Week of January 21 - 27

January 21

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
     Psalm 40:3a
Today take a good look at your outlook and attitudes. Do you more quickly find the good around you or do you more readily find fault? Do you more easily list the positive things in your life or do you gravitate toward recounting mostly the negative? Do you naturally see each day as an opportunity for joy and possibility or do you see mainly drudgery and debilitating challenge ahead? Healing needs a hopeful and positive environment. It requires us to view our lives and the world with joy, gratitude and grace. What are you doing within your own spirit to help nurture these qualities? Possessing them can make a transforming difference in every part of your life.

When I am inclined to complain about every little thing I don’t like, I know that I need to adjust the way I react. I pray for your help today to see a more positive way, O God. Amen.


January 22

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
     Romans 8:5
It’s too easy and all too common when we live with cancer to focus exclusively on the physical challenges we face. But our emotional, mental and spiritual natures require just as much attention. If we are constantly disheartened, if we are negative and disquieted or if we feel empty and uninspired, we do not lend strength to our physical healing. Our ultimate hope comes in creating an atmosphere where our bodies and spirits work in constant connection. Authentic healing begins to come when we understand how important it is to combine our bodies and spirits into a cohesive whole.

Help me to gain the proper perspective today, dear God. Help me to focus not just on my physical challenges, but just as much on my spirit. Help me to build it up and nurture it to be a stronger and healthier person in every way. Amen.


January 23

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
     Isaiah 27:1b
There’s a lot to be afraid of when cancer threatens us. The future seems so uncertain. Our confidence falters. We dread that our strength may diminish. We fear that the disease may take over everything in our lives. We worry that pain may overwhelm us. We agonize that we may lose all that is dear to us. We are troubled that recurrence may occur. The list goes on and on. We can get utterly caught up in the possibilities that each day ahead might bring that we lose sight of the gifts today does bring. When we lose that perspective we lose this day. And then we can find ourselves in a downward spiral that does us no good. The challenge for us is to remember that God is a God of hopeful possibilities and that God offers those possibilities to us without fail every day.

I don’t like living in fear. I don’t like what fear brings to my everyday life. So, on this day, loving God, take my fears away and fill me instead with calm reassurance and encouraging peace. Amen.


January 24

…therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope.
     Acts 2:26
When we make a concerted effort to look for the blessings in our daily lives we can experience an astounding change in our perspective. When we determine that we will find goodness we will find it. When we make it a matter of course to express gratitude we will discover even more things for which to be grateful. When we decide to focus on the constructive aspects of our lives we will make strides in ever more healing directions. Hope is born in gratitude and appreciation. When we nurture those concrete feelings we will be amazed at how much more hopeful and confident we will be.

Whenever I look to you in thanksgiving, O God, I am sustained in greater and more special ways. I want to approach you with gratitude today and I want to make it a habit to maintain that attitude in everything I think and do. Amen.


January 25

May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
     Psalm 29:11
Strength and peace. They are two of the most significant blessings of life. They are very essential to possess when we are living with cancer. We need to stand firmly upon a foundation of strength in order to meet the challenges upon us. We need to rest confidently in an embrace of peace to know that we are loved and cared for. We must never forget that God is the ultimate source of both strength and peace. God’s strength is unbreakable. God’s peace is eternal. God offers both gifts to us in endless ways. Through every difficulty that stands in our way, we need to reach out for these gifts that will reinforce us in ways nothing else can.

When I am weak and tired and worn down, dear God, I need the blessed assurance of your power and tranquility. When I feel them I am uplifted and renewed. What great hope is mine when I have them in my life! Amen.


January 26

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
     2 Corinthians 9:15
What gifts do you have in your life today? What fills your heart with joy? What can make your spirit overflow with love? What gives you energy? What upholds you with hope? Where do you see yourself being supported and helped in ways that are remarkable to you? All these are gifts, gifts from a God who has made you and who loves you beyond your comprehension. Think about these things. Recite them over and over again. Keep a “gratitude journal”, whether it’s written down on paper or kept in the front of your mind. But keep a constant reminder of the beauty and blessings in your life. Those blessings will sustain you. Those blessings will empower and lift you in moments difficult and hard to face.

Dear God, there are too many moments that wear me down. But when I remember your gifts to me I am delivered to something better. I am grateful for your gifts. They sustain me in ways I can scarcely begin to count. Amen.


January 27

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.
     2 Corinthians 6:1
There is great certainty in this - God loves each of us very much. In fact, God loves each of us more than we can even begin to know. God loves us so much even though there are many times we are unlovable. Even when we doubt God, even when we don’t follow God and even when we go against God, we are still loved unwaveringly and unconditionally by God. This is grace – a gift we don’t deserve. Yet it is true. This gift, when we accept it, can be an amazing source of reassurance and strength for us. On this journey that often brings distressing fear and disappointment, the knowledge of God’s love and unwavering care can be of great comfort and peace.

Gracious God, comforting God, in my fear I turn to you. When I am disappointed I call to you. I reach out to you to remind me of my valued place in your heart. Your grace is an astounding gift and I know I need to accept it to be whole. Amen.