September 29
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
Matthew 5:13
Too often a cancer diagnosis gets us written off and too many react to us as useless…weakened…diminished. Expectations are lowered. Hope for the future is tempered. Those attitudes can leave us holding on to very little optimism about circumstances. But cancer does not need to be a death sentence. It does not need to be a statement that our lives are nearing an end. Cancer does not mean our lives have to be diminished. In fact, cancer can free us to live more passionately and gratefully. Survivors embrace that freedom and commit to living in more satisfying ways.
In those moments when I feel depleted and spent, I need to be strengthened and revived by you. God of renewal, I ask to feel your restoring spirit today. I need it so very much. I need to live expectantly once again. Amen.
September 30
… This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Isaiah 25:9b
Most of us are not good at waiting. In fact, we are quite impatient. We set our own timetables and are disappointed when things don’t go just as we’d like. Often, many of us blame God when life doesn’t unfold as we want. But in doing so, we forget something so utterly important …our timetables are not God’s. We forget it is God who knows best, who offers what we need when we need it and whose timetable is the perfect one for us. Even when we don’t always understand God’s mysterious ways, we can be reassured that they are the ways to seek and to find.
My impatience gets in the way of my best interests too many times, O God. But in my reflection I know I need to actively wait on you, and when I do, my needs will be wonderfully met. Amen.
October 1
For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; …”
1 Peter 3:10
One of the easiest reactions many of us have to cancer is to get angry and - then to stay angry. While anger can mobilize us into needed actions, failure to resolve anger healthily can mire us in bitterness and needless pain. But when we choose to move beyond our anger and look for the blessings in our circumstances – the opportunities, the new insights, the strength we never knew we had – we inherit so much more than we can ever imagine. That inheritance of hope and understanding is what will under gird us to see us through.
I often don’t even begin to realize how much help I receive when I look to you, O God. It’s easier to delve into the negative than it is to discover the positive. I need to see something good today. Help me to see it more than I ever have before. Amen.
October 2
He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
II Samuel 22:18
None of us can go through life alone, without help or guidance. It’s even more the case when cancer enters our lives. The path it forces upon us can often be incredibly overwhelming. We simply cannot navigate its course by ourselves. We need tremendous support along the way. The most important source of support is God. Nothing we do is as significant unless we place our hand into God’s, for God to show us the best way to go. We need God’s perfect understanding to lead us. Without it, we are left wanting for all that we need.
I know you never leave my side, faithful God. Your vigilance and protection against the threats around me are always there. I cannot thank you enough for caring for me like this. Amen.
October 3
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
3 John: 11
The best way to overcome evil is to model what is good. Our baser impulses often propel us to react negatively to bad circumstances in our lives. Ultimately that gets us nowhere. Our best reaction to cancer comes in a constant recognition of the blessings around us. We must create blessings too – constructing positive thoughts, resisting the urge to follow through on negative impulses and seeking positive people and positive situations to support us. Just as evil produces more evil, goodness produces more goodness in amazing – and healing - ways.
It is far too easy to fall into traps of negativity and despair. I know I do it too much. But today I look to you, dear God, to help me stay out of unconstructive situations. Amen.
October 4
For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
II Samuel 22:32
This world can disappoint. People often let us down. Promises get broken. Problems continue to arise around us. Often against our own best efforts, we continue to be battered with heartbreak and pain. Cancer is a huge disappointment. Our bodies let us down, even when we do everything we think is right. But in this life there is One who never lets us down, never breaks promises, never presents us with problems. This One never batters us, breaks our hearts or brings us pain. God – the One - does not disappoint, because God loves us infinitely and perfectly. When we understand that, we can find tremendous hope and peace in knowing that we are cared for – always.
You are the One who gives me all I need. You are the One who cares for me even more than I care for myself. You are the One who loves me perfectly. You are the One to whom I turn today to show me your gracious way. Amen.
October 5
… my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.
II Samuel 22:3c,d
Over and over again, the refrain from the scriptures announces that God is steadfast, strong, and wanting to save us. Verse after verse reminds us that we have a source of incredible help in our times of distress. When we are quick to forget that there is a source of hope for us, these words return us to the hope. When we are likely to give up in the midst of our struggle with disease, these words urge us to remember that we have greater help than we ever knew. This refrain is repeated constantly in the scriptures because we need to hear it constantly – in order to remember, in order to allow the words to enter and remain in our thoughts and lives.
Dear God, the temptations to live in pessimism and despair are too great at times. There are days when I just don’t have the energy for the fight. I need to know that you are strong and that you are right here to help me get through this day. Thank you for the reminder. Amen.
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