His Grace Is Sufficient!
Feb 2013--Yesterday Linda and I received the news from my prostate biopsy, Adenocarcinoma, Gleason Score 7 (3 +4), tumor length 90% of 14.4mm.
If my health were bad, I could just wait it out, and see what killed me first, cancer or heart disease or dementia. But I decided to opt for optimism, since so many things are going on presently that seem to encourage my continued presence, so I called up the doctor's appointment secretary this morning and told her that I have decided to have the Da Vinci robotic surgery for a prostatectomy.
Linda fixed a nice meal for lunch down at the cabin, by the wood burning stove; green beans, hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, and home made biscuits served with some of Mike Prince's sorghum syrup. It is such a great blessing to be able to live without fear.
Apostle Paul spent a lot of time planning for his own protection, even to the point of being let down in a basket over the city wall to escape from enemies. After many years of concern for his own safely, Paul finally learned to trust in what the Lord provides. What is provided is not always what we want and ask for, but it is always sufficient.
Yes, we prayed for a different diagnosis, but we accept what we have with thanksgiving. God's grace is sufficient. I am blessed to have such a wonderful support group; church, family, friends, and especially my wife Linda.
Good will come from this. Maybe I have been getting too self centered.
2Co 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
2Co 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
A book that I have read in the past few years over-and-over again, lists three things that we can do to help us become more aware of our relationships that are of value: 1) Stillness - take the time to not think, watch, do, or anything else. Just be still and see what God is doing. In this busy and noisy world, it takes a lot of effort to be still. 2) Humility - in this context, it means not seeing everything that is happening in light of the way it affects us, but examine everything to see how God is at work in the world, in others, etc. We will eventually see how He is working in us, either directly or indirectly. But, if we keep our focus on ourselves, we will lose sight of God. 3) Sensuous Perception - don't be fooled by the first word, all it means is using all of our senses to perceive. So, use them all - sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell - to recognize what God is doing in the world. More than most, Randolph, you have this opportunity, living in the setting that you do. You can taste God's work, see it all around you, smell it clearly in the air, hear it chirping, etc., and feel it in the arms of your family. God has truly blessed you, and yes, His grace is sufficient.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you Randolph. You and Linda have certainly been a blessing in my life. Much love and prayers, Keilah
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