Tag Archives: remission

I will rise

 

It’s been 2 1/2 years since I was declared cancer-free. Getting rid of the cancer, though not easy, was actually easier than the rest of the long and arduous journey. The ongoing weakness and frequent illness is a humbling reality. Being neither badly sick nor fully well is a “new normal” I didn’t expect to find.

 

Maybe you’ve been there….the new normal. Having experienced some lower level of disappointment, sorrow and pain, you’ve now risen to a new unfamiliar place; neither what you expected or desired. You may wish you’d risen a bit higher to a place of greater joy, but here is where you are for the time.

 

It’s tempting to think of where we are in our new normal and think of all we’ve lost. But have you ever found that focusing on what’s lost has benefited you? No? Me neither. But focusing on we have remaining does.

 

Focusing on what good remains in our lives helps us rise above our troubles. What good remains in your life? Maybe you will reflect on a faith that sustains despite your challenges. Perhaps you’ll think on the kindness of at least one person who cares. Thinking for even a moment about others in the world who face even greater challenges is a quick trip to rising above our woes. Perhaps you’ve discovered what remains is actually a large list of things for which you can give thanks. Isn’t that the start of rising to a better “normal?” Chris Tomlin’s “I will rise” is not only an anthem that speaks to our heavenly journey. It’s also an anthem for today:

 

“There’s a peace I’ve come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There’s an anchor for my soul
I can say “It is well”

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain

I will rise on eagles’ wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise”

– Chris Tomlin

 

Can you say it? I will rise, despite my weakness. Despite my pain. Despite my sadness, disappointments, and frustrations. Despite my loss, I will rise and give thanks for all I’ve gained. It doesn’t mean that your problems go away, but that we can find real peace in the middle of them; peace that brings an overcoming victory over circumstance and hope for a brighter future. It’s the peace that Paul talks about of counting everything as loss compared to the exceeding joy of knowing Jesus.

 

I will rise above what weighs me down,

above the sorrow and the pain,

above the battles that fill my mind

and find a peace that remains.

I will rise!

 

One year remission

It seems like it has been a long year. With leukemia, milestones like the anniversary of your first year in remission from cancer seem pretty important. From a medical perspective it appears that the more distance you put between yourself and those events, the better the outlook is for the future. Of course, God’s plan for the future is what really matters, regardless of what the prognostic statistics say.

A huge thanks to the Mercy Hospital staff who made remission possible through two rounds/12 days of chemotherapy and nearly 60 days of loving care given to both Marcia and me. Now, just two more months until we celebrate with the University of Iowa transplant team my first year after stem cell transplant. I’m told mine was their 3000th transplant so I reckon they have cause to be very good at what they do. And they too have shown me great care and consideration during my recovery thus far.

Marcia has carried out her long series of demanding caregiver tasks with such amazing love and dedication. How could I have made it this far without my bride’s loving attention?!

God’s promise that his grace IS sufficient for my needs and his promise that I win whichever direction things turn have been constant sustenance for my soul.

What is ahead? I don’t know. The path seems to take a turn every 2-3 months, requiring us to keep our focus on our current footing and next few steps. Have you noticed that in your path too? Just when you think you have your sense of direction, something changes and you have to make adjustments to your journey.

Have you found the one thing that does not change, regardless of the condition of the path? In our journey, it has made all the difference in the world. Experiencing the steadfastness of God’s love and grace makes each day possible, not easy, but possible. It has caused us to cultivate our grateful hearts. It is the reality of practical faith, beginning with trusting in small things, to trusting in all things, that makes the experience real. Not easy, but real.

May your path be filled with such practical hope of knowing that wherever you go, however difficult the path, God is ready to go with you.