Getting Through the In Betweens- Keep Going!, February 9
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Dan Held
“[Jesus] sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:52-53 NIV).
Galilean Jews during the time of Jesus were accustomed to traveling to Jerusalem for feasts of worship three times each year. Everyone knew the road. It was the long way around. Go east to the Jordan River, then south, then turn back west and go up the mountains to Jerusalem. Why? Because going straight south to Jerusalem meant going through Samaria, where Jews were not welcomed—any more than Samaritans would be welcomed in Jerusalem.
Yet Jesus, on His journey to Jerusalem, chose not to go around, but through Samaria.
Again, we may ask, “Why?”
Because Jesus very likely knew we all face temptations to go around the hard parts of life’s in-between times—temptations to bypass this or avoid that which is most uninviting and unwelcoming along our journeys. This may be especially true of our cancer journeys. There are those times so unkind to us that a different route, though longer, might seem far easier.
In today’s verse, the Samaritan village’s refusal to welcome Jesus showed the challenge a group of Jewish men faced traveling through Samaria. Surely Jesus’ disciples must have questioned His wisdom of going through a territory where they were not wanted or welcomed. Going through can be frightening. Yet Jesus wanted His followers to know that sometimes the best way in between is getting through, not going around. Sometimes in life there is no going around. The journey to heaven, for Jesus, and for all of us as His followers, is a journey through.
Perhaps we who have a cancer journey here on earth have our own Samaria to deal with—a sometimes-frightening place where cancer begins to push back, making you wish you could go around and avoid this place. Fatigue that leaves you unable to leave your couch, an unexpected side effect keeping you from work, or low blood counts making you unable to receive treatment are all places where cancer certainly pushes back.
After the village turned Jesus away, the disciples wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy the city. But Jesus rebuked them, and simply led them on to a different town (see Luke 9:54-55). Jesus seems to have had this lesson in mind for all concerned: when going through a rough place in life, don’t stop. Keep on going. Go to the next village or place along our journey. Don’t give power to your fears by letting them force you to stop or go back. By the power you have in Jesus and with Him as your guide, you can always get through your “in betweens.” Even your own Samaria.
Pray: Almighty God, You know what along today’s journey I am frightened to make my way through. Embolden me today to follow You through my own Samaria. Help me on to that next village in my journey. Amen.
Your Turn: Name the fear that would tell you to go around the long way today, if you gave it the power to do so. Let Jesus help you take back that power and follow Him through that place you find most unwelcoming along your journey.
Dan Held, Cancer Caregiver
Dan is a cancer caregiver who lives with his wife (Sue) of 55 years in Dayton, Ohio, where Sue has been free from breast cancer and colon cancer for two years! Dan is an ordained pastor and a licensed therapist with a heart for families touched by cancer at any stage. He is dedicated to promoting the message of more love and less fear in all aspects of his ministry and life. Check out his blog at www.danielkheld.com.
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