Lloyd Christmas

 

It's been almost 18 months since I knew something wasn't right with my health and about 15 months since I learned it was because of a rare and aggressive Bile Duct cancer.  My quick update is, that after all the 2022 Chemotherapy and Radiation, I still have that inoperable tennis-ball-sized tumor inside my liver.  No change.   

BUT... I have not had ANY cancer treatment all this year and no medication for pain or nausea for most of the year.  Yahoo! Thank the Lord for this gift!  For the most part, I feel pretty good.

In the medical world, it is easy to become distracted by tests and statistics.  Sometimes, I really fight being obsessed with those numbers.  If they are "bad", then I feel defeated.  If they are "good", then I'm victorious. 

I'm embarrassed to admit that I watched the silly movie, "Dumb and Dumber".  Admit it.  I know that some of you have watched it too.  If so, you probably remember these oft quoted lines:  

    • Spoiler alert.  Despite his naive faith in his ability to attract, Lloyd Christmas does not "get the girl". 
    • Neither do some of the Bible people in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, the Hall of Faith.  Many of them do, but that's not the point.  You can read it here.  All of them put their faith in God, not themselves.  
    • That's the point.  
    • God did His amazing, perfect Will through them, whether or not things turned out the way they wanted them to turn out.  In chapter 12, the author of Hebrews encourages me not to keep my eyes on the tests and the scans.  You know...getting "the girl".
    • Therefore..."let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith".
    • I am striving to get the point.


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