February 23
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15
Sometimes what we ache for most is merely to be heard and understood – to have someone know what we’re going through as much as anyone who is not us can. Sometimes we just need someone to laugh with us or to celebrate a good moment when it comes. Sometimes when a day is awful we just need someone who will let us complain and grumble without trying to cheer us up. So often the healing begins not with comments about how things could be worse or how they’re going to be better. But more often the healing begins when we are allowed simply to give voice to our feelings without judgment, scorn or even answers given in return. To have someone in our life who can simply listen to who we are is a genuinely blessed gift of healing and grace.
My feelings are so complex and so uncertain so much of the time, O God. I know you understand that. I also know that you understand the complexities and uncertainties of my days. I am so grateful that you listen and just let me pour it out to you. I am grateful for others who do that for me too. Amen.
February 24
"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light."
Luke 11:33
Cancer is often associated with darkness. Darkness can descend upon our spirits and minds when we learn that cancer has entered our lives. Yet God does not want us to live in darkness. And cancer does not have to equate with darkness. Our challenge – and our privilege – is to allow God’s light to shine deeply in our souls to drive the darkness, and its associated despair and doubt, away. God has already placed the light of healing, the light of hope and the light of new life within us. We must allow the light to warm us, to encourage us and to show us the way toward healing. We must allow God’s light to reflect from us an expression of hope that is real and powerful. Is God’s light reflected through you? Can others see the promise and possibility of God’s healing in you? Do you see the promise within you? If not, reflect on why.
This light you give me, O God, is a true gift for my spirit and my soul. I know I don’t always reflect it as I could. But on this day I open myself up to you more than ever to let your goodness shine through. Amen.
February 25
"Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness."
Luke 11:34
How do you look at your circumstances right now? How do you define yourself because of cancer? How do you see your life evolving and your future developing in relation to it? Your outlook has a tremendous influence on your health. If you approach this disease with fear and trepidation you will certainly encounter great anxiety and uncertainty. If you decide you will have significant problems you most surely will. But if you determine that you will discover better days and encounter moments of hope, you also surely will. And if you see possibility and promise in your situation, an opportunity to change for the better, you will certainly find more wonder and grace than you can ever imagine.
I’m looking for the light you offer, dear God. I’m searching for days of goodness and a future filled with healing. Help me not to descend into darkness, but instead to find the reality of better days. Amen.
February 26
"Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness."
Luke 11:35
Take a good, hard look at yourself to understand where your attitudes really lie. What are your expectations? Do you really believe you can find the healing you seek? Are you engaged with every fiber of your being in seeking a life where creating wellness is the defining characteristic of your life? Sometimes we harbor despair deeply within or really don’t believe we can overcome the cancer in our lives. Sometimes we create instead an attitude of defeat and disappointment, which ultimately does us no good. We need to examine our deepest feelings to know where our real feelings lie. We need to find the light and extinguish the darkness within us in every way we can. Doing so will begin to change our lives in wonderfully significant ways.
There are times when I really don’t know if I have the hope I need. There are times when my confidence wavers and my attitude is poor. Dear God, help me to know when I am giving in to darkness and to instead reach out for the light. Amen.
February 27
"If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays."
Luke 11:36
It happens when you are confident of your medical care. It happens when you know you are eating well and healthily. It happens when you find a source of exercise that is fun and brings you joy. It happens when your attitude is positive and full of hope. It happens when you have a system of support surrounding you that is comforting and secure. It happens when your spirit is nurtured in a way that transports you beyond yourself and lifts you to a higher, more eternal place. What happens is an integration of your body, your mind and your spirit that helps healing to take root in your life. Nurture all these things. Help them to work closely together. Understand that doing this is utterly important to help you find the light you need.
I’m looking for your light to work through me, O God. I’m looking for your light to surround me. I’m looking for your light to shine from me – your light of hope, your light of grace, your light of healing. Amen.
February 28
Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."
Isaiah 2:3
We cannot deal with cancer all by ourselves. We need the support and help of many others to lift us through every challenging day. Most importantly we need the wisdom and understanding of God to guide and strengthen us. It is imperative to under gird all our days with a source of healing and hope that is powerfully enduring, that connects us with eternity and that has everlasting promise. God does have a plan for us to find healing and to know the hope that comes from this assurance. There is a path that each of us can travel and that path is made smoothest for us when God is allowed to be our point of reference and support. How are you accepting the access God gives you to better answers and greater hope?
God of goodness and help, show me your ways and tell me your answers. Give me your guidance and share with me your joy. I really need them to show me a better way. Amen.
March 1
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for your harm, to give you a future with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
God has only the best in mind for us. God wants only what is good for us. God has created us only for wonder and joy and love. But sometimes we forget that when we are consumed by disease and distress. But these words serve plainly to remind us that God’s will is not for us to suffer, to languish or to live in pain. But, indeed, God’s will is for us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a future given to us that is bright with hope and promise, rich with possibility and peace. God’s plan is for our healing - wherever we need healing most. Do not despair that the days to come will be dark and disappointing. Instead look ahead with anticipation and expectation, because God has great plans for you!
Gracious, loving God, my future is in your hands, and I know your hands are creating for me something wondrous and great. Help me to see, if only a glimpse, the goodness you have planned for me. I need that affirmation today. Amen
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