People are still shocked that I have cancer all over my bones. I take it as a compliment that most people think I look normal and they assume I am in remission. I am thankful that my bone scan shows me as stable, but the cancer is there. I am always impressed when I see the x-ray of my neck, because I think it is a miracle that my neck can feel so good yet have all that hardware holding it together. (see the x-ray picture below)
Looks can really be deceiving. I think we often misread people because of their looks and we have no idea what is going on inside. I have had many occasions where I admired someone and thought they looked like they had it all together. Later, I would learn that they are in physical pain, or are having some type of mental anguish. From the outside you could not tell that they were suffering inside.
We can be very good at hiding our sin from others. We hide our deepest transgressions and hope that nobody finds out the true side of us. We deceive people into thinking that we are mentally and spiritually healthy, but often times we have a hidden area that we don't want others to know about.
Many people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Matthew 15:8
God wants to work from the inside-out. He wants to clear out the sin in our life and make our inside shine through to our outside. Spiritual health has nothing to do with outside appearances. It is the inside and how we live that is most important to God. All of God's commandments are for our own good.
For it says in Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else guard your heart for it affects everything you do."
I am so thankful that I have a forgiving God that watches over me and promises He will forgive and make me new. There is no point in trying to hide from God. He sees everything yet still calls me His own.
There are also unseen events going on in the spiritual world. When I was in my 20's I read "This Present Darkness" By Frank Peretti, and it woke me up to the spiritual warfare that surrounds all of us. Satan is constantly in battle for our souls, and he is a sneaky guy. He is very subtle and puts seed of doubt in our minds. He is the one that fans the flames of discord that slowly eats away at our relationship with others. He is the one who quietly made it acceptable for us to be out on a sports field on Sunday instead of in church. He is the one that says we don't need to ruin our fun right now and give God our attention; we have plenty of time for that.
There is a battle going on, and the stakes are high; our souls are the prize. Ultimately, Jesus will be the victor over Satan, but don't be caught on the losing side! When the book of life is opened, will your name be in it? Better yet, will you have a relationship with Christ that makes going to be with him like a long journey that you can't wait to get to the end of?
For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
This past summer our family traveled to Washington to see my Uncle Ken, Aunt Kathy, and my Cousins and their kids. The anticipation of seeing my loved ones and being welcomed by them was the best part of the trip. The reunion we had that evening and the joy of being together was beyond words. I can only imagine what my reunion will be like in heaven with Jesus! I will be on the winning side, and He will welcome me in with open arms. There will be nothing unseen in heaven. All sickness and pain will be gone, and there will be no sin to cover up.
Sandy
