Struggling with disease and death

While I have stood helplessly by and watched my precious sister destroyed by cancer, as well as attempts by the medical community to control it, I have had lots of questions.

There are those who urge me to believe God will heal her. Speak only positive things with regard to everyone around me. To speak any negative is to open the door for Satan to move in and destroy me or my loved ones. Pray with faith…without ceasing. I can become burdened with the load this belief calls me to carry. I must constantly weigh what I am saying, what I am thinking. Where does the statement of Jesus fit in: “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt. 11:28-30. If so much is my responsibility, I cannot rest. So I find this a very burdensome walk.

How much value does God put on the physical life we live in this world? Paul discusses the dilemma of whether living or dying is best in Philippians 1. In 2 Corinthians 4, he talks of the treasure in jars of clay (our bodies house the treasure of God’s spirit alive in us). As long as there is work for us to do while in the jars of clay, then God will leave us here. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul describes the groaning of living in an earthly tent that is decaying and awaiting a building from God, an eternal house in heaven. From this, I see no directive to cling to our earthly bodies, pleading, begging, and even demanding for them to be healed.

One of my most enlightening moments was when I watched a video by Andy Stanley from his Defining Moments series. It dealt with Mark 2 where Jesus heals a paralytic man. In the midst of this teaching, Stanley asks the question “Why did Jesus heal?” He goes on to explain that in every case of healing, the people would eventually die – it was a temporary healing. We are all destined to die…because of sin that entered the world. See the third chapter of Genesis. Sometimes God still intervenes in illnesses today and someone walks away from terminal illness or disease…but they will eventually leave this body of clay in death. According to Stanley, Jesus healed the physical to prove that He had the power over the consequences of the sin that came with the fall of man. In the case of the paralytic, He first pronounced the forgiveness of sin which was a big disappointment to the paralytic, his friends, all of the onlookers (who wanted to see a miracle), and blasphemy to the religious leaders. But in order that they would understand He had the authority to forgive sin, He demonstrated his authority by removing the consequence of sin! Hallelujah!

Stanley says that because we do not understand the concept of sin and its consequences, we shake our fists at God and scream “WHY?”. (I have done that.) And God’s reply is “I knew you would ask that. Read the beginning of my book. I explained that to you there.”

So today, I rejoice that my sister has had her sins removed FOREVER – she will never come under condemnation. We miss the awesomeness of what He has already done for us and look for temporary miracles for those who must eventually die anyway. What freedom I find in this. It does not mean I will not grieve the loss of the physical presence of my precious sister, but it means the hope of Christ’s resurrection and victory over sin and death is ours FOREVER. When this journey ends, we get to go HOME!

Fall Musings

A whole month has past! How does that happen??

The best thing that happened in that month was a "cancer free" report for my sister! To celebrate, we loaded up and went to Branson for a few days. We took in the Pierce Arrow show - a good one to see - and the Butterfly Palace. The rest of the time was spent doing a little shopping and playing games. It was relaxing and enjoyable, even though her husband was fighting a cold, and my husband came home with one.

I baked a cake to take along - recipe from my favorite blog, Southern Plate.com. It is so easy and good, I thought I would give you the link just in case you would like to try it. I did not have the homemade whipped cream, and had to leave out the nuts since my sister cannot have those.
http://www.southernplate.com/2009/09/good-n-easy-cake-with-homemade-whipped-cream.html

Patty Melt

A walk down memory lane:

One of the things that I remember my mother making as a child was what we call a patty melt today. I made them for lunch today and thought I would share the memory.

First, two slices of bread per sandwich were buttered on one side.

The hamburger patties were fried separately and drained of excess grease.

These were placed on one slice of bread and topped with a slice of cheese (since my husband loves pepper jack cheese, his looks a little different).

I placed both in a skillet - buttered side out. My mother had an electric sandwich griddle that she placed them in, then shut the lid and let them brown. The cheese would melt down through the meat - yum yum!

Since I have no such appliance, I improvised with my bacon press to press them down and let the cheese melt through.

The finished product did not taste like my mother's, but they were good. I think she must have used processed cheese spread because I remember them being "cheesier". I might try a piece of cheese on each side next time.

I finished the curtains for the bedroom that my grandkids use when they spend the night at Grandma's. Remember, I spent $26 for material to cover five windows? During a rainy season, I moved the sewing machine downstairs and made my curtains. It was hard to get a good picture. They are navy with navy and tan checked trim. They are heavy enough that I can leave the blinds up and let in some light to the room. The paper is a patriotic, country red white and blue.

I did not realize it had been so long since I have posted on my blog. How time flies when we are busy. I just downloaded and read the first chapter of Max Lucado's new book, FEARLESS. I am sharing an excerpt here that I found inspiring:

"When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. Can the safety lover do anything great? Can the risk-averse accomplish noble deeds? For God? For others? No. The fear-filled cannot love deeply. Love is risky. They cannot give to the poor. Benevolence has no guarantee of return. The fear-filled cannot dream wildly. What if their dreams sputter and fall from the sky? The worship of safety emasculates greatness. No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear."

Think I will have to read this one.

Zuchinni Chocolate Cake

We had such great plans for using zuchinni this year - planted twelve hills, but have not found one on our lush vines. The vine borer has now attacked several, so don't think this will be our year. However, for those who have many zuchinni, this is one of the best chocolate cakes I have had.

Zuchinni Chocolate Cake

Beat together 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1-3/4 cups sugar.

Add: 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup sour milk, and 2 cups finely diced or grated zuchinni

Beat in dry ingredients: 2-1/2 cups sifted flour, 4 Tbsp dry cocoa, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cloves, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Spoon into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips on top. Bake at 325 degrees until firm in the middle. Can be frosted, if desired, but good without frosting. It is very moist and tasty.

My Purpose

Why was I created? Why did God put me on this earth in this time? A message by John Piper answers this question with Romans 8:29 - to conform, transform, change me into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ. He wants me to think the way He thinks, see the way He sees, feel the way He feels, and respond to others the way He would respond. Where does it start? With Romans 12:1-2 - with the renewing of my mind by the power of the Holy Spirit. The renewing of my mind results in a new me, a holier me. One way to be transformed is to focus on the glory of God (2 Corinthians 3:18). I can find His glory in the Scriptures. Another is to pray for it (Luke 11:13). I can pray the prayers of Philipians 1:9-10 and Colossians 1:9 for myself and others.

He ends the study with a very good thought: "You are what you behold!" I need to think about what I behold - is it the futility of the world, or the abundant life offered in Jesus? For more John Piper's Bible studies, see desiringgod.com.