Week of July 14 - 20

July 14

What are human beings that you make so much of them, that you set your mind on them?
     Job 7:17

Job, like so many before and after him, wondered what our life is about. What is our purpose? Why are we here? How are we to live and believe? If we acknowledge that a higher power, a divine and eternal God created and gave meaning to us, then we must ask the same questions too. And in our asking and our seeking what begins to be revealed is the reason for our life and the significance of days. It is important, too, to ask what purpose cancer has for our lives. In the asking and in the seeking we can discover a way to give it relevance. In understanding that relevance we gain power over it and can use it to transform our lives to a greater purpose.

I want to understand why I am here and what I can do to make sense and meaning out of this cancer. Dear Lord, help me to know how to use this for transformation and for good. Amen. 


July 15

For you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.
     1 Thessalonians 5:5

When the darkness that is cancer invades our lives, we are often tempted to allow it to overwhelm us. It is too easy to give in to despair, negativity and defeat. But we have a light, powered by God, which can burn brightly in the darkness around us. We do not have to allow the descending darkness to remain. Instead we can turn to the light of hope, positive attitudes and gratitude to dawn in our spirits and lives.

Dear God, you are the light that brightens the moments and days of my distress. When I am inclined to give into dark thoughts and emotions, help me to turn to your illumining flame in their place. Amen. 


July 16

Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace – in peace because they trust in you.
     Isaiah 26:3

Our minds are often at war. We doubt. We do not trust. We are cynical. We are easily angered. We too quickly judge. We harbor perceptions that are actually far from truth. Yet through God our doubts can be resolved, our trust restored, our cynicism removed, our anger redirected, our judgments relieved and our faulty perceptions revealed with the truth. In that we can experience peace. When we rely on the One who is perfectly worthy of our trust, we can find tranquility and calm infinitely.

When I allow you to show me the truth and the way I can begin to enjoy a peaceful, serene life. I thank you for this gift, O God. Help me to accept it willingly today. Amen.


July 17

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.
     Isaiah 61:1

What good news will you share today? What story will you tell of the blessings you receive in life? What example will you set to show those around you that there is hope and wonder that abounds? What difference will you make in the life of your community, a difference that will make your community better and stronger? What healing gift will you give to someone – including yourself – this day? You are anointed. You are called. By having life today you are chosen to show the world that God is real and that God is good. By answering that call you proclaim a message of triumph that all of us need to hear.

I know my life has meaning and purpose, O God. I want to live out that purpose with this day you have given me. Amen. 


July 18

In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials.
     1 Peter 1:6

When we are mired in the throes of a cancer diagnosis and treatment, it seems as if we will never be away from it or out of its intensity again. But God promises us that bad times and concentrated difficulties do not have to last forever. When we are inclined – as we often are – to feel sorry for ourselves and believe as if nothing will ever improve, we need to remember God’s assurance that these disturbing times will one day fade away. One day our lives will find the respite, relief and refreshment they need.

Don’t let me wallow in self-pity or defeat, dear Lord. Remind me today that bad times won’t last. Remind me that better days really are ahead. Amen.


July 19

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.
     1 Peter 2:1

There are more than enough burdens to carry when we deal with cancer. We don’t need the unnecessary weight of bitterness, anger, resentment and any other unresolved negative feelings pulling us down. The first thing we must work on is learning to release, let go and forgive. We must confront the influence that negativity holds on our lives and instead allow God to shoulder the weight for us.

One of the hardest choices to make is to let you handle the tough parts of my life. But today I will resolve to allow you to take care of my struggles and pain, O God. In that I know I will begin to find strength and peace. Amen.


July 20

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.
     1 Peter 4:10

While none of us is created exactly the same, each of us has been created with unique and invaluable gifts that mark each of us as someone worthy and special. Recognizing our gifts and using them to the best of our abilities is our reason for living and surviving in this world. No matter what our status, our circumstances or our situation, as long as we have life we have the ability to touch others, to make a positive difference and to create a lasting legacy for the ages. In understanding and using our gifts we give value and meaning to every day of our lives.

Dear God, help me to know the gifts you have given me and the gift I am to this world. Help me, too, to take these gifts and share them to a world that needs them today. Help me to accomplish the purpose you have created in me. Amen