Tags

,

I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart;
I have overcome the world.”
     John 16:33

We are less than two weeks away from our little one’s last official infusion of chemotherapy drugs and the end of her treatment protocol. That merits a “Hallelujah!” and a happy dance! Woo hoo! We have waited a long time for that final dose of nasty medicine and a chance to see our little one feel like a normal child again. Thank you, Lord, for carrying us through these many, many months of treatment!

Excited as we are to stop administering toxic chemicals into her body, we also know that the end of chemo can mean the beginning of relapse for some children. We pray that every last leukemia cell in her body has been destroyed and that we are “out of the woods”, moving on from this cancer scare into a joyous childhood. The reality we accept is that there honestly is no “out of the woods” in this mortal life. The odds are good that she’s beaten leukemia. Her odds are even better if she goes the next 5 years without a re-occurrence — but once you’ve been struck by lightning, you can’t help but cower at the sound of thunder whenever you hear it and wonder if another bolt is coming your way. This life is pretty much a series of one storm after another for each of us, with a glorious respite in between. Lord willing, this particular storm is passing away for us.

We continue living in the meantime, continue praying, continue enjoying each day, and continue worrying from time to time when something out of the ordinary appears on our radar. What else can we do but live out the lessons we have learned? Life is precious and sometimes too short. God is faithful and good. When things get scary, TRUST, BELIEVE His promises, hold His hand, keep walking by faith (not sight), and never forget that there’s always something to be grateful for each and every day. Hug those you love now. Your family is a gift not to be taken for granted.

A battle against childhood cancer was NOT what I imagined for my grandchild, or for my daughter’s family, or for myself as a grandmother. We were set on a different course than the one we imagined, and although it was not of our choosing, we have done our best to learn and grow and bring glory to God through it.

I now embrace a different dream for my granddaughter, one where she triumphs as a child warrior against a deadly force that showed up on her doorstep one day. In that dream, she will live a long life of compassion for those who face unexpected difficulty. She will send her roots deep into God’s Word when she needs added strength. She will understand the power of prayer to save, because she has experienced firsthand the power of a wonder-working God.

That’s a pretty wonderful dream.

It is your mission, tested and tried one, to walk out on the stage of this world and reveal to all earth and Heaven that the music is not in conditions, not in the things, not in the externals, but the music of life is in your own soul.   
Streams in the Desert, Sept. 28 entry