A new covenant

I am back from a week-long trip to Louisville KY. We went to show dogs, attend dinners and meetings, see old friends we see only once a year....live in a different world for a short amount of time. A world of dogs in the bed, the same small hotel room for 6 nights, early morning show times, banquets, constant activity. When we got back last night, it was like my lungs could expand again, my brain could stop working overtime, my dogs could run free. It also marked our last big committment to others for the year. My husband and I can now pick and choose our weekends, our trips, our company, our time.

The past week also offered a new beginning for me. I have come home under a new set of medical circumstances, I have some breathing room, my brain can slow down about treatments and appointments and medical appeals. I received news this past Wednesday that I had a circulating tumor count (CTC) of under 5. Under 5 is huge. Under 5 confirms what the Lord has been whispering in my ear since November: "This is not your end...you have work yet to do...I love you and want you to be healthy and live longer. Under 5 is the start of a new direction of treatment for me....it marks a new covenant between me and Maha and the girls.

When Maha called me, I was outside our hotel, walking dogs and wondering...always wondering...when I would know if my drug, my Ixempra, was going to show us yet another great victory. Wanting so badly to know that God had yet again honored His promise to me. I turned to see my husband walking briskly across the parking lot with the phone to his ear...motioning for me to come to him. The hairs on the back of my neck (yes I do still have some) stood up. I knew it was her...I knew it was good. Suddenly, the possibilities could become reality. A break from chemo...breathing room...the start of a new covenant.

Hebrews 8:6 talks about the new covenants to beat all covenants. Jesus came to replace the covenants of old with better ones...and better promises. A better way to freedom, healing, and abundance. Suddenly, I felt like I did when I came to recognize the significance of the new covenants that Christ brought to the table. Old thoughts were replaced with thoughts of freedom and abundance...oh yes, and healing,

And so we will all embark next week on another path of healing and care and treatment. Because we now know we have replaced an old number with a new number, we also can replace old ways of thinking with new ways of thinking. We are looking ahead with a new promise, new freedoms of choices, new hope. It is another remarkable moment in time in my life. So get ready everyone, it's the start of a new covenant.

"By calling this covenant "new" He has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will disappear." Hebrews 8:13