Even So
A Journey Through Storms
by
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April 26, 2016 Dear Lord, You have given me a beautiful view of the city as I sit with You this morning. Just another picture of Your beauty. And yet, not ‘just’. For your beauty goes beyond words when we let ourselves really stop and see. Even in the storms Lord, You bring beauty!
As I sit here listening to the sounds, the voices, the teams of doctors and nurses in this cancer center working together to make us as comfortable as possible and help us through the healing process, I hear and see the beauty of God’s provision in their laughter, their genuine care, and the positive environment they have created. A beautiful reminder that You care Lord, and we are not forgotten.
When nervousness kicks in and I want my anxious heart to rest in You and calm down, You speak life into my very soul, reminding me You are here; You can handle this.
When a friend sends a verse at just the right time, or says, “I’m praying for you; stay strong,” or when the tears need to fall from the emotions, or laughter erupts ‘cause my husband is entertaining me - in all this is beauty. To feel is beautiful!
How about when someone is in for treatments and can’t get out of bed, not even to use the bathroom. How is there beauty? It’s in the gentle care of the nurse who goes to help them. It’s in the time the aide or doctor gives them by pulling up a chair and talking with them.
The beauty is here in the storms. Just like the rain and thunderstorms outside. Some days they seem to go on and on and we just want sunshine. But don’t miss the beauty: time to relax with a good book, playing games with family, playing in the rain, seeing the rainbow, listening for which clap of thunder is louder. And when the storms are devastating – where is the beauty? This is not a perfect world; there is a lot of sadness and devastation that can easily overtake. But God wants to help us through this too. It’s where we really grow, where He can strengthen our trust and faith the best. So I have found the beauty in feeling His arms around me, knowing I’m not alone, and beauty in the community of people who come together to help, and in those God provides who have been through this before. There is beauty in reaching out to others going through difficulty; it takes our eyes off ourselves all the time, so we can breathe and heal.
The beauty is here when we want to see it.
“One thing I ask of the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek Him in His temple.”
Psalm 27:4
June 4, 2016 I am thinking about the part of the Lord’s Prayer “give us today our daily bread.” What is your daily bread for today? Remember, just for today; this is daily bread. Matthew 6:11
For me today:
- Wisdom to decide on pic line – leave it in one more cycle or get a new one
- Food and water
- Joy for the day – God’s deep down joy in the midst of the storm
- A shower – which felt wonderful!
- Talk to my family
- Good day with my mom who chose to keep me company all day
- Wisdom to plan ahead regarding my daughter going to a friend’s home for a couple days
- Encouragement to stay positive in the storm
- Medicine for nausea
- Quiet time for just me
- Talk with God all day long, knowing He is always with me and will keep my focus right
- Hope for the results of the next cycles to work as well and quickly as the first two
- Bed to sleep on
- Clothes to wear
- Money needed for bills to be paid today
- Energy to exercise and keep myself stretched
- A nap when I get tired
What do you need today? And have you thanked God for your daily bread? Thank Him in advance, believing already that He is answering your prayer and will take care of your daily needs – even the needs you don’t yet know you have. God knows. God cares.
Matthew 6:25–34
August 2016 I sit here taking in Your words, and I’m overwhelmed. I want to cry. The tears are there, yet they cannot fall, so deep do Your words touch me.
It’s not just that You love me, it’s not just how much You love me, but how strongly You have wrapped Your arms around me. How jealous You are for my love: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.” 2 Corinthians 11:2. You want my full allegiance.
I look at myself; I see how much I want to be more like You. And I see how far I am from that. Your love for us is all because of You, because You choose to love us. You loved us first.
Oh, if we could help people see that You truly love us – ALL of us! You do not force us to love You back; You call us to love You. If we choose to go our own way, that is on us, not You. If we choose to believe we can get to heaven our own way – which would never get us there – instead of just receiving the gift You offer, the one true way to heaven through Jesus, that is on us, not You. But we want someone to blame. Oh Lord, how often You are blamed for our choices. And yet You love us. You love us with a perfect love. Perfect love requires all the parts to be true: justice, mercy, discipline, compassion, etc. ALL the parts. Only You can do this.
Even so, You are Almighty
Psalm 91, 1 John 4:19
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About the Book
Storms are a part of life. The good news is that we have a choice in what we believe about ourselves and who we are going to believe in. In an inspiring memoir shared in journal format, Trisha Caldwell chronicles her personal journey through aggressive bone cancer as she relied on her faith, inner-strength, and gratitude practices to battle the storm. In her own words:
“Five years later I can still taste it. The atmosphere, the days in the hospital,
the medicine being pumped into my body, the quiet nights, the sleepless
nights, even the hospital food (which wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t home).
It could leave a bitter taste – if I would allow it.
But no matter the storm, we all have a choice: either we can focus on
the pain and what isn’t right and then let it guide our thoughts and
actions, or we can trust in Christ who walks the journey with us. I decided
that in the end, it was not going to win. Even if it took my mind, my body,
this storm was not going to take me.”
As she details her experiences from her diagnosis in April 2016 and the subsequent journey, Trisha shares introspective questions, biblical wisdom, and the varied emotions surrounding her diagnosis, treatment, and ultimate recuperation. Her desire is to provide hope in the midst of your storm and help align your own journey with God’s truth and grace. For even though storms can rain down destruction, the rains also bring new growth.
Even So offers inspirational perspectives and wisdom from a cancer survivor to help others understand that God walks with us through all our storms.
About the Author
Trisha Caldwell has enjoyed writing for smaller publications and newsletters over the past twenty years, and is ready to share her storm with you, in the hopes that you will find strength and courage in your storms. Trisha lives with her family in Pennsylvania and continues to enjoy life and writing.
Other Books:
Add to Your Faith
Playing With the Moon
The Whispering Moon (watch for release date!)
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