Happy Wednesday!

This evening Bruce and I drove to Sherman to eat with Mom, Dad, my Aunt Wanda and my cousin Ronnie Helvey and his wife Carolyn. The cousins are from Mountain Home, Arkansas where he was the local veterinarian before retirement. We met at Cracker Barrel in Sherman and had such a wonderful time. It was great to have dinner with Mom and Dad as well as relatives I have not seen in years. It is funny how cousins that I looked at as so much older than me when I was young do not seem that much older now that we all have the same color hair!

Deuteronomy 33: 27 “The eternal God is my refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

“Rest knowing all is so safe in My Hands. Rest is Trust” (God Calling, May 20) I promise these were the first words in my meditation tonight. I really needed to hear these words. I must admit that I am a bit nervous about tomorrow morning as the cancerous spots are going to be removed from my face. As my Mom always says, “They are coming at you with a knife!” But more than that I am nervous as to what the results of the biopsies will tell. Cancer is such a devastating word in our household that when the doc said these were skin cancers I sort of went into shock. There is a strong history of melanoma in our family. And even though the doc said it did not look like melanoma I still am pretty concerned.

But I also must tell you that even though there is a strong family history of cancer in my family, there is an even stronger history of faith. The passage in Deuteronomy begins with the words with “The eternal God…” To me, that means the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the same God of John, Peter and Paul and Bruce, Gaylene, Casey, Geni and Travis and all of you. This eternal God was the God of our history, is the God of our present and will be the God our future. He has not changed and will always be our God and He offers to us a refuge. He offers to us a place to rest our fears, concerns and a place to put our hope.

There is nothing I can do to make these spots go away on my own power. I must trust the doc to do a perfect job in the morning and for the lab techs who will read the slides to be accurate in their reporting. As a person of faith I must read and cling to the Word of God, pray on it and cling to it like a rope. I cannot hold onto a rope and try to swim to safety. Under my own power I am helpless, but if I trust the rope (the Word) and the Anchor to which it is being held strong and hold on, then I am assured to be taken safely to the shore. God our rescuer, refuge and redeemer never lets go.

Life happens to take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.