Is today really the last day of August? Where did it go?
Here in our corner of the world, the month has been filled with lots of bad news, numerous doctor visits and tests, and new words being added to our vocabulary almost daily.
Several years ago, I described my stroke with the phrase “didn’t see that coming”, and it’s an appropriate phrase to use again. As it was then so it is now - one day life was normal and the next day it wasn’t.
On July 31, life was normal. Since then, it has been anything but! My husband had a visit with his doctor on August 1 which led to a diagnostic colonoscopy and endoscopy a week later. That yielded a diagnosis of esophageal cancer. The remaining weeks of August have been filled with more doctor’s visits, tests, and questions. The month of September will lead us into the treatment phase which will include radiation, chemo, and surgery.
Any cancer diagnosis is like a kick in the gut. And to learn the cancer is Stage 4 is another kick. We have had a lot to absorb in a short amount of time and, just to be very honest about it, it hasn’t been easy.
But here’s the reality. The cancer was a surprise to us. It was not a surprise to God. And if we believe that God is sovereign and God is love and God is grace and God is powerful and all the other things we say we believe, then those things are as true on the bad days as they are in the good days. God is the same when cancer invades our world as He is when it doesn’t.
God was not surprised by this diagnosis. What’s more, God has a plan and a purpose for all things, and that purpose is for our good and for His glory. Further, we don’t walk this journey alone. Our God is with us every step of the way, and everything that happens is filtered through His fingers. He holds us in the palm of His hand.
These are not just cliches to pull out when life gets tough. These are truths we have staked our lives on.
We didn’t see this coming. But it did. And so we move forward, knowing that God is in control.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.” - Isaiah 26:3 KJV