A Word on Worry
This past week, I faced a “good news/bad news” scenario.
The good news is that I’m still feeling good. The nasty side effects that came with the chemo have subsided since that part of my treatment was eliminated. Even the dry mouth seems to be improving.
My blood pressure has stabilized, and I’ve put on few pounds (Who would have thought that would be celebrated?) I’ve got no discomfort apart from some lingering neuropathy (numbness) in my feet.
The bad news is that the PET scan I had last week shows “progressive disease.” The results from my October scan had shown that under the chemo/immuno combination, the cancer was decreasing in size and activity. Now, three months later, under immuno alone, the cancer is increasing in size and activity.
The hope that the immunotherapy alone would do the job was unrealized. In our meeting with our oncologist yesterday, he expressed that he was surprised and disappointed. Needless to say, so were we.
He is going to be consulting with some others, including a specialist down at IU Med Center in Indianapolis, to see what treatment options are available. We hope to hear from him in the next couple of weeks.
Until then, we are left with uncertainty, which opens the door to worry. And, quite frankly, Gwen and I have been dogged by this.
One Day at a Time
Interestingly, I was asked to address this very topic as the subject for an upcoming speaking engagement. The resulting study couldn’t have been more timely.
In the Sermon on the Mount, arguably the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus addresses all sorts of topics. However, the one that receives the most space is worry.
He says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27)
I highlighted that 27th verse because it seemed to speak directly to my situation. I was reminded that worry would accomplish nothing positive and only divide my mind (which is the Greek meaning of the word).
It’s the nature of worry to get us to live in an unknown and uncertain future. “What will I do if…where will I go when…how will I live then?”
Jesus assumes that worry will arise. He knows that it’s part of the human condition. And so He offers some valuable insight. “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
I love how The Message paraphrases this: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
There’s a real temptation for me to worry about the future. But I’m trying to take Jesus’ words to heart – to live in the moment…to rest in my Father’s care in the present. And to not worry about tomorrow.
How will you face all the heartbreak life will hold for you? Because it will. One day at a time. How will you deal with all of the problems that will come your way? Because they’ll arise. One day at a time.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that tomorrow will be trouble-free. Rather, He counsels us to give today’s troubles to the Father. And then when tomorrow comes, to give that day’s troubles to the Father.
There is One who feeds the birds and who clothes the lilies. And He sees you, and hears you, and cares for you. Don’t worry.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Here’s how you can pray for us in the coming days:
PRAY for wisdom and guidance for our medical team in determining the best treatment plan.
PRAY for our hearts to be at rest, and that we will continually cast our anxieties on the Lord. (1 Pet. 5:7)
Next treatment day is February 17. PRAY for wisdom as we meet with the doctor and make decisions about next steps.