One of the last text messages
that my friend Amy sent to me before her valiant battle with cancer ended said
this, “My Bible explains that ‘when we take our last breath on earth, we will
take our first breath in heaven.’ Cool, huh?”
All the days ordained
for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16)
While reading the cancer-health
magazines at the oncologist’s office I noticed that life, post cancer, was
described by the number of years we live after being deemed cancer free. Life
becomes categorized as the pre-cancer years, time spent in treatment, and then the
years we live post cancer. People are linked with their longevity. “Sally is a
one-year cancer survivor.” “Beth is two years in remission, Charlie four years
in remission, and Patty is amazingly ten years cancer free.”
At first I was offended
by this. Is our life expectancy so short that we need to start measuring time
in smaller increments, with percentage rates for survival? “So-and-so has an
80% chance of making it to the one year mark.” Are people weighing the odds and
placing bets? Admittedly, I had a bad attitude. I didn’t want my life to be
measured in such short-sighted terms.
Then I started
treatment. Wow. My mind totally changed. I had taken everyday life for granted
before and now I realized it was a gift. Completing each stage of my medical
plan became a triumph, perhaps because sometimes the days seemed so long. During
the worst of the side effects, the minutes became grueling. How long would it
be before the pain killer kicked in? I would sometimes play mental games to
work through the discomfort, singing songs, reciting the states in alphabetical
order, or doing crossword puzzles to try to take my mind off of it. I prayed
for God to help me, and He did.
After finishing
radiation treatments the staff gave me a starfish pin to signify my
accomplishment and a card signed by the entire radiation team. It was a victory
and my mindset changed. I now thought, “Sally is a one-year cancer survivor. Way
to go Sally!” That is her badge of honor and definitely worth celebrating.
God has numbered our
days. He created us.
For you created my
inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I
am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full
well. (Psalm 139:13–14)
He walks with us daily
and has an intimate knowledge of who we are today.
O Lord, you have searched me and you know
me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You
discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. (Psalm
139:1–3)
He calls to us:
I took you from the
ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, “You are my
servant”; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am
with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help
you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:9–10)
He saves us.
But God demonstrates
his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans
5:8)
That if you confess
with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
And He knows when our
last day on earth will take place. But that day is not to be feared. It is
another day worthy of celebration, the best kind of celebration.
He died for us so that,
whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:10)
Excerpted from The Bald Headed, Tattooed, Motorcycle Mama’s Devotional Guide: For Women Battling Cancer & Those Who Love Them copyright 2013 Sara Nelson O’Brien
All photos courtesy of pixabay.com
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