drew their final breath. Lynn Eib addresses this topic in her book When God And Cancer Meet. She says, "My prayer time consisted of nothing other than self-centered pleas for my personal healing. But God gradually began to enlarge my picture of beating cancer as He spoke to my heart: "Whether you live or die from this is up to me, but how you live is up to you." The pressure was off. I would do my part to physically combat this cancer, but I would not judge whether I beat it by whether or not I was cured. I would beat it no matter what because I would refuse to let it conquer me and control my life. Certainly we can beat cancer when we are declared in remission or cured. However, we also beat it moment by moment as we allow God, not cancer, to control our thoughts. We beat it hour by hour as we remember that God's power within us is greater than the cancer. And we beat it day by day as we trust in God's strength and not in cancer's weakness."
I don't know what giant you may be facing now or will face this year. I never believed I would have so many march into as they did this past year. I pray that you will gain unseen victories every day by how you choose to live while you are in the midst of your battle. God is the one who will fight every battle for you. You are the one who must choose your attitude and response to the challenge. Like Paul, I pray you will be able to say, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. " (Philippians 4:12) God's power is greater than anything you will ever face. Declare to the world, "I can do all things through HIM who gives me strength." Win your battle as you trust in God's strength and not in the weakness of your giant.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
At Wits' End
Others went out to the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters,
They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and
went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
they were at their wits' end.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress,
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
Psalm 107:23-31
The name of my storm is cancer. What's yours? The storms of my life and yours could have been spoken into existence by God. Job's was and yet He trusted God. As Job dealt with his incredible emotional and physical pain his courage began to melt away. It's hard to hang onto courage and hope when the waves mount up to the heavens and go down to the depths. Have you ever sensed your courage melting away? There were times during my battle with cancer that I would sense my courage slipping away. I was desperately clinging to my belief that God had spoken to me and that I was not supposed to do chemotherapy or radiation. I knew I was going against conventional medical treatment for cancer. My doctors tried to discourage me and I never felt I had a medical team that was supportive of me. My ship was sailing alone. It took great courage to continue on my course after a surgeon told me I would die if I did not do chemo or radiation. God's hand held mine as I sailed on trusting His voice to guide me, even when I could not see the shore.
It takes great faith to choose to look away from the storm and focus our gaze on God. It was only when these merchants were at their wits' end that they cried out to God. As their cries pierced the heavens God stilled the storm to a whisper and brought them out of their distress. It is easy for God to still the storms of our circumstances. But can we still the storms of our hearts while the waves are crashing all around us? Your circumstances are beyond your control, but your response to them is not. No matter how tall the waves, or how fierce the storm, don't let them dictate your response. Don't reel and stagger. Don't get to your wits' end before you cry out to God. When you first see the dark clouds gather, grab your life vest and throw it on. God's word will sustain and strengthen you as your ride out the storm. Praise God even before you know you are safe. Paul was the apostle who purposed to praise and when he did his shackles fell off and he walked out of prison a free man.
I think the greatest lesson God wants us to learn is how to still our hearts BEFORE he stills the storm. Your faith is not gauged by your response once the sea is calm but your response when the waves are pounding down on your ship, threatening to destroy you. Everything you need to be able to praise God during the storm is provided for you. Look up and you will find it radiantly shining through the ominous clouds. It's the shape of the cross. It's the sound of the whip on his back and the declaration of Isaiah 53:5 that says, "By His wounds we are healed." We are healed from disease and every emotional pain inflicted by others and anything in our life that needs a touch from heaven.
God's unfailing love is what will calm your storm. You are a child of the King Most High. He will never leave you or forsake you. His love for you is endless. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He spoke to the waves, "Peace, Be Still" (Mark 4:39) and the seas grew calm. He can speak to your storm at any time. He will do so once His purposes have been accomplished.
His purpose and plan for taking us through the storm can be found in
Isaiah 32: 2 "Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land."
