During Easter, I was meditating on the resurrection passage, “the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with great joy.” It occurred to me that when the women heard the news that Jesus had risen they had mixed emotions.
Traveling through this unknown valley of cancer with my daughter, there have been many times we have been "afraid yet filled with great joy." It is only natural that our emotions react to disturbing news because of the endorphins that our brain releases. How we react to or respond to these emotions depends on the foundation we have based our life on. You can choose to react in anger and hopelessness or you can respond to the truth of what God's Word promises.
The women were afraid when the angel appeared to them but they were filled with great joy because Jesus was alive not dead. This seems to be exactly what we have experienced. Cancer is bad. The news is bad. It is like getting gut-punched. You can’t eat or sleep, your brain goes crazy with “what if”. Then you remember “Jesus is alive.” He created us. He loves us. He died for us. He was resurrected for us. When we trust Him, we remember He has a plan for us. Cancer is bad but God is good. That is our foundation. When you trust in what you know and believe to be the truth then you are filled with great joy. In your fear you can also be filled with great joy.
What are you afraid of today? Finances. Health. Being alone. Sad. Depressed. Your dreams shattered. Addictions. Angry. Whether your fear is for yourself or for someone else, there is reason to have great joy. The women went to tell everyone Jesus is risen. What He said is true.
So when you see or hear frightening news, remember the hope we have in Jesus. He is never going to leave us. He knows. He has a plan.
May your day be filled with the same kind of joy these women experienced after they were afraid.
2 comments:
I am going through my 4th month of my husband's stroke. The doctors said he wouldn't live, that if he did live, he would be on life support and comatose. Well, I still don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know God has a plan and I put my faith in Him that it is good. My husband just transferred to a nursing facility in Rockwall to continue his rehab. From the moment the doctors gave us the prognosis, we would not accept it and believed in God for his healing. We knew what the possibilities were, but we stood on FAITH. Today, my husband is talking, feeding himself and working with great purpose to get up, walk and be independent. I have told him that he will be a testimony to thousands for the glory of God as to the power of prayer and that God still performs miracles.
Yes, I still have fear and I know who it comes from, it is not of God. So I have to have "blind faith" not logic or relying on what has happened with others in the same situation.
I pray for Lisa, she is a very determined young woman. Faith and determination can take you to unimaginable places.. when man says no way God says yes there is a way, I AM THE WAY.
Whatever the outcome of our loved ones, God's plan will come to fruition for His GLORY.
I pray for you, I think it is harder to be the onlooker/caregiver than it is the one that is ill because we feel so helpless. God will help us as well, He is our strength and our salvation. What would we do without Him? How can anyone live without Him, I don't know. We will spread the word because we believe and because we were commanded to. We don't really have to be commanded to because when you believe you can't keep it to yourself. God is so incredibly awesome, we will have ETERNITY to live in Paradise with our loved ones and friends and will become friends with the world of people we have yet to meet.
I am going through my 4th month of my husband's stroke. The doctors said he wouldn't live, that if he did live, he would be on life support and comatose. Well, I still don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know God has a plan and I put my faith in Him that it is good. My husband just transferred to a nursing facility in Rockwall to continue his rehab. From the moment the doctors gave us the prognosis, we would not accept it and believed in God for his healing. We knew what the possibilities were, but we stood on FAITH. Today, my husband is talking, feeding himself and working with great purpose to get up, walk and be independent. I have told him that he will be a testimony to thousands for the glory of God as to the power of prayer and that God still performs miracles.
Yes, I still have fear and I know who it comes from, it is not of God. So I have to have "blind faith" not logic or relying on what has happened with others in the same situation.
I pray for Lisa, she is a very determined young woman. Faith and determination can take you to unimaginable places.. when man says no way God says yes there is a way, I AM THE WAY.
Whatever the outcome of our loved ones, God's plan will come to fruition for His GLORY.
I pray for you, I think it is harder to be the onlooker/caregiver than it is the one that is ill because we feel so helpless. God will help us as well, He is our strength and our salvation. What would we do without Him? How can anyone live without Him, I don't know. We will spread the word because we believe and because we were commanded to. We don't really have to be commanded to because when you believe you can't keep it to yourself. God is so incredibly awesome, we will have ETERNITY to live in Paradise with our loved ones and friends and will become friends with the world of people we have yet to meet.
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