made for relationship

My heart is sad today.  Feeling the loss of precious family members.  Preparing for impending goodbyes with a dear friend who is moving and my seniors who are graduating.  Feeling hurts from being human.  If I had my way right now, I would take my family and move to the middle of the desert.  Isolated, seeming to escape the hurt and loss that loving people deeply brings, but not really.  I would never survive in isolation, even though my heart longs for it sometimes. 

We humans were created from the very beginning for relationship.  Read Genesis chapters 1-3.  God made Adam for relationship with Himself.  And then God saw that Adam needed another human for relationship, so He created Eve.  There is no denying it.  Woven into the fabric of our beings is the need for relationship.  That was and still is God's plan.

Jesus came to earth to restore our relationships with God.  Since the fall of Adam, humans had been separated from God by sin.  Jesus was was the One and Only sacrifice that could restore us for eternity.  The devil failed in separating us forever from God, but he keeps meddling in our human relationships in an effort to thwart God's plans for us.

Mark 12:30-31 (NLT) says, "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.  The second [command] is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.  No other commandment is greater than these."  There you have it!  We are made for relationship.  Even when it is hard.  Even when our hearts break.  Even when goodbyes are imminent. 

Jesus knew the very same pain...He was betrayed by His closest friends.  And yet, He died to restore relationships.  That is the bottom line.  I am not feeling confident, but I choose to pursue relationships...with God and with people...because the truth is that I was (and you are too!) made for relationship!

reflections of a survivor

7 years ago tomorrow I was diagnosed with colon cancer.  My battle was mercifully swift (God's grace and surgery 4 days later made me a survivor) and victorious, but it was enough to adjust my perspective on life and living.  As I approach the anniversary of my survivor day, I've been reflecting on the past 7 years.  What have I learned?  How have I grown?  Am I thriving or just surviving?

I have watched many others fight harder and longer battles with cancer in these past 7 years.  Always, I ask myself, "Why me?  Why did I get to survive?"  Each time I ask, God gently reminds me that I haven't yet fulfilled His purpose for me.  He alone knows the plans that He has for me...good plans to give me a future and a hope.  (Jeremiah 29:11)  Survivor guilt is real, but I have to trust God.  I am so very grateful to be alive!

Life is a precious gift and it is worth fighting for!  I will ALWAYS choose life.  I will ALWAYS fight for life.  It is woven into the very fabric of my being.  John 10:10 (NLT) says, "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."  We have an enemy who wants to end the lives of God's children.  The devil wants to steal from us, kill us, and destroy our lives any way he can.  I am going to fight for life...and not only life, but abundant life...until I take my last God-ordained breath.

I want to thrive in the life God made just for me!   And thriving is a result of obedience to God.  7 years after cancer, I find myself pursuing God and His plans for me with new zeal.  I am more convinced than ever that He has purpose for me, and all I have to do is listen to Him and be obedient.  His plan is for me to thrive in this life and the next.  His way is the best, and a life of surrender to Him is what I choose!

I will continue to learn and grow and change until my last day!  I am a survivor and a thriver!