This week I decided to get my hair cut really short in preparation
for my first day of chemotherapy which is scheduled for May 30th. I was told by my oncologist my hair will fall
out after the first treatment which will include three heavy-duty chemo
agents. This really isn’t a concern for
me, considering I lost both breasts. So,
on my way home from the salon I decided to take a short cut home. It brought a pleasant surprise. Along the side of the road appeared a sunny,
but small meadow with a full display of Texas blue bonnets. This “short cut” clearly was a little gift
from God as it served as a pleasant reminder of dear friends and times spent in
Texas.
While this day, two “short cuts” appeared as blessings from
God…. they also reminded me of. a very important truth: There are NO short cuts to heaven! Over the past year, I have been teaching a
group of women from the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. We saw how God fulfilled his promise to
Abraham to make Israel into a great nation and lead His people into the Promised
Land of Canaan. This promise wasn’t fulfilled
overnight, nor did God lead Israel out of Egypt via a series of short
cuts. God’s people, all 2-million or
more of them traveled by foot through some of the harshest landscapes on the planet. God made them wander in the wilderness for
40-years before He brought them safely into the land flowing with milk and
honey. During this long journey, we can
trace Israel being rescued from slavery, how they were delivered through the
death of an innocent lamb, how God provided for them in the wilderness. Through
His law, His worship and His miracles….we see God revealing His glory not just
to Israel, but to the entire world. God
remained close to His people in the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by
day. God resided with them in the
tabernacle and spoke to the people through His faithful servant Moses. This story of Israel’s deliverance is also
our story. Everything God was doing
through Israel on this journey was preparing the world for the coming of his
son, Jesus Christ: our Great High Priest and the Passover Lamb
who takes away the sins of the world! (John 1:29)
While the gift salvation or forgiveness of sin comes through
faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ, God doesn’t promise us our new life will
be easy. Jesus lightens the burden of
our sins and gives rest to our souls (Matthew 11:28-29). Until Christ returns as He promised, our
physical bodies are going to have its shares of ups and downs and long journeys
in this world, because the world is still full of sin and evil and bad stuff
happens, even to good people. The Message
Bible translates Matthew 7:13 this way, “Don't look for shortcuts to God. The
market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that
can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though
crowds of people do.”
I wish there was a short cut to my cancer treatment. A year of chemotherapy is not a picnic, but
it is what I need for physical healing.
Sometimes Jesus answers my prayers and sometimes, I must go
through pain and struggle. But that is
o.k. with me. I know from the
scriptures, being a child of God will be hard and I choose to follow Christ
anyway, because I believe what He offers is so much better than any hardship
that comes with it. Jesus never promised me short cuts in life, but he did
promise me eternal life in the Promised Land.
That is the hope I cling to. If
my pain and struggle can give Him glory and bring hope of the gospel to others,
I am ready for the long journey. It may be my fight, but in the end, it is
all for His glory!
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| Community Bible Study Collegeville Servant Team Sharing Day May 9, 2019 |
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