Friday, October 5

You can be as strong as me

I hear from people a lot that they think that I am "brave" or "strong". I've been hearing it for the past five years at least as I have ventured through this battle with cancer. The thing people don't realize is that they (yes, YOU) can be just as strong, and brave, as I am.

The short version: You can be as strong as me, because my strength comes from God, and He offers it freely to everyone.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, but I don't really want to be deathly ill. Well, neiter do I, BUT, what I am going to tell you doesn't rely on being sick, or damaged and broken in some way. In fact, I would argue, it would probably take more bravery and stregth to do these things before being forced into them, than if you wait for God to reach out and grab your attention.

The secret here is relying on God. I can tell you that all the fact gathering, data farming, and opinions you get from others means nothing in the long run. Yes God can use those things to get you from one place to another, but the ability to rely on Him for everything is vital to being "strong" or "brave" in situations.

When I was first handed this diagnoses I was scared. There are times even now, five years later, where things will happen that scare me. But there is literally NOTHING I can do to fix this cancer. I can trust that God puts great doctor's in my path and helps me find a treatment plan, or perhaps at some point God will require me to go outside of what the doctor's have been saying and do something else. I don't know. Every day is new. The key though is being open to hearing what God wants to say to you, and then relying that He will provide ways for that to happen.

Working for a missions org I hear stories about God providing for people in unbelievable ways.  (Which, Lord wiling, will be a prime feature of our new website, coming soon.) It's impossible to hear those stories, (sometimes even better after a few years and you get different perspectives on them) and you realize that God was orchestrating even the littlest details from the start.

God reminds me quite often that I am not as strong as I think I am. Climbing forty steps to our apartment is a daily reminder of this as I puff and wheeze for a few minutes once in the door. Or barely being able to lift ten pounds for very far, or feeling tired ALL the time. You can trust and rely on God in everything you do, from the small to the big.

Trust me, start now, while things might be "small" and things will be easier when they get "big". (Small and big being relative to you, me, etc)

Thank you all again for the support. God has used you all as tools in my life. Thank you.

~B.
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