Jesus Is More than You Expected, December 7
Inside the Cancer Journey: Daily Reflections for Those Coping with Cancer
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By Karen Tripp
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”) (Matthew 1:23 NIV).
When the doctor says, “It’s cancer,” your mind does not wait for the doctor to explain what cancer is, because it already knows. Whether through TV, movies, news reports, or experiences with loved ones, it’s difficult to live in the world and not have our minds develop a picture of cancer.
As we start cancer treatment, we discover that some of this picture may be right on target, while other aspects are a complete surprise. Maybe you expected to be tired, but not so tired that you can’t lift your head. Maybe you knew that there would be lots of waiting rooms, but not the abundance of time waiting to see if the treatment is working.
Cancer can turn out to be more than you expected, but fortunately, so does Jesus.
In our verse for today, Matthew says that the baby to be born is Immanuel, the one Isaiah had prophesied would come. I LOVE the name Immanuel! If I were to boil down the true meaning of Christmas, it would be this: “Immanuel = God with us.” When the Immanuel, the Christ Child, came to Earth, everything changed.
Before the first Christmas, God was around us. He was around us in His creation, in the Ark of the Covenant, in His temple, in His Scripture and He was around us through His relationship with His people, the Israelites.
On that first Christmas, things changed. God came to Earth as the Christ Child to remove the barrier between Him and the people of Earth who He desperately loves. You see, to be in God’s presence, to be unified with God, to have God’s Spirit within you, you need to be perfect—because God is perfect. You may be thinking, “Oh well! Being with God sounded like a good thing, but I guess since I am obviously imperfect, I’m not supposed to be ‘with God.’” But wait—there’s more!!
The Christ Child grew up living a perfect life. Then He was sacrificed on the cross so that His perfection could cover your imperfection. This is not just about being with God for eternity, but about being able to live now not just seeing God around you, but knowing God is “with you.” Jesus took away the barrier between us and God so that we don’t need to remain spectators of God’s mighty ways. We can now be unified with God, as He is with us and within us.
The crazy part is that through your struggles, you can come to see more clearly just how much God is with you. So, just as your understanding of your struggle with cancer grows, your understanding of “God with us” will also grow. Why? Because God is always with you more than you can possibly imagine, but in times of struggle, you become better at seeing Him by your side.
The more you stay focused on God, the bigger you will see God and the smaller you will see cancer.
And that is the BEST Christmas gift ever!
Pray: Immanuel, thank You for being with me, especially through my struggles. Help me remember that You are always with me, even on the hard days of cancer. Please reach out to those I love and give them the comfort of knowing You