At the Most Unlikely Moment, January 29
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Thomas Sherrod
“For when we were still without strength [helpless], in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6 NKJV).
I just got off the phone with my friend Mike, whose wife is finishing the process of chemo and radiation treatment. He told me, “When a buddy of mine found out what we were facing, he warned me that ‘this is going to be hard.’” Mike said he nodded his head and thanked his friend for the information, but he had no idea what his friend was talking about. Later in the treatment process, Mike called his buddy back and asked what he had meant. He answered, “At times you might feel helpless and exhausted. It is the daily grind that can wear you down.”
Mike had no context for his buddy’s warning when it was offered. Now, at the close of the treatment process, he is like a foot soldier on the battlefield. He has a much better idea of what was meant by “this is going to be hard.” He realizes that there are no easy answers to some tough questions. “When will we know if the cancer is gone? Is this something we will have to deal with the rest of our lives?” These and other questions are often unanswerable. The maddening frustration of seeing a loved one suffer the ravages of chemo is emotionally exhausting. The thought that there has got to be a better way of treating this cancer reoccurs in our minds. Putting poison in our bodies to eradicate a disease seems like something from the Middle Ages. We pray for medical advancements. We review the past and wonder if we or the doctor could have known something sooner.
We search for a ray of hope! We are much too familiar with the feeling of helplessness or being without strength as expressed in Romans 5:6, “For when we were still without strength [helpless], in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Yet, this scripture reminds us that when we feel completely without strength is when we can realize God is our strength. We know that without God we are without hope. We hit the wall. We throw up our hands. We give up. Yet, at just that moment, God can become more real than ever. When we have reached the end of our rope, God can speak to us in new ways. When we throw up our hands, we are able to be held by God. We can hear the familiar promises with new ears. The assurances that God will never leave us, that God forgives us, or that God will make a way take on deeper and more personal meaning. A phrase that we have only understood in our heads enters our hearts and brings hope in a new way.
Pray: Lord, may You speak to us at the most unlikely moments. May You open our ears to hear Your voice and open our eyes to see Your work within us. Remind us that there are no dead ends with You. Thank You that You never quit on us, and Your mercies are fresh every morning. Infuse Your grace and strength into our lives as we walk this road home. Amen.
Your Turn:
Envision a well-worn hiking trail heading into the woods where the road ends. It might be scary at first, but ask God for eyes to see Him at work as you go “off road.”
Imagine laying a heavy burden at the foot of God and trusting God will take care of it in ways you never could.
Thomas W. Sherrod, Cancer Survivor
Tom is a retired hospital chaplain who works part time for Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health System in North Carolina. He organized and facilitated a cancer support group for twenty years as part of his hospital ministry. He is married for forty-four years and enjoys his three daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. He is a recent survivor of prostate cancer and is immensely thankful for all of God's grace and provisions through it all.
Pat Becherer
In honor of my father, Pat Becherer, whose birthday is January 29th.
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