“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.” – Psalm 91
Beware the Ides of March! March 15th has come, and unlike Ceaser, I hope to walk out of my encounter with a knife in healing. My encounter is knowing, and hopeful, if not easy.
Friday, I will undergo surgery to remove cancer in my liver and a lymph node. Hopefully it will be all robotic, but it could end up being more intense and an open surgery depending on what the doctor actually encounters. I am asking for prayer for myself, my wife and my children.
Our perspective in the world is sometimes only focused on the threats around us. At one point in the past year, one cell in my body divided wrong and kept going. My immune system missed it. Nevermind that millions of other cells kept functioning correctly. This little cluster got out of hand. We forget the daily grace that abounds all around us. We may have 364 days in a year that are warm sun or nurturing rain, but only one when a tornado shows up. I am not trying to minimize tragedy or challenge. Really, my Friday is going to be rough. But I don’t want to lose perspective that there are a lot of beautiful days in this life, and there is a common, vast amount of grace in this world.
Please pray for us. My paradigm of faith sees the sovereignty of God at work. I have prayed for others in my life, but over the past few months, I have newly experienced the emotional and spiritual compassion of faithful people praying for me, and it has changed me. If God is merciful, of which I am hopefully confident, I have a new trajectory for my life. One way or another, I am going to have a deeper and richer experience after tomorrow.
We will keep you updated on the results. Thank you for your prayers during this real challenge. There is fear in this, but I hold there is a God working mercy – undeserved – but mercy no less.