Most of you know what's up with the pink ribbon. For those of you who do not, it is for October being breast cancer awareness month. It is a noble deed to raise funds for research and aid to those affected by it. Wearing a pink ribbon is a way to show support for cancer patients and survivors. It is a worthy subject for anyone to post on their blog. Still I hesitate to tell you what it brings to my mind.
You see, I have seen a few pink seasons. I have worked in healthcare for 25+ years. Those seasons just come with the territory. I have lost count of the number of cancer patients that I have met through the years. From acquaintances to my own family members, I have seen the ravages of the disease.
I have an aunt that is a survivor of 20 years or more. She has also survived cervical cancer and numerous skin cancers. She is a real trooper and avid supporter of the cause. The treatment for her breast cancer was a radical mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. However, the cure was found in prayer and reliance on the Lord.
My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. To say it was a rough year of treatment is putting it mildly. For her it was surgery, chemo, and radiation. It was getting dressed and going to appointments when she was too weak to even talk. It was pain, tears, and hardship. It was a pink season alright. Every thing was colored by the cancer. Daily activities were limited. Food took on different tastes. Smells made her sick. The times were difficult but not hopeless.
Mama just took it all in stride. She held fast to her faith in God. She was certain that He would put no more on her than she could bear. Though she was off work for most of a year, she was never late paying a bill. There was always food in the pantry and fridge. Many times she had to encourage me that all would be well.
A pink season indeed. I was living 1200 miles away. Married and working full time at the local hospital. My heart ached to be with her 24/7. It just wasn't an option at the time. But thanks to some generous co-workers and a compassionate supervisor I managed to make 6 seven day trips to Tennessee that year. My faith in a loving Savior gave me the strength to do whatever had to be done.
Mama went back to work cancer-free before the year was over. She was blessed to see 3 more years before the cancer returned. Cruel thing, metastatic cancer; it was breast cancer cells, but found in her bones, liver, and brain. Floods of emotion and memories of the previous bout could not keep her down. A stalwart in the faith, she kept her focus on Jesus. She kept the faith and finished her course on August 8, 2001.
Breast cancer took her flesh but it could not take her joy. She traded an earthly home for a heavenly one. As much as I miss her, I will see her again. Yes it is important to promote breast cancer awareness. But it is more important to proclaim Jesus as the cure for the body and soul; to preach a message of hope to all those experiencing a pink season.
Note to my family: If you feel that I was too personal in this post, please forgive me. I just wanted to honor the faith of our family and proclaim the faithfulness of our God.
Some time ago I posted a synopsis of a Sunday morning sermon given by my pastor. I had a lot of traffic and seven comments on that one. Perhaps I should use Mondays for posting my sermon notes from the previous day. Then again, my note taking may be limited since I am now working with the media production crew and in the sound booth. That's another story for another day. Guess I just wanted you all to know that I gone from techno-wanna be to a multi-media flunky. (smile)
Pastor entitled Sunday's message, "Speak Lord". Sunday School veterans, stay with me now. I know you are thinking of a couple of Bible stories you heard so many times as children. I had the same thoughts as he continued on giving the text references. Just as I was about to put myself on auto-pilot, the Lord spoke to me. He simply said, "Watch and pray". It wasn't what He said that roused me. It was how my mind completed the verse, just as I had heard it so many times.
You see, I was about to lean back and let my mind wander. I was about to allow the familiarity of the text, keep me from hearing a fresh admonition from the throne. I was about to be a poor example for the rest of the body. I was about to let my pastor down. I was about to open the door and let satan step inside. I was about to .......sin.
I always exhort folks to interpret scriptures in light of their context. And I'm not much on studies that are wholly topical in nature. But there are single scriptures that can stand alone as commands of God. Each of the 10 Commandments support this notion, as does many of the Proverbs. Is it a stretch to apply shutting the devil out and avoiding the path of the wicked , to my Sunday morning experience? I don't think so. Different contexts but same principle.
The 3 verses I have referenced convicted me. They became a single exhortation that went something like this: Be alert and pray so you will not yield to temptation. Don't let satan disrupt your purpose. Push him out of your way and get involved in the service.
It was clear to me that I had to take authority over the enemy and over my flesh. Much like casting my thoughts into prison. I could not tune out my pastor just because I thought I knew where he was going with the message. I go to church to be fed the Word of God, to worship the Lord, to fellowship with the saints, to support the pastor, and to use my gifts to serve others.
So I rebuked the tempter, put my mind on the Lord, inclined my ear to hear the preached Word, and I gave hearty amens as I responded to the message. My soul was filled and my heart encouraged. All because I heard the Lord speak to me at the beginning of the sermon. I am thankful for the chastening of the Lord.
