Simply Soul Searching
HOW IS GOD LOVING ME – AND WHERE IS GOD LEADING ME?
Five Minute Friday: Endure
In 2015, I learned that I had ovarian cancer after four masses were found in my abdomen. I soon began a nine-week regimen of chemotherapy to shrink the masses before surgery. After surgery, a port was placed on my rib to allow additional treatments of chemotherapy to enter my abdomen directly. During each treatment, I had to lie still for several hours, then turn so that the drugs would coat my organs (I told Jim I felt like a rotisserie chicken)!
Those last few months were difficult. But one day, I had this thought: “I am one day closer to better!” The better included not only my hope for recovery, but also an end to having chemicals in my body. This mantra helped me to endure the rest of the treatments, as I counted down the hours, days, and weeks.
We are all “one day closer to better.” I believe this is the real gift of our faith- to know in our hearts that one day all will be well. We will often experience healings, recoveries, and sometimes even remissions on this our daily journey. But we also have the enduring hope of the eternal joy and freedom from all pain and suffering when we reach that very best “one day.” Holding this joy and this hope in our hearts helps us to endure.
Whatever trials are with us or before us, we can and will endure in faith because we know this very well:
We have the love of God that endures for all eternity.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1 NIV)
(Bible verse taken from Biblegateway.com)
Simply Soul Searching 
Whatever trials are with us or before us, we can and will endure in faith because we know this very well:
We have the love of God that endures for all eternity.
Indeed. This is so true… I will pray for you tonight Miss Karen. Keep safe… Pray always. God bless you.
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Thank you, my new friend! Your posts are blessing me, too. I feel a spiritual connection over the miles- isn’t this such a gift for us writers? Thanks so much for your prayers. I am praying a thanks to God for you.
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Your welcome. I am glad and blessed too that we are connected😊 Continue and be a blessing always.
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WOW! I LOVED this! Very descriptive, very similar to what I have been going through and I could really identify with what you were saying. I really liked that you kept it short and sweet. I have such a hard time saying just one thing in a simple 5 minute blog. I go over the time limit and then I spend an hour chopping off sentences and paragraphs, editing, and reducing the length of my blog over and over again. I have so much I want to share. You shared A LOT in your short little blog. Great job!
Terri D
#6 FMF
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Thank you so much! I can relate- this one came pretty easily and succinctly but some of the other prompts are hard to keep short. Yes, so much to say! Thanks again. 😊
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Karen, I’m just so glad that the treatment was successful!
‘One day closer to better’ really resonates with me, because while I have scant hope of being ‘well’ (when my old doc sees Barb in town he’s amazed that I still live) being ‘better’ is at least to some degree under my control, a function of outlook and action.
Yesterday, for example, was awful…I had to park myself by the dunny, and was so distracted by pain that I didn’t want to get anything done, but even the small amount of work I willed myself to do (writing, and fabricating a few aeroplane parts) was a terrific boost to morale. The day was not lost.
And I was ‘better’.
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If I may be allowed a PS…yesterday also brought me to the place where I could say that I forgive cancer, even as it kills me. (Looking at the deterioration in the last week, it’s pretty good at its job!)
I don’t want to die; I believe in God and that there’s a place I’ll be going, but I’m not of the ‘Rah, rah, I’ll be off to see Jesus soon!’ school of thought. There’s a lot to yet do here, and I’ll fight as hard as I can, but I’m at peace.
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I have said this before, but gosh, Andrew, you inspire me and touch my soul so much. Your strength and determination are amazing. You are a teacher in your pain and perseverance.
And yes, we don’t want to die, but there is a gift in knowing that when that time must come, all will STILL be well, even better than well.
God bless you. Prayers always. Thank you for writing! SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!
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I love the idea of being one day closer. And in these days, I feel like sometimes I need to remind myself that I am one minute closer because the days are so long.
I laughed out loud when I read your rotisserie chicken comment. Both my parents and my sister in law went through cancer treatments in the past five years, so my heart goes out to you.
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Amie, you are so right, we go minute by minute at times! I’m glad you laughed- we can all use a laugh in these days. Thanks for writing!
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One day closer to better. Love this and so true. I will remember that on days I struggle. Your chicken comment made me let out a little giggle. Good to know your sense of humour was still there in the hard times. ❤❤ Loretta x
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Thanks, Loretta! Oh we had several funny moments along the way! ❤
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You pack a lot of Wisdom in Five Minutes! I, like all your fans, am touched by your “ We are all one day closer to being better!” Yesterday Sandi said she feels closer to God here than she ever has and yet her eye sight is failing daily. l will share this post with her! In retrospect the hardest things l have gone through are what formed me and as l took care of Bob up until his last day l am now comforted to see that each day he was one day closer to getting “better” and without even recognizing this lovely thought we knew as he peacefully left this world, he was now healed! Blessings for US you are still with us to inspire and comfort❣️God Bless You❣️🙏🙏🙏🤗
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You are so dear to me, thank you, Pat. Your life is an inspiration to us. 🥰
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Love your mantra. This post inspired me.
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Thank you for your kindness in letting me know!
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