Today I went for my third chemo treatment. However, my white blood counts, neutrophils and
platelets were critically low. No chemo
today. This is very disappointing to
hear after only 2 treatments. The nurse
gave me an injection to jump start my bone marrow into making white blood cells. As much as I dread these treatments, I
need them if I am to conquer breast cancer.
Without them, I will not survive to see my children grow up. This is a very sobering reality.
I walked away from the hospital discouraged, feeling
defeated. I came home, put on my pajamas
and was prepared to just retreat under the covers. Instead, I decided to prepare a devotional
for the leaders of my Community Bible Study group. I was reading from
Ephesians 3:14-21. Here is what the Apostle
Paul wrote in the scriptures:
14 For this reason I bow my
knees before the Father, 15 from whom every
family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that
according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be
strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted
and grounded
in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend
with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and
to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may
be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is
able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the
power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
This is one of the Apostle Paul’s most passionate prayers. Oh, how I needed to hear these words
today: I am “filled with all the fullness
of God.” I have God’s “power at
work within” me! Despite being
diseased with cancer, my body is God’s temple and he is living within me! (1 Cor
3:16). This means I have unlimited
resources at my disposal to get through any situation. These resources come from Christ
himself!
I need to remind myself of this over and over again. My body may not tolerate the treatments I need
for a chance at life. I may not get to see
my children through high school. I may
never get to hike Snowdonia National Park in Wales. But does any of that really matter? I have been given full forgiveness for my
sins through the death and resurrection of Christ. I have a reservation secured for me in Heaven. But I also have the living Christ; living in
me...in the present! For this reason, I should
not be anxious about tomorrow. No matter
what life throws at me or how my body declines from cancer and its treatments,
I WILL NOT lose sight of “Christ in me” (Col 1:27).
No matter how weak I become, I will always be strong in Christ,
even until death. Instead of fretting
over the what-if’s, I choose to celebrate my fullness in Christ! So dear friends, do not let yourselves be
riddled with fears, guilt or lose sleep over health, people or earthly things. Do not worry about what is lurking around the
corner. News Flash: we will all die one day. So, don't waste a second. Approach each day with the joy in knowing the living God is in
you. Take hold of the cross and don’t
let it go. It was by the cross that
Christ paid for your sin, and through His resurrection, He brought joy and life
into the world. To fully understand this
joy, you must have faith and trust in Christ’s atoning work on the cross. You must trust in the Living God…. despite
the evils of this world. For one day, God
promises to fully conquer evil and restore His creation (Revelation 21:4). Please, do not wait until you are facing your
own death to see the fullness of Christ living in you. Embrace the present. Enjoy each precious day. If suffering comes your way, embrace it. “…if we are to share His glory, we must
also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to
the glory he will reveal to us later.” (Rom.
8:16-18 NLT). With the
fullness and joy of Christ in us, we can embrace the challenges of life and
give God all the glory!
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