Soon I will be posting highlights of pastor's sermon "Speak Lord". For now, I will leave you with this exhortation: Muzzle your flesh and hear the preached Word. Always listen for the voice of the Lord. He may speak to you at any time, even during Sunday morning service; even when you think it is the same old story.
Hpy RU por; da kngdm is yrs! Hpy RU hngry; U wl Bfild! Hpy RU sad; u wl lol! Hpy RU whn ppl h8 U Bcos of da Lrd! B gld&dnce 4jy Bcos a gt prz is kpt 4U in hvn. Luke 6:20-23
Nthing can sepR8 uz frm Gds lv. Dth cant & lfe cant, angls cant & dmns cant. Worries 4 2day & 2mrO cant - evn da powZ of hll cant kp hz love away. Romans 8:38,39
I found these here.
Seems that I just keep pondering on the theme of the seasons. The following is an excerpt from Singing Owl. She paints a picture of a place I would like to be. Go to The Owl's Song to read the full post.
Sunlight filtered through wind-tossed woods, casting dancing shadows across the highway. I almost expected the dappled light to scatter before my wheels like leaves. The trees, some flashing a spot of early red or gold, turned to farmland, red barns, and the occasional horses or cattle. The shadows of late afternoon stretched in elongated stripes, curving over the gentle contours of the fields. Except for the engine, it was quiet. I saw few vehicles and fewer people.
Stopping to stretch my legs, I stepped onto crunchy gravel at the side of the road. It was warm, even hot, but there was that awareness that fall is nearing--something in the breeze and the shadows and the sky. I gradually became aware of an almost undetectable sweetness in the air. Sniffing, I wondered what caused it--too mild to be called an aroma, exactly. Then I saw that on each of the four corners of the intersection was a different kind of crop.
To my rear on the left stood corn, tasseled and turning brown, loaded with ears that would become food for the cattle during winter. Behind me to the right the "spring green" of alfalfa grew in astonishing brilliance. In front to the left a field of soybeans, one of the loveliest crops imaginable, stretched to the horizon. In summer its leaves are a deep glossy green, but now they were turning to the characteristic mottled red, gold and yellow of fall. On the other corner stood a farmhouse. To the side of the wide lawn was a garden. Around the edges grew late-summer flowers--Gladiolas, Black-Eyed Susan's, Snapdragons, and many more I could not name. I was too far away to identify all of what remained in the garden, but I could see what I guessed were tomato plants along with the broad leaves of squash plants. I surmised that all these lovely growing things were what filled the air with that subtle freshness.
David at Pilgrim Scribblings shares a poem in his post about the seasons. One line that really strikes a cord with me is this one. "Summer is over and we can't call it back..."
Once we have passed through a season only the memories can be retrieved. The events of a season shape the season ahead. A hard freeze cuts down on the population of insects found in the spring. A springtime with ample rain and warm temperatures yeilds crops in abundance. A freeze in the springtime damages vegetation that is just beginning to bloom. A dry scorching summer is a sure obstacle for plant growth.
Spiritual seasons work in a similar fashion. Yet it is how we cope with the freeze that comes at the time of our budding. Or how we rebound from the drought that often follows the spiritual highs we experience. And yet another factor in our spiritual seasons has to do with the preparations we make to sustain ourselves in difficult times.
St.John chapter 15 tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches. He is the constant source of our life. We are never left alone in the seasons of our lives. Everything we need for growth is found in Him, but it our responsibility to seek Him, ask of Him, and receive from Him.
You will find me Beneath the Ivy Wreath today. Somehow I just can't seem to post in two places on the same day. Besides, my sister needs a little traffic and a lot of encouragement.
The Word of God is always an encouragement so I leave Habakkuk 3:17-19 for you today.
17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
Every day at least 2 or 3 folks hit here looking for text messages of the SMS kind. Occasionally someone will stay on to check out my blog. Most however just click out and move on to the next option given by their search engine. I really don't Njoy disappointing folks so here R 3 txt msgs 4 U.
U, Lord, r my shepherd. I will neva be in need. U let me rest in fields of green grass. U lead me 2 streams of peaceful water. (Psalm 23, verses 1-2).
Wrk hard at wateva u do. U will soon go 2 da wrld of da dead, where no 1 wrks or thinks or reasons or knws NEting. (Ecclesiastes, chapter nine, verse 10).
Respect ur father & ur mother, & u will live a long time in da l& I am givin u. (Exodus, chapter 20, verse 12).
I found these at smh.com.au along with info on how to receive the whole Bible in text messages. I haven't tried it, so I'm not putting my approval on it. If you do try it out, let me know. Thanks.
