2 Corinthians 12:9 English Standard Version (ESV)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
We are full swing into that time of year. The time when shopping becomes the forefront, food is our focus, and our lives are frenzied. Welcome Christmas 2019.
This year will be a little different for us. Cancer has struck my household.
I have lost friends to it before, but no one too close. I lost a favorite aunt a few years ago, but we had been so busy with work and family that we were not as close as we once were. I have close friends who have lost children and parents, but it has never been personal before, until now. And it was all due to shoulder pain, and a French fry.
A close member if my immediate family was diagnosed with lung cancer. My first reaction was shock. Then came fear. After all, for those of us who have been around for more than a couple of decades, cancer means certain death. Even though medicine has come a very long way in recent years, it is still hard to get that out of my head. But the good news is it was caught early. On accident really. You see, she was going in for a CT scan of her shoulder to discover what was causing her pain, and the scan happened to catch the upper right corner lobe of her lung. And right there it was. The big C. From that, she was urgently transferred to oncology and surgery. The doctors believe they caught it so early that it had not yet had the chance to spread. So, in a way, the shoulder pain was a blessing in disguise. From that, she was allowed to find the treatment that would give her a new chance at life.
Remember Paul, from the Bible? He had something that pained him. Perhaps it was physical, perhaps emotional. We don’t know. But we do know that He begged God to remove it, but God said no. “My grace is sufficient for you.” It was God’s grace that got my family member through the trials of her cancer. And it is God’s grace that will continue to carry her through life’s remaining trials.
Then there was the French fry. Did you know that Chihuahuas cannot have anything high in fat or it will cause pancreatitis? When we got our first rescue Chihuahua, my daughter, a registered veterinary technician told me that, but somehow I forgot. I fed our little guy, Porkchop some French fries one day, and within a day he started vomiting blood and having bloody diarrhea. They began treatment for pancreatitis, which was not going away. Further testing revealed the big C had hit again. Porkchop has GI lymphoma. Cancer. Here we go again. This is the second time in three months. The little guy only weighs 8 pounds. I buy chickens his size. How can this happen?
But here is the blessing again. The French fry caused the illness, and without the treatment for the pancreatitis, we would never have caught the cancer. The sickness caused them to look farther and see something that was hidden deeper. And because they caught his cancer so early, they are hopefully optimistic that they can get him into remission. As I went to pay for his first chemo treatment, my eyes landed on the words adorning my checkbook.
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord will fulfill His promises to her.
This year I am asking both God and Santa for my loved ones, with two legs and four, to be healed from this disease. Bring on the aches and pains, the vomiting and sicknesses that reveal the deeper issues. With the true source of the pain revealed, we dan deal with the healing. I am so blessed to have a Heavenly Father who hears my every word, and showers me with His love and blessings. I don’t get everything that I ask for, but I do get what He wants me to have. And, His grace is sufficient for me. No matter what the future holds, I have faith in a Father who will never let me go.
So, as we enter the chaos that accompanies Christmas, with the shoulder pain and the French fries, be thankful for the little aches and pains in your life. They could end up saving your life. Literally, Heavenly, and eternally.
Until Next time,
~Lori
#BibleComesAlive
#FaithAndFantasy
2 Corinthians 12:9 English Standard Version (ESV)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
We are full swing into that time of year. The time when shopping becomes the forefront, food is our focus, and our lives are frenzied. Welcome Christmas 2019.
This year will be a little different for us. Cancer has struck my household.
I have lost friends to it before, but no one too close. I lost a favorite aunt a few years ago, but we had been so busy with work and family that we were not as close as we once were. I have close friends who have lost children and parents, but it has never been personal before, until now. And it was all due to shoulder pain, and a French fry.
A close member if my immediate family was diagnosed with lung cancer. My first reaction was shock. Then came fear. After all, for those of us who have been around for more than a couple of decades, cancer means certain death. Even though medicine has come a very long way in recent years, it is still hard to get that out of my head. But the good news is it was caught early. On accident really. You see, she was going in for a CT scan of her shoulder to discover what was causing her pain, and the scan happened to catch the upper right corner lobe of her lung. And right there it was. The big C. From that, she was urgently transferred to oncology and surgery. The doctors believe they caught it so early that it had not yet had the chance to spread. So, in a way, the shoulder pain was a blessing in disguise. From that, she was allowed to find the treatment that would give her a new chance at life.
Remember Paul, from the Bible? He had something that pained him. Perhaps it was physical, perhaps emotional. We don’t know. But we do know that He begged God to remove it, but God said no. “My grace is sufficient for you.” It was God’s grace that got my family member through the trials of her cancer. And it is God’s grace that will continue to carry her through life’s remaining trials.
Then there was the French fry. Did you know that Chihuahuas cannot have anything high in fat or it will cause pancreatitis? When we got our first rescue Chihuahua, my daughter, a registered veterinary technician told me that, but somehow I forgot. I fed our little guy, Porkchop some French fries one day, and within a day he started vomiting blood and having bloody diarrhea. They began treatment for pancreatitis, which was not going away. Further testing revealed the big C had hit again. Porkchop has GI lymphoma. Cancer. Here we go again. This is the second time in three months. The little guy only weighs 8 pounds. I buy chickens his size. How can this happen?
But here is the blessing again. The French fry caused the illness, and without the treatment for the pancreatitis, we would never have caught the cancer. The sickness caused them to look farther and see something that was hidden deeper. And because they caught his cancer so early, they are hopefully optimistic that they can get him into remission. As I went to pay for his first chemo treatment, my eyes landed on the words adorning my checkbook.
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord will fulfill His promises to her.
This year I am asking both God and Santa for my loved ones, with two legs and four, to be healed from this disease. Bring on the aches and pains, the vomiting and sicknesses that reveal the deeper issues. With the true source of the pain revealed, we dan deal with the healing. I am so blessed to have a Heavenly Father who hears my every word, and showers me with His love and blessings. I don’t get everything that I ask for, but I do get what He wants me to have. And, His grace is sufficient for me. No matter what the future holds, I have faith in a Father who will never let me go.
So, as we enter the chaos that accompanies Christmas, with the shoulder pain and the French fries, be thankful for the little aches and pains in your life. They could end up saving your life. Literally, Heavenly, and eternally.
Until Next time,
~Lori
#BibleComesAlive
#FaithAndFantasy
RSS Feed