What Cancer Cannot Do
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 invade the soul.
It cannot steal eternal life.
It cannot conquer the spirit.
—Author Unknown
I love those words. They beautifully reflect the truth found in God’s Word. Paul, facing physical challenges, could say with confidence, “We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure” (2 Corinthians 4:7). The apostle, like you or someone you know, experienced suffering as an ever-present companion (2 Corinthians 4:10). Yet he chose to “fix [his] gaze on things that cannot be seen” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Paul’s faith and confidence flowed from the treasure within him—God’s transforming power—and the future that awaited him—eternity with Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:17). He knew that when this life was over he would be forever in God’s presence, where there will be “no more death or sorrow or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
When suffering comes, we can pour out our hearts to God (Psalm 55:22). He is with us in our pain (Hebrews 13:5). We can worship Him when He chooses to heal and when He chooses not to heal. But no limited thing like disease or suffering can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:38). An ultimate healing, as Christian composer Wayne Watson puts it, lies just ahead.
Today, fix your eyes on what can’t be seen—what an awesome, breathtaking view!
More:
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever (Psalm 73:26).
Next:
What fills your heart and mind as you fix your eyes on what can’t be seen? What does ultimate healing mean to you?
jeGeddes on November 15, 2010 at 12:57 am
Many people see God as this big angry god, who sends a bolt of lightning on people who disobey his rules. That is not the God I follow, why would anyone go for a god like that. The book of Lamentations (which I have read recently) full of Israel crying out to God. It is full of the really negative stuff on how God deserted them, but around chapter 3, the writer starts talking about how loving God is. And I am just encouraged by the fact God will never let me down. I wonder if any other religion can match with the true God!
tom felten on November 15, 2010 at 10:29 pm
jeGeddes, chapter 3 of Lamentations is one of my favorites. Especially verses 22-24: “The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’”