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Thursday, March 7, 2019

Whisper the Promise...

The cancer journey is hard.  Sometimes too hard.  We falter under the weight.  We lose sight of Hope.  We doubt God's goodness...

When mind and body are pushed past what can be endured, the Promise-Giver whispers Hold on to Me...


The Promises of God are rich and true and written especially for you, and for me.  When we struggle?  Take a verse and make it our own.  Read the Scripture, then Whisper the Promise... Let His word speak Hope to our heavy hearts... Here are some of our favorites:


When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.   Isaiah 43:2
The Promise:  When I go through deep waters, God, you will be with me.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11
The Promise:  I know God has a plan for me... a plan to prosper and not to harm me, a plan to give me hope and a future.

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."  Deuteronomy 31:6
The Promise:  I will not be afraid nor terrified because you Lord God go with me and will never leave me nor forsake me.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10
The Promise: I will not fear for God is with me.  He will strengthen and help me, He will uphold me with His righteous right hand.

Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.  Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.  Psalm 62:6-8
The Promise: I will not be shaken, for God is my rock and my salvation.  God is my fortress.  I will trust in him at all times, I will pour out my heart to him, for God is my refuge.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.  Exodus 14:14
The Promise:  The Lord will fight for me, I need only to be still.

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.  Psalm 55:22
The Promise:  I will cast my cares on the Lord and he will sustain me; He will never let me be shaken.

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.  Isaiah 58:8-9
The Promise:  When I call the Lord will answer, when I cry for help, he will say: Here am I.

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.  Psalm 138:3
The Promise:  When I called, you answered me, you strengthened my soul.

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.  Psalm 103:2-4
The Promise:  I will praise the Lord and will never forget all his benefits - He forgives all my sin and heals all my diseases, He redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Matthew 11:28-29
The Promise:  I will come to God when I am weary and heavy laden and He will give my rest.

Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.  For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.  Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.  Psalm 33:20-22
The Promise:  My soul waits for the Lord, he is my help and my shield.  My heart is glad in him, because I trust in his holy name.  Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon me, even as I hope in you.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  Psalm 46:1-3
The Promise:  God, you are my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore I will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

*     *     *

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.  Romans 15:4

His Word is Powerful, His Promises altogether Trustworthy.


Graced to Hope anew this day,
Always,
             Jane



Wednesday, March 6, 2019

We all Struggle...




In our cancer journey sometimes it helps to re-frame the perspective...
perhaps we might choose to move our focus from the struggle to the win,
placing our Hopes firmly on the Goal,
accepting nothing less than Beating this Beast of a cancer.

A Daring Goal to be sure...
but one so worthy of every ounce of fight we have!

Daring Together, Always,
                                   Jane


Tuesday, March 5, 2019

A Daring Goal...




Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see.
                         ~ Anonymous



Monday, March 4, 2019

Today might be a Great Day...

 trust me...


It might be the day to start something New...
or
The day to start the something you've been Putting Off.

Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go;
they merely determine where you start.  ~ Nido Qubein

No matter what happened yesterday or last week or a year past...
No matter what your present circumstances are,

Today is a Great Day for New Starts!


Saturday, March 2, 2019

Moving past Fear

What do you do when Fear has you paralyzed?  The unspeakable... the tragic... the living nightmares...

Fear can stop a heart.

A cancer diagnosis does that.  It can simply stop you in your tracks.  The fear, the unknowns, sheer dread of the outcome... the panic cripples...

And how do you ever move past the fear?



Take a breathe... then take a step.

This principle served mom well throughout her cancer journey.  From the moment she heard the diagnosis, to the debilitating treatments she endured, this mantra gave her the permission to just take the next step.

She told me that if she allowed herself to look too far into the future, knowing the harrowing side effects of the chemo and radiation, she wouldn't be able to do it.  But by taking a breath and just taking the next step... one day at a time, she could endure.  And not only endure, but live life well for that day.

It reminded me of the oft-quoted joke, "How do you eat an elephant?"  {groan...lol}  "One Bite at a Time... One Bite at a Time."

There is truth there.  

Whether it's a cancer diagnosis, a financial calamity, a spouse's betrayal, or a child's heartbreak... fear can consume and paralyze us.

Take that breath.

Then take a step.

Just last week our pastor closed his sermon with a challenge that spoke volumes to this heart:

"Do not ask the Lord to Guide your Footsteps
if you are not Willing to Move your Feet."

Amen and Amen...

Graced to take that breath,
and move forward past the fear
into God's unfailing Promises.

Love, Always,
              Jane

Friday, March 1, 2019

Speaking Words of Hope

Some call it Affirmation... or a Declaration... Spoken Truth... a Mantra...

Jen Hatmaker calls it a Cancer Manifesto.

Words that encourage, calm, give purpose, and help keep us centered in the midst of turmoil.

Tamera Anderson-Hanna calls a mantra our personal mission statement.  She shares how mantras can help us gain focus on goals, set an intention for a period of time, and also be personally empowering.

The dictionary defined mantra as a motivation chant, like the "I think I can, I think I can" you repeat over and over to yourself on the last stretch of every marathon you run. 

And cancer is the most difficult marathon any of us could ever run. Truth?

Maybe we need a mantra.

A little Encouragement... and a whole lot of Hope!

Mom found her mantra early on in the cancer journey.  This poem was a sort of touchstone and helped keep her focus when treatment became grueling....




Cancer is so limited.

It cannot cripple love,
It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot destroy peace,
It cannot kill friendship,
It cannot suppress memories,
It cannot silence courage,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot steal eternal life,

It cannot conquer the Spirit.

               ~ Author Unknown


The month of March is our March Mantra Month...

Join us each day for a Word (or two) of Hope for the Journey!

My Love, Always,
                            Jane