Five Favorites

Today I'm just bending the suggested October Daily Blog Challenge topic: 5 songs that elevate your mood. I talked about a song yesterday, so today I'm going with 5 Bible verses I love. Some have shaped my life, others have pulled me through cancer for the last year and a half.

1) Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to Me [Jesus], all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

Lately, I've noticed FREEDOM come up a lot in relation to God. Outside Christianity, God might seem like a restrictive, demanding ruler, but it's like living with parents who provide good boundaries: you can't do whatever you want, because they know that some "whatevers" can be destructive and want you to avoid them. Living within those boundaries provides structure and safety and, ideally, produces a well-adjusted, competent adult. 

I love these verses because they're asking us to release the heavy burdens we pick up and carry around. God will carry those loads for us and give us rest and an easier burden to carry, with His help. Ahhh... I feel better already.

2) Psalm 56:8

"You [God] have taken account of my wanderings, put my tears in Your bottle, are they not in Your book?"

How cool is that? I love that God knows each of us so intricately that he knows how many hairs are on our head and collects every one of our tears. I like to think there's a wall in heaven filled with glass bottles  - the kind that look like they've been tossed around in the sea for awhile. One bottle for each person, filled with their tears. How lovely that God cares so much when we cry that not one tear is lost.

3) Isaiah 41:9b-10

"I [God] have chosen you and will not throw you away. Do not fear, for I am with you, do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

This was a big one for me at the beginning of my cancer journey, especially the reminder that I would not be thrown away. The disruption and uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis can make you feel like you're in a pile of rubble, and it takes some work to remember what's true and climb out of the garbage pile.

And one of my favorite things about the Bible is how often "do not fear" comes up: it's the most common command; a friend told me it's in there 365 times... once for every day of the year. Hm... a message for us? 

For me, this one is all about exchanging worries for faith; fear for trust; weakness for strength. I might not know what's coming, I might not understand what's happening, I might be scared and anxious, but I know that God is in control and right next to me, giving me the strength to get through what's ahead.

4) Colossians 4:6

"Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned as with salt, so that you will know how to respond to each person."

Oh! I've loved this one for years! How beautiful to speak this way! I've been working on this for years, and with God's grace, I've come a LOOOONG way. Last year I was at a college reunion and they asked what you would change about your days in college. I said I wish I'd been kinder and gentler in some situations. The moderator (a classmate) said, "More gracious?" Yikes! Does that mean I was perceived as ungracious back then?! Possibly... 

5) Psalm 138:3

"When I pray, You [God] answer me; You encourage me by giving me the strength I need."

As I've read the Bible during this cancer journey, I've noticed how frequently there is a call and response: when we call, God is waiting and ready to respond. Not in a magic genie kind of way, granting any wish I have: sometimes the answer is YES, but sometimes it's No or Wait. But He is always there with what I need to make it through. What comfort to know He has the resources to supply what I need, and is right there, waiting for me to ask for help. Sometimes we just take a long time to make our request, right?

There you have it. I hope this blesses you! xoxo

Everything Rides on Faith Somehow

Today's topic: Describe how lyrics from a favorite song inspire you.

I was going to ditch the daily topic again - I'm not very good at following the rules if I think I have a better idea. My brother occasionally reminds me that I made up a game when we were kids that required cheating to win. Is it cheating if it's in the rules? Well, I blame it on genetics because whenever my mom talks about playing games with my grandma, she invariably reminds us that grandma cheated. Just a little bit, some might not call it cheating: kind of a white lie level of manipulating the rules.

Instead, I was going to write about chemo. This blog is, after all, primarily about living through (and in spite of) cancer. But on my way to chemo today, I remembered a lyric that will allow me to do both: 

"Everything rides on hope now; everything rides on faith, somehow."

It's from "Hope Now" by Addison Road.

When I started chemo last year, I decided to make it a party and invite friends to come along and keep me company. I didn't realize how helpful this was until a couple weeks ago. This time around, I'm not getting Benadryl or anything else that interferes with my driving, so I can bring myself. Last time, I came alone. I didn't have any socializing to look forward to, and on the way to chemo I found myself thinking sad cancer thoughts. So I arrived a little tired and bummed out (which my stellar doctor picked up on right away).

Lesson learned! Even if I CAN be independent, it doesn't mean that's the best option for me. Friendships are therapeutic. And right now, with a chemo cocktail that has few side effects, I don't need a lot of help, so I figure I can give my friends a way to help me by inviting them to chemo. Kind of like a coffee date, right?

It's a funny coffee date: they watch the nurse access my port and draw blood, wait while I give a urine sample, listen in on my conversation with the doctor, and then we chat while the pharmacy preps my drugs and while the drugs drip in. At least this time I'm not fighting a Benadryl haze (which I did with super-human success, I might add!).

There's a lot of educated guessing in cancer treatment, and as a patient I gamely cooperate, waiting with somewhat bated breath between CT scans, hoping and wondering if what we're doing is working.

I'm in that space where everything rides on hope and faith. I hope this works and I land in the long-term survivors' circle. I have faith in a good, all-powerful God who has a plan for me. I hope that, whatever the outcome, I can LIVE all my days with grace and purpose, speaking life and encouragement into other people's lives.

It's not so bad, living where everything rides on hope and faith.