February 11, 2008

One year ago today, I sat in the surgery waiting area, while my hero underwent a procedure call a bronchoscopy, to find out exactly why he had been so sick. As I waited, I thought about those two life changing crises Jim and I had been going through the past four years, and I told myself that this wasn't going to be serious compared to what we had been dealing with. I was wrong. When it was over, the doctor walked out to talk to me. The word no one ever wants to hear came out of his mouth. Cancer. I stood in shock. Jim wasn't surprised. It was as if he already knew. A smoker for over 50 years, he suspected it would be....cancer. That was the beginning of another journey for the two of us. Chemo treatments, radiation, medidcation, doctor visits. He wasn't sure he wanted to do the chemo. He didn't want to feel worse and thought he'd get by with radiation. I told him he had no choice. He had to fight back. He never got sick from the chemo treatments. The radiation didn't burn his skin like we heard it did others. It did, however, burn his esophagus and made it almost impossible for him to swallow. He was in a lot of pain from that. But, after the radiation treatments were done, he got better. Throughout the entire 8 months of treatment, I never lost hope and I made sure Jim didn't either. I didn't pray to ask God to heal him. I prayed to thank Him ahead of time for healing him. I BELIEVED God would heal him. In late November, it was confirmed. There was no sign of cancer. Not remission. Gone. The doctor said only 15% of people who get the kind of cancer he had survive a year. He beat it altogether. You know, life here on earth is not a certainty. Anything can, and most likely, will happen to get you off track. It's how you handle the uncertainties that make the difference. You can whine and complain, get mad, get sad, all those negative emotions that come naturally. Or you can look to the One who loves you and BELIEVE, "God will get me through this". It's the believing part that gets the most done. No matter what comes your way, and I mean, NO MATTER WHAT, God is in control. It may have nothing to do at all with YOU. It may have everything to do with someone else. God chose YOU ("Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" 1 Thes.5:24) to be an example, because He knows your strength. He gave it to you. Once you are through your valley, you have something to tell others. You will witness to others of God's greatness. Another purpose of your life. If you are a believer, people will be watching your life. Frankly, your life may be the only Bible they will ever read.