Faith is the Hand....

"Faith is the hand that receives from God. When we choose to reach out and take hold of God's blessing by faith, we become overcomers......" Mark Brazee.

This line was in my daily devotional from October 31, 2007. That was also the day that my "bad scans" were run. The last time I had a CAT done until yesterday.

Ever since the day of the bad scans I and my team of family, friends, nurses, and my doctor,
have all had our hands out. In one way or another as we tried to figure out what to do to stop the assault and advancement of metastatic disease, we have all been reaching out to our God and, by faith, hoping for a blessing.

In the past months, I know all of you have had your hand out for me. Raul, Katie,
Ken, Fern, Jackie, Keith and Brenda have lived through seven years of ups and downs and still their hands have always reached out or their hands have been on me.
Debbie and Jennifer, Nancy, Tim and Anne, Harlowe Val and so many others have never drawn their hands back; never stopped praying, never given me anything but positive encouragement, always reaching out on my behalf, believing in receiving.
Maha and Janet have had their hands out while always working to try and figure out how they would treat me in the next round, how we would fight our next battle. They have given so much of themselves, helped me in countless ways and kept up an admirable balance of science and faith, reaching out for me that I may live a longer life....so dedicated to me and others like me.....hands out and reaching. Hands up.
My girls in the back......Jennfier, Jan, Gail and Lynn. Arms always out and extended in encouragement and love. Reaching their hands to receive blessings from God on my behalf. Giving me the next treatment, the next best hope, through my veins, yes, but also through their unwavering belief that they are helping me live that longer life. Their professional and gentle hands are always on me and up for me.

Everyday since the "bad scans" I have felt everyone's hands. Your hands cover me with love and comfort and faith and medicine. Your hands stretching forward, open and asking, allow me to believe even more in what we are doing and more importantly what we can do together when we reach out to receive and become the "overcomers".

My beloved ones, most of you know that yesterday I had another Cat scan run. 71 days after the bad scans, Janet called me to tell me that we had won yet another battle....and in a big way.
The enemy is retreating; there is "marked improvement" , we have become overcomers yet again. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that I have received this wonderful news, had yet another victory not only because I have chosen to receive by the hand of faith, but all of you in your own unique ways also have chosen to take hold of God's blessings on my behalf.
And while I celebrate, praise God, and hop around like a bunny rabbit from joy for myself,
I also am so so happy for all of you, my faithful beloved cancer-fighting family.

Deuteronomy 30:19 says "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore
choose life." I believe as we go forward on this journey together that this is what we are all doing. We all have our hands out, choosing life...for now, for years from now, for eternity.
A lesson for us all that sometimes we cannot be moved by what we see or feel, we have to just put out our hands, ask for the blessing and move by faith.