Keeping Your Heart


Tom had his treatment this week without any problems.  His blood numbers had not moved from the previous week which was good news.  He now has 7 treatments left.  We are cautiously looking toward the end of chemo.  There will be celebrating when we are done.

The last post I made was about the 'waiting room' that we feel we are in now.  Our lives have been put on hold while he goes through his treatment.  At each week of chemo he receives a blood test that determines if he is healthy enough to receive treatment.  Each time he receives his treatment, he is one step closer to being done.  But waiting or postponing treatment is discouraging.

Some of our family attends Ada Bible Church near here.  I often watch the services during the week.  The Bible teaching is an encouragement to me.  This week's sermon is part of a series called Choosing Joy Under Pressure.  I have been watching with great interest.

Jeff Manion's sermon this week asked the question, "How in the world do you keep your heart alive when you're in the waiting room?"

I felt like Jeff Manion had read my blog and was speaking to us directly.  Here is what he said that spoke to me.

"The road may be bumpy, hard and painful but God is good and can be trusted. "

"Don't let your waiting go wasted. The heart can thrive by God's grace."

"How can I elevate the reputation of a gracious God?"

He shared the Apostle Paul's story from Philippians of being in chains for preaching the Gospel.  Manion said you may be chained to a hospital bed or an IV pole but your heart can thrive.  That is our life now-we are 'chained' to treatment (which I'm thankful for) and for 4 hours a week, Tom is chained to an IV pole.

That is the prayer that Tom and I share.   But how do we do thrive?  We are in the midst of the battle now.  I'll share with you what is helping us.

It is a daily battle and we are shored up by many large and small acts of kindness.

Tuesday a dear friend picked me up and took me to Art Prize.  She treated me to lunch and we had a great time walking the streets of Grand Rapids.  Her generosity touched my heart.

One of my favorites-horse team made of barbed wire


We continue to hear from you through cards and social media.  We read each one together and share tears as we hear the kind thoughts.

Anna and Jack, our grandchildren, wore special shirts that they purchased themselves in honor of their grandfather for Pink Out Day at school.




Thank you for the prayers and kind thoughts.  Please keep us updated on your waiting room.  One thing we can do in this waiting room is pray more.  We would love to do that.

Sunset on the Farm 9-27-2017

Comments

  1. so love your blogs and how God is still using you both during the storms

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  2. Thank you for your blog. It's encouraging and challenging. We'll keep praying, and it's easier to remember to pray because of your updates.

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