His love is all you need. It is more than enough. Let it soak into every fiber of your being so you can face the storms of life with a God saturated soul.
they were merchants on the mighty waters,
They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and
went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
they were at their wits' end.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress,
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
Psalm 107:23-31
The name of my storm is cancer. What's yours? The storms of my life and yours could have been spoken into existence by God. Job's was and yet He trusted God. As Job dealt with his incredible emotional and physical pain his courage began to melt away. It's hard to hang onto courage and hope when the waves mount up to the heavens and go down to the depths. Have you ever sensed your courage melting away? There were times during my battle with cancer that I would sense my courage slipping away. I was desperately clinging to my belief that God had spoken to me and that I was not supposed to do chemotherapy or radiation. I knew I was going against conventional medical treatment for cancer. My doctors tried to discourage me and I never felt I had a medical team that was supportive of me. My ship was sailing alone. It took great courage to continue on my course after a surgeon told me I would die if I did not do chemo or radiation. God's hand held mine as I sailed on trusting His voice to guide me, even when I could not see the shore.
It takes great faith to choose to look away from the storm and focus our gaze on God. It was only when these merchants were at their wits' end that they cried out to God. As their cries pierced the heavens God stilled the storm to a whisper and brought them out of their distress. It is easy for God to still the storms of our circumstances. But can we still the storms of our hearts while the waves are crashing all around us? Your circumstances are beyond your control, but your response to them is not. No matter how tall the waves, or how fierce the storm, don't let them dictate your response. Don't reel and stagger. Don't get to your wits' end before you cry out to God. When you first see the dark clouds gather, grab your life vest and throw it on. God's word will sustain and strengthen you as your ride out the storm. Praise God even before you know you are safe. Paul was the apostle who purposed to praise and when he did his shackles fell off and he walked out of prison a free man.
I think the greatest lesson God wants us to learn is how to still our hearts BEFORE he stills the storm. Your faith is not gauged by your response once the sea is calm but your response when the waves are pounding down on your ship, threatening to destroy you. Everything you need to be able to praise God during the storm is provided for you. Look up and you will find it radiantly shining through the ominous clouds. It's the shape of the cross. It's the sound of the whip on his back and the declaration of Isaiah 53:5 that says, "By His wounds we are healed." We are healed from disease and every emotional pain inflicted by others and anything in our life that needs a touch from heaven.
God's unfailing love is what will calm your storm. You are a child of the King Most High. He will never leave you or forsake you. His love for you is endless. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He spoke to the waves, "Peace, Be Still" (Mark 4:39) and the seas grew calm. He can speak to your storm at any time. He will do so once His purposes have been accomplished.
His purpose and plan for taking us through the storm can be found in
Isaiah 32: 2 "Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land."
His love is all you need. It is more than enough. Let it soak into every fiber of your being so you can face the storms of life with a God saturated soul.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
B.C. and A.C.
Driven. Perfectionist. Exhausted. These words describe me before cancer. Cancer has a way of changing a person from the inside out. It puts things in perspective in a hurry. It gives new eyes to see the world through. I feel in some respects I am beginning to see things more like God does. The things that really matter have come into sharper focus. In an attempt to make me sick, cancer actually made me healthier in so many ways. My spiritual health improved as I desperately clung to God for strength. Having meaningful daily quiet times was no longer an option, it was life to me. Cancer caused me to put margins into my life that I never gave myself permission to have. Margins are those spaces around the edges of a piece of paper that are not supposed to be written in. Most of us fill up every empty space of our lives and we don't, can't or won't say NO to the demands others put on us. We teach our children to do the same. More is not better. Cancer gave me permission to leave things undone at night and get to bed at a reasonable hour so I would get 8 hours of sleep. The majority of Americans live a sleep deprived life and our immune systems are paying the price. When our immune systems are compromised it is difficult to fight off sicknesses and diseases. Cancer helped me stop being a perfectionist and worrying about what others thought about the cleanliness of my home. It didn't mean that I let things go, it just made me realize that I didn't need to drive myself or my family crazy getting my house "perfect" before people came over. Cancer put my days into perspective. Sometimes I would get so focused on my to-do list that I would not even be aware of what God's to-do list was for me that day. I now approach my days very differently. Each day I ask God how I can partner with Him to accomplish His will for the day. There is a daily mission field waiting for each of us. I want to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as I walk through my day. Cancer has given me permission to not fret or worry about the issues of life. Because I have faced a God sized giant I know that He is more than able to take care of any problems I have in my life. Nothing is bigger than God's power. Our worrying tells Him we are choosing to reduce Him to a powerless God at the whim of any giant that would march into our land. Cancer also gave me physical health. I stopped eating toxic foods that were eventually going to cut my life short. I am convinced that as Americans we are burying ourselves with our forks and spoons. Half of us will die of a heart related disease. One out of three Americans will get cancer in their lifetime. I was not on a path to improved health. Now that cancer has caused me to make permanent lifestyle changes I believe I have added years of good health onto my life. I am convinced that if I keep doing what I am I will not battle Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, arthritis or a host of other illnesses that seem to plague the elderly. Walkers and Depends will not be a part of my daily routine when I am older. I want to be like Bernando LaPallo who endorses the book How We All Went Raw. Bernando is 105 years young and walks for 1 hour every morning. He has lived long enough to have 3 careers and says he feels great and is thankful to God for showing me how to eat to live and not live to eat.
