“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt,”
Jeremiah 31:3-4 NIV
Whatever has always been is not always what
may be. This has been my experience this year. I have always been blessed
with good health but this year God has reminded me that I am indeed made of
dust and someday I will return to dust. My sister, Lou, often reminds me that
growing old is NOT for sissies. I am
beginning to agree with her. However, she has modeled for me an inner strength
in the storms of her life that far surpasses any weakness that she could
possibly ever experience. She may be my sister but she is in no way a sissy!
Gratitude and grace define her outlook on life. Her trust in God is simple and
sure. I am blessed that God placed her in my life as a very real example of how
our health can crumble but God provides all that we need and is always more
than enough.
Health issues seem to test people’s faith in amazing ways. I
believe this is true because we are forced to face our own mortality. I am
pretty sure that when a positive diagnosis is given to any of us from our
doctor it is never well received. Even if we are a “triple-ripple” Christian
with the highest marks possible from those in our circle of Christian friends,
we are still vulnerable and open game for Satan and his demons as we begin the
process of digesting our news and choosing to trust God.
On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst news possible, the
condition of our health is still our own personal news, it is our road to
travel, and it is our thoughts that have to be reconciled. I’m pretty sure
there will always be others who have it worse than us and many we know will
seemingly have it better. No matter where we are in our health journey, gratitude
is always a good place to start. We can be thankful for our current blessings,
our blessing of the past, our spiritual blessings, and our hope for the future.
This year my news was not so good. Yes, it could have been so much
worse, but the simple fact remained, God allowed me to experience a bump in my
otherwise smooth road and I found that I had choices to make. Fear was a
possibility, but not a healthy option. Anger was also something to briefly
consider, but was not in my best interest. Throwing a pity-party for myself and
inviting all those around me to attend was also something to be considered. But
the time and energy necessary for that would use up all my time and I would
miss sitting with Jesus and hearing his words of comfort and feeling his love. I chose to sing in the rain and dance in
the storm! My dancing partner is none other than Jesus and what a wonderful
partner he has been over the past weeks.
The beautiful thing about Jesus is when we regularly spend time with
him we are already comfortable in his presence. We are accustomed to him
leading, so now having him lead in and through the storm is not unfamiliar to a
follower of Jesus Christ. We have already learned to sing with him in the rain
and now the storm is the perfect place for dancing.
I love this imagery of dancing because I find that I am never alone.
It is in the storm of life that he may seem closer than ever before. This is a
dance to savor. I am reminded that my partner is to be trusted because he leads
joyfully in love with heavenly rhythm, precision, and accuracy. Draw near to
him in the dance and he will whisper sweet promises in your ear that will
assure you of his sovereignty, and his unchanging and everlasting love.
I for one want to sing the praises of my partner. It was in the
weeks prior to my diagnosis that it seemed to me that God was preparing me for
an opportunity to trust him. After my diagnosis he surrounded me with my
wonderful husband, my children, other family members, and friends who became
his messengers of love. It seemed that God really prepared the way as I
discovered wonderful doctors and others who touched me in unexpected ways. I
must admit I do not take help from others very well. I have always been on the
giving end not the receiving end. But oh the joy I would have missed if God had
not allowed me to experience this bump in my road. Prayers, cards, flowers,
gifts, meals, encouragement, phone calls, e-mails, and tender touches that all
said I love you and I care. Please know that if you are in a new place of loss, Jesus loves you too.
At the onset of my breast cancer walk God gave me a verse of
encouragement to carry me through this time when life has slowed me down a bit.
“I have loved you with an everlasting
love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again and you
will be rebuilt,” Jeremiah 31:3-4 NIV Even though those words were written
for Israel
At this time it seems that things will be ending well, but I know that
there will come a time when my earthly life will be over. That is why when
things are going well I need to take heed and stock up on God’s Word. I need to
meet with Jesus daily in a quiet place. I need to trust God with my life
everyday. I need to remember how wonderful it is to sing with Jesus in the
sunshine and in the rain. I need to store up all his promises. I need to do all
these things so when the next test comes I will choose to cling to his promises
and dance with Jesus in the storm.
I hope I will always remember to never underestimate the severity of
whatever it is I am going through because it is my crisis and there are hard
choices to be made. I also want to remember to never overestimate how difficult
I think my circumstance is because I don’t have to look very far to see others
who are suffering more. When I am vulnerable I must simply lean into the arms
of Jesus and yes, try to find joy in the dance and always practice gratitude
even in my moments of greatest need. I know that Satan preys on the weak and
the strong. His mind games are the greatest battle I will ever face. I must remember
to rebuke him out loud in the name of Jesus Christ and he will flee.
Life is always going to be far from perfect. I want to praise the One
who holds my future and allows me to sing with him in the rain and dance with
him in the storm!
Questions:
- Are you going through a time of testing?
- Is the storm in your life about to get you down?
- Are you afraid?
- Do you see that you always have a choice to either dance in the storm or let the waves of fear and anger destroy you?
- Do you receive strength and joy knowing that Jesus is your dancing partner in the midst of your storm?
- Can you remember a time in the past when Jesus sang with you in the sunshine and in the rain?
- Does that give you courage for dancing in the storm now?
Dear Jesus,
Today I just want to praise you
because of your greatness. You are high and lifted up above all others. You are
acquainted with pain, sorrow, loss, and grief. I praise you because I am
fearfully and wonderfully made and you know every cell in my body. I praise you
because you provide amazing promises for me to cling to every day and in my
darkest night. I praise you because underneath me are your everlasting, loving
arms. I praise you because you love me enough to trust me with an opportunity
to trust you. I praise you because you send your heavenly and earthly angels to
do your work in my behalf. I praise you because down the road things may not go so
well, but because of my current experience I will know of your amazing love
that will carry me even when things turn out to be less than what I had hoped
for. I praise you because this world in not my final home. I praise you because
my hope for my future is firmly rooted in heaven. Yes, Jesus, I praise you!
It is in your name I pray. Amen.
