Benefits of Cancer

Cancer sucks. You see that statement on silicone wristbands, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and other places. Yes, cancer sucks; but, what I think is worse is watching people who call each other family and friends fight and argue or watching people cast judgment on others through their words, deeds or looks. Pride, selfishness, and hate are all around us, consuming us like cancer. Being selfish, doing whatever it takes to get what you want in life regardless of the cost to others.  Believing and living as if your wants, desires, and needs are more important than everybody else’s. As long as you are happy and content then life is good. Pride, judgmental attitudes and selfishness are SO ugly. To me, it is uglier than cancer. I can see why God instructs us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility considering others better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

Pride, selfishness and a complaining or judgmental attitude are all around us, just read 10 statuses on Facebook or listen to people talk for 10 minutes and you’ll hear it. It doesn’t matter if it is a big or little complaint; the root of the complaining is pride and self. Yuck. Complaining because we feel violated and mistreated or we feel as if we are entitled to something. Listen up folks! Life is too short. In the light of eternity it is all little stuff, completely petty and meaningless.  I can see why Rodney King asked, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

I am embarrassed to say but God has been dealing with my petty complaining attitude for some time. In fact, about three weeks ago as I was driving in to work I was complaining about the traffic. I said, “this is taking foooorever!” God gently spoke to me and said, “No, it is not taking forever. Eternity is forever. You don’t know what eternity (forever) really means but one day you will, but this traffic Dione is not fooooorever.” Okay, well maybe He didn’t hold the “foooooorever” out like I did but that is what He told me. I quickly asked for forgiveness and repented for my complaining attitude with a promise to try and do better. First with memorizing, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,” (Philippians 2:14-15) I can’t shine like a light if I am shooting out complaints. I am learning that my sinful flesh wants to please itself and because of that, I complain. Ouch. I am so thankful God is patient with me.

Another lesson these past 11 days as I have watched my dad very graciously without complaining battle two forms of cancer, enduring the pain of failed procedures, broken bones, the prodding of the nurses and nursing assistants, the many mishaps of the café, even the mess ups of the doctors and nurses; yet, through it all I haven’t heard him complain. I have only seen him keep his sense of humor and very graciously extend grace to those who have messed up, noting we are all human, we all make mistakes. Isn’t that the truth!?

Even through watching my dad suffer is hard, even though the earthly physicians’ prognosis for my dad is not good, and even though it is difficult watching my strong and courageous dad become physically weak because of the cancer there are some positive things the cancer has done.

Yes, positive.

Cancer has confirmed that our family loves beyond self.

Cancer has sharpened our eternal focus of glory.

Cancer has strengthened and displayed our love for each other.

Cancer is perfecting our hope.

Cancer categorizes what is truly important.

Cancer although the enemy has meant it for evil, God has brought us all these good things through it all.

God is faithful. He is good, there is none other like Him. He is our Strong tower. He is our Rock. He is our Comfort. He is our strength. He will continue to perfect us in and through this cancer, so that in the end the cancer does not win, but through our Lord Jesus Christ we remain the victors. We have been saved from eternal separation and wrath from God because of His gift of reconciliation and because of that we have eternal hope. We don’t have to panic or fear death because perfect love casts out all fear and we are perfectly loved.

So with that said, I am so thankful and grateful for my family. For parents who have exhibited to us through over 50 years of marriage what it means to love unconditionally, to be committed and dedicated through the good and bad times, in sickness and in health. I am thankful for siblings who aren’t selfish, who love beyond self. Together with God’s grace we will prevail and through it all become stronger for His glory.

One of my favorite verses that helps move away from
that ugly complaining spirit.

God has been so good to show me my ugly, complaining attitude and so loving to help me change it. He is so crazy good to me!! Do you struggle with a complaining spirit too? If so will you join me in aiming for a life of less complaining, a life full of gratitude? If we are grateful we won’t be complaining.  Please inbox or message me, I would love to have someone walk through it with me, keeping each other accountable through prayer and messages.

Monday Minute Memories, February 6, 2012

Out in Blogland several bloggers do a Friday’s Favorite Five where they name five favorite things about the past week. Or Wordless Wednesdays where they just show pictures of the past week. Here I am introducing my own version of a once a week blog called, “Monday Minute Memories” of memories of my past week.

Pollyanna or Ninny-hammer? Anyone else know what these words mean? As I have mentioned earlier I am reading One Thousand Gifts A Dare to LIVE FULLY Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. I told you it would probably take me an entire year. I am enjoying the slow read savoring the learning and accepting the challenge of being a Pollyanna and not a Ninny-hammer. Do you know these words? I didn’t I had to look them up, I am such a Ninny-hammer! That one I guessed pretty accurately only because on Elf and his self-proclamation of being cotton headed ninny-muggin because they are pretty close; but Pollyana? I’ll wait to see if you know, without going to the dictionary to look up Pollyanna leave me a comment on what it means. Next Monday, I will share with you some of my Pollyanna moments.   

2011 or 2012? As I hit save of this document I just realized that the past five Monday Minute Memory posts were all saved under the name of 2011, I am such a ninny-hammer! February 2012 has arrived and I truly believe winter skipped Oklahoma. This time last year we were all uncovering ourselves from the big snow storm that hit our state. The effects of cabin fever were being posted all over Facebook. I know I am weird, but I loved the snow storm, because it forced some capital Q “Quality” family time.

American Heart Month Once a year I get to wear civilian clothes to work and it is on Wear Red Day and it is a Friday, which means casual day - which means jeans! During February's American Heart Month, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) reaffirms its commitment to increasing awareness about heart disease among women and helping women take steps to reduce their own personal risk of developing heart disease.

Facebook Follies Thinking about the virtual word slams that I have seen on FB this past week. Virtual land, I believe, increases boldness in people to create controversies, conflicts, criticism and confrontations that they would never do face to face. An acquaintance of ours through one of our child’s extra-curricular activities from years ago, asked if anyone knew where to get information about homeschooling. I shared the homeschooling information we use. Needless to say another person not a friend of mine, whom I later creeped on after they made this statement, “Most of the home-schooled kids I have met have been pretty creepy. So be careful.” I found myself in a nasty turmoil of “I am going to give it to him/her” after all; I had ammunition from my creeping skills. However, the Spirit of God that lives within me quieted my vindictiveness and quickened my desire to be still and know that He is God and the only Righteous Judge.

Heavy and mourning I know technically this one should go on the next week’s post, but my soul is hurting for a precious family in our church family who suddenly, unexpectantly lost a husband and dad by a heart attack. It was not the news I expected as I was getting ready for work this morning followed with the heartache and pain that physical death leaves us here with. I know that precious in His eyes is the homecoming of the saints (Psalm 116:15); and I know that we do not grieve as others do who have no hope (I Thessalonians 4:13); but we still grieve and only through the lens of God’s Word can we press onward. So thankful for His Word and the Hope we have in Christ Jesus. We are told that we will face difficulties in this life. In my study of learning eucharisteo the question comes up “Who would ever know the greater graces of comfort and perseverance, mercy and forgiveness, patience and courage, if no shadows fell over a life? Without God’s Word the world warps.” If we never had pain, we would never know God’s comfort. If we were never weak, we would never know His strength. If we always got what we wanted, when we wanted, we would never know the benefit of patience. Without trials, we would never experience God’s courage in and through us.