I was meditating on what it is like going thru cancer. And I immediately though about the hope and joy that God’s promises and blessings in my life are. I also thought about the fact that after treatment, there is no doctor who will say: “you are cured”; but instead may talk about survival rates. Again, God’s promises and current blessings come into my mind.
The hope I have in God’s Word it’s not a hope based on desires but in the certainty of God, Jesus, His presence and all the facts behind. It is based in a relationship through the years and the days to come. Each day brings an experience of its own. I can’t find a way to summarize it all. But among the many things I could say, it’s that that hope, then brings joy. The dark moments are outshined by God's presence and glory. It doesn’t matter if I understand it or not. It’s is not something that I could reason, but I can experience it.
So far, the breast cancer experience has been for me a walk. A pathway to learn more about the One who I love, who I chose to follow and who leads me. Every day is a commitment to praise Him and to seek Him, to value and cherish every minute I spend with my loved ones, and to meditate on His blessings. My attitude towards how I reacts to conflicts, difficult situations and/or stresses both at work and personal matters have changed. My attitude to be more focused on my purpose that on trivial matters, also changed. It is up to me to determine what it's trivial, and with that I feel powerful. (This last sentence I wrote with a smile)
I was meditating among these Bible verses:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
“Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love. […] His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.” (Song of Solomon 2:4,6)
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 43:2)
“ 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
“7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. […] 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-17)
“ 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 (Corinthians 12:9)
After meditating in these verses, I ought to say and be thankful for the opportunity to affirm the Lord’s majesty in my life. It is not that I’m strong on my own, but that the Almighty fills me with strength. And I’m humbled to know that I’m His and that He carries me. Then I share with the world this prayer:
My Lord give me the understanding to comprehend your Word and to know when you speak to my soul. In receiving you, I receive your life. Show me to understand the purpose of any storm in my life, so that in the middle of it, I could feel the certainty that together with your life, I will experiment in growth your renovating power through it. Lord I thank you for the opportunity to affirm your majesty in my life. I ask you the courage to affirm you presence in my circumstances; thus to see your Glory in my life, the way you want me to see it.