After the bad news

So, my friend, you've just been told possibly the worst news of your life. You must all of a sudden do battle with a terrible and relentless enemy.You are probably paralized by fear, dazed and confused...in disbelief. You have suddenly been thrust into a whole new world that isn't pretty and may shorten your life on earth.



What will you do? How will you get through??Who will help you? There are a million questions to be answered. While I do not know that your answers will be, I can tell you some of the ways I have gotten through and am still getting through it all. Not just barely getting through, mind you, but really LIVING through these terrible physical circumstances.



First, I really mean it when I say you have to do battle with the enemy that is cancer. Cancer does not belong in your body. I believe it is not of God, but a product of the original sin that brought imperfections into what He created to be a perfect machine. Cells have gone wild, mutated, multiplied, and now they are invading parts of you where they have no business being. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit! You should be angry at the fact that this disease has defiled your temple! There are so many ways to fight this invader:



Work with your medical team, find out what they have planned and how you can be an active participant. Clean your house, put food in the freezer, buy comfy clothes to be a bum in, find all those old books you've been wanting to read, and most of all (hardest for some) tell people who you know will be a positive influence in your fight. People who will pray for you, check up on you, cook for you, walk your dog, and take your trash can out to the street. And most importantly my friend, God will be right there with you, as He always has throughout your life. Now is the time to cry out to Him! I found that during the absolute worst part of my treatment, when I was having a stem cell transplant, that He was so close to me. I was not sure if I would live another day, but I was not concerned because His presence was all around me, bringing great comfort. I would simply turn my weak and weary head and He was right there, every time.



Even though you have been betrayed by the physical part of who you are, you still have your mind and your spirit. These are parts of you that can be kept healthy and even improved upon in the days and months ahead. Your mental demons will be hard to ignore. Satan uses denial and doubt in big way, so you'll have to push those constant negative minions to the back of your mind. Ask God to take them from you, laugh at them, stand on all the promises God has made to you, pray over and through them. Make it a habit to also push back the mantra of "oh no, I have cancer" and you will be able to one day wake up and go about your business without that being the first thought that comes into your head.

Of course, I am certain that your spiritual health should be your greatest source of strength, hope, mercy, respite, relief, and release. Going to God everyday and giving Him your cares, worries, pain, fears, distress, disappointments and heartaches can free you up from all your complaints to you can concentrate on the two aspects of who you are that are still healthy......YOUR mind; YOUR spirit. And in these apsects, the Great Physician is waiting to hear from you at any time for any reason.

So my sister or brother in the fight, now we have to wake up every day and declare these three things:

I WILL
I CAN
I MUST

I WILL give thanks to God for the fact that I have another day to turn this cancer over to Him. Now is the time for God to carry you through the storm.

I CAN.....do you know that the word CANCER dissected as the letters stand only has one word within it??? That word is CAN. Such a positive word in the midst of such a scarey one. Declare that you CAN do battle today. You CAN fight today...even if it is just to take a pill or eat some toast or walk around the block. You Can fight on this day that God has given you.

Lastly, say I MUST. I MUST make the most of the time I have been given. No one knows when their last day or moment will be. You don't know how many sunsets you have left to see and neither do I. Had I listened to the data and percentages, I should not have lived past 2006. Only God has our days numbered for us, so we MUST make the most of it, regardless of our circumstances. We owe it to those who love us, to ourselves and to our Lord to not waste the day before us. Make it count, make a phone call, say "I love you", mail a card for no reason, smile, laugh, cry, and pray. Most of all, PAY ATTENTION, my friend. Regardless of the bad news, life is happening all around you. Get into the middle of it every day. No matter what you've been told or how you feel, you're still in this beautiful game. Live life, wake up and say:
I WILL
I CAN
I MUST!

And take heart......you are NOT alone, no matter how desolate you feel. Remember the most encouraging words of all come from the One who made you. Find a scripture to lift you up and keep you going. Here is mine:

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2