The second round of chemo went better for me. I was not feeling under the weather quite so long. I get chemo every Tuesday, so Wednesday is my down day. My third treatment of chemo should have been this past week, however, my platelets were too low so I was given a unit of blood instead of chemo. The blood helped put a little color in my cheeks, and it was really nice to go to Glenkirk's Women's Bible Study on Wednesday instead of hanging out in my PJs. I really miss the Olympics!!
A new hurdle has arrived. Yesterday I had a follow-up brain MRI, which is every 3 months because of the tumor I had in September. Unfortunately, I have another small tumor on the lining of my brain. Fortunately, they caught it so small that there is hope that it can be radiated rather quick, and without talon screws (a nightmare for me). Still, it was a bit discouraging and felt like one more thing I have to give attention to and deal with.
The lesson on Wednesday for GWBS was The Transforming Power of Joy. Believe me when I say, it is only through the peace and power of Christ do I display joy in the middle of my circumstance. People approach me all the time with accolades on how good I look, and the joy that I display. I have to always remind them that it is not me, but Christ's light shining out. If I did not have my foundation in God's Word, I would be on the couch waiting for my last day.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Joy comes from trusting God in all circumstances. This seems hard, but it is clearly possible because it is in the Word of God. Joy does not just come naturally in hard times, actually, for some people joy does not come naturally in really good times! Sometimes you have to make a definite choice to find joy in your life. Sometimes the Holy Spirit just surrounds you with joy and you can't help but feel it deep in your soul.
When you look up the definition of joy in the dictionary you see that joy is defined as, "The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good."
Worldly joy can be found when you get a new car, a pay raise, or something has made you very happy. But worldly joy can be short lived when the car gets a scratch. It is clearly possible to have joy without a relationship with God, but it is usually a fleeting joy. Here is the Biblical definition of joy:
It appears that for us to experience biblical joy, the fruit of God's Spirit, we need godly inner qualities that we do not possess by nature. As with love—the love that springs from us by nature that is but a pale reflection of God's love—so also is it with joy. Until we come to the point where by faith we are supremely confident of God's presence in our life—of His providence toward us in the past, present and future—we will not experience the enduring fullness of satisfaction God wants us to have.
God's joy is contagious, powerful, and eternal. God's joy gives us strength because we know that God can bring us through to the other side of our trial. Biblical joy comes from a long-term perspective. We know we have eternity to look forward to.
If you need a burst of Godly joy, then look up scripture in your Bible's concordance. I get tremendous joy listening to Christian music. Being a part of God's kingdom on earth gives me the deepest and longest lasting joy I could ever imagine!!
When I was a child, we sang a song in Sunday School that went like this:
I have the joy,joy, joy, joy down in my heart Where!
Down in my heart!
I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart Where!
Down in my heart to stay!
Even a little tumor can't squelch my joy!
Blessings,
Sandy
