As a Christian I am struggling with the line between fear and faith. My parents are both cancer survivors. However, right before Christmas they both had tests done that have come back with suspicious results.
I listen to my mother say that she is not going to get worked up until she talks with the doctor about the results. In general, I agree with that. My mother is pretty much a positive thinker, which is a great thing.
My father is cut out of a different cloth. He automatically thinks negatively; he can’t seem to help it. His mind goes to the worst case scenerio. It is experience related…he has had the worst case scenerio happen to him before…so he just expects that to be his luck. Both mom and dad will be meeting up with their respective cancer doctors before the first week of January is over.
I am a product of both of my parents. I am at times a positive thinker….and at times, automatically hit the negativity zone. I don’t like it that that is true; but, it is honest. I work hard attempting to focus on the positives.
The problem is…fear. I fear hearing the situations that they are facing will possibly return them to the medical world of tests, surgeries, treatments, complications, and hospitalizations. This is a world that is both isolating and overwhelming, with people. 🙂 I realize that that sounds contrary….but, it isn’t.
You are surrounded with people in the medical field….this specialist, that oncologist, the anestesiologist (sp?), the radiologist, the pharmacist, the dietician, the family doctor, the nurses, the insurance company…the list goes on and on. The isolation comes when you must seperate yourself from the general population because of the possibility of infection. The isolation that the patient feels when heading in for the surgery or the treatment…no-one else can do those things for them. It is in isolation that fear takes root and does it’s dirty work. Discouragement can set in…thwarting all of the good and positive things that are at work in the healing process.
The thing is, once you have been a survivor…your history can limit treatments. It can also be eye opening to the types of situations you may be facing this time around. My mother has developed conditions that can be life threatening, since the last time around. Both my mother and father had difficult side effects and complications from their various treatments, in the past.
I am a firm believer that God is in control of everything. I don’t claim to understand the mind of God. But, i know that he allows things to happen that are very difficult to go through. If left to our own devices…most human beings would opt out of the difficult things and shoot straight for the easy path…myself included. My head knows that much can be learned during these hard moments in life…that God has things for us to gain in those moments. I know he has things to be accomplished during those moments…he puts people in our path for us to connect with and to share with. We will do our best to bring glory to his name throughout. For he is worthy of praise in all things.
So, I will work at praying that God will have mercy…that he will guide and direct us as we face these additional challenges. I will ask for wisdom, clarity, patience, faith, courage, strength, healing, financial blessings, and any area of lacking; that we may need to overcome in the face of these trials.
What i am thankful for, is that we don’t have to pray for love or sharing; or, willing family members to help out. We are blessed in those areas. We are a family that knows how to support one another; and, whoever is in need around us, at the time. Roomates have often been the recipients of the overflow of our big family. There have been roomates that had no one to look out for them…they were alone in their journey. My family is nurturing in nature. I am thankful for that compassionate part of our family.
I am thankful for those in the medical community who also have compassion, skill, knowledge and who are sensitive in the way that they go about promoting healing to their patients and their family members. They are our allies in the war that has been declared on our loved ones..they are on the front lines of battle trying to help our loved ones to have a full and healthy life; so we pray for all of them who will have contact with us. We respect their skill and dedication.
We have so much to be thankful for…and, we are. Are we greedy to wish for health and financial blessings to meet the demands put on the family as we go thru these things? I don’t think so. I know that God has a purpose; I pray that we realize it and make the most of it as he would desire us to do. I am just selfish enough to wish, as Jesus did on the cross, that this cup would pass from out of our hands; if God so desires.
Again…the line blurrs between faith and fear that these medical challenges may not pass from us!
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