Looking back at my life B.C. (before cancer) I would never choose it again. I am excited about all the benefits of life A.C.(after cancer). I know God's plan and purpose in all of it is for my benefit.
In her book When God And Cancer Meet Lynn Eib says," Cancer has a nasty habit of taking things away from people-things like hair and strength and jobs and time. Sometimes it takes them away for a short while and sometimes it takes them away permanently. Cancer may have already taken something from you. But this is not a story about what cancer takes. It's about what it can give back. In fact, cancer is often the vehicle He uses to deliver His blessing."
God has a blessing hidden in everything that happens in your life. Don't miss it! Look for it. He will help you find it. And when you find it I pray you will fall on your knees and thank God for His loving kindness towards you. His blessing of cancer is the very thing that is giving me life. I wonder what your hidden blessings will give you?
Looking back at my life B.C. (before cancer) I would never choose it again. I am excited about all the benefits of life A.C.(after cancer). I know God's plan and purpose in all of it is for my benefit.
In her book When God And Cancer Meet Lynn Eib says," Cancer has a nasty habit of taking things away from people-things like hair and strength and jobs and time. Sometimes it takes them away for a short while and sometimes it takes them away permanently. Cancer may have already taken something from you. But this is not a story about what cancer takes. It's about what it can give back. In fact, cancer is often the vehicle He uses to deliver His blessing."
God has a blessing hidden in everything that happens in your life. Don't miss it! Look for it. He will help you find it. And when you find it I pray you will fall on your knees and thank God for His loving kindness towards you. His blessing of cancer is the very thing that is giving me life. I wonder what your hidden blessings will give you?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
My Grace is Sufficient
As I approach the one year mark of being diagnosed with breast cancer I am beginning to look back at what God has taught me. I have learned that I have the strength to daily stand and fight a life threatening disease because His grace is sufficient for me. I have read this verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9 dozens of time but have never really understood it until this past year. God can not make His grace anymore sufficient for whatever you are facing than what it already is. This verse does not say His grace might be or could be but IS sufficient. H.W. Webb Peploe said, "Never change God's facts into hopes or prayers but simply accept them as realities, and you will find them to be powerful as you believe them."
All of us will face our own battles. Life is just that way. As you face what God has allowed into your life for His purposes and glory thank Him each day that His grace will enable you to face it with confidence. God is bigger than any giant that attempts to march into your land and bring destruction with it. He will hold your hand and heart and walk you through it. Don't shrink back from the difficulty or size of what you see. Focus your eyes on God. He is bigger than anything that would come to steal, kill or destroy your joy, finances, relationships or health. Trust Him. He knows what He is doing and He never sleeps on the job!
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions he addeth His mercies,
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.
Anne Johnson Flint
All of us will face our own battles. Life is just that way. As you face what God has allowed into your life for His purposes and glory thank Him each day that His grace will enable you to face it with confidence. God is bigger than any giant that attempts to march into your land and bring destruction with it. He will hold your hand and heart and walk you through it. Don't shrink back from the difficulty or size of what you see. Focus your eyes on God. He is bigger than anything that would come to steal, kill or destroy your joy, finances, relationships or health. Trust Him. He knows what He is doing and He never sleeps on the job!
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions he addeth His mercies,
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.
Anne Johnson Flint
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