A Hollow Chocolate Bunny, March 16
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Karen Tripp
“God is love” (1 John 4:8b NIV).
As a kid, no Easter was complete without a chocolate bunny. Mom would get each of us identical chocolate bunnies, each wrapped in shiny foil with a colorful bow around their necks. At the earliest opportunity, I’d rip off the foil and bite off as much bunny ear as I could cram into my mouth. Although I anticipated biting a giant chunk of sweet milk chocolate, the result was splinters of chocolate exploding in my mouth and across my new Easter dress. You see, the bunny wasn’t solid chocolate. It was hollow. Just looking at that sweet chocolate bunny did not tell me that the inside was only air.
People can be like that. On the outside they look solid. They look like someone you can depend on when things get tough. Then the tough times come, and you discover who is hollow and who is solid. Cancer is one tough time that too easily reveals the staying power of our loved ones.
Typically, when loved ones discover you have been diagnosed with cancer there is an outpouring of concern and support. “Anything I can do to help, just let me know.” “I am praying for you.” After a surgery is done or a few treatments completed, the outpouring becomes a trickle. People you would have never suspected as solid may be right there for you to lean on. Yet some people, who you have known for years, drift away from you and your cancer. It hurts to know they are not as solid as you thought they were.
But not God. First John 4:8 says that God is love. Saying God is love is different from saying, “Debbie is sweet.” Sweetness is Debbie’s character trait because she is usually a very sweet person. Love is God’s essence. God is love through and through—365 days a year, 24 hours a day, through all seasons, climates, cultures, and environments—God is love. Love is not the way God acts. It’s what He is. God is solid love.
It’s still easy to think, “If God is so completely love, why am I suffering through this cancer journey?” After all, if you could stop your loved ones from suffering, you would. So why hasn’t God shown His love for you by stopping your suffering?
God’s view of suffering is different from ours. God looks beyond the struggles of your body and into the struggles of your spirit. Can you close your eyes and see that the Spirit of God within you makes you an eternal creature—not meant for this life, but for life eternal? Can you see that there is a battle using your cancer to try and take your view of this glorious truth away from you?
Of course, God wants to take the physical suffering away from you—but even more, He wants to push back the cancer from your spirit, so you may be restored by the power of His Spirit within you.
God is solid love, through today, tomorrow and all eternity.
Pray: God, place my eyes on Your Spirit within me. Protect me from the temptation to look only at my struggles and not at You. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Your Turn: Close your eyes and let your mind rest. Quietly repeat in your mind or aloud: “Thank You, God, for Your Spirit within me. Thank You, God, for Your Spirit within me.” Allow this to restore you—mind, body, and spirit. Repeat as needed to be re-centered on God’s love for you.
Karen Tripp, MS, LMFT, Cancer Caregiver
Karen is the Executive Director of Cancer Companions, the premiere national Christian cancer ministry (https://www.cancercompanion.org). Her roles have included authoring several Christian books including God is Bigger Than Your Cancer and working as a licensed marriage and family therapist. She is a daughter of a colon cancer survivor. Karen uses her experience to teach how to step into another person’s struggle to help build their faith while strengthening your own.
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
To learn more about our ministry and the services we provide visit our website by clicking here.
