I am humbled and grateful for so many praying for Kathy and me in my recent diagnosis of cancer and Kathy’s recuperation. I am also grateful for the encouraging reports from a bone scan and CT scan this week that the cancer has not spread. No one volunteers for this; it never comes “at a convenient time.” No one said, “yeah, and let’s do it in the midst of a pandemic!” I would be lying to say that I haven’t been struggling in all this; I have, and I have a long way to go
What I have been doing is trying to focus on God’s truth in this. Here are a few things that I believe are God’s truth in this:
1. God is in control; He loves me and has a plan for my life, I can trust Him.
2. I have cancer; cancer does not have me. It may describe a physical condition, but I am defined by what God has done and is doing in my life, not what is happening to it.
3. I am humbled and grateful for so many who are praying for both Kathy and me; however, God doesn't wait until He gets enough requests from His children before He does something. Our prayers help us align our desires to His desires and to give Him glory. He hears and listens to the utterance of the smallest child, whether anyone else ever knows.
4. My worth is not on my abilities, but on what Christ has done in my life.
5. I am a child of God and a citizen of an eternal Kingdom. Since my life on Earth is temporary, my focus is not to build "my own kingdom" but be an obedient disciple of Christ.
6. I am not promised health, wealth, etc., as a child of God. Though God in His grace has given His blessings, I need to realize that the hard things that come, like cancer, can be used by God to help shape me more into His nature and character as I learn to respond rightly to Him in faith.
7. Unless Christ returns beforehand, we will all die. That is not a surprise nor an option. At that time I will kneel before the Father only because of the death and resurrection of His Son and my faith in Him. The only question then will be whether or not I have been obedient to what He has called me to do; did my life bring glory to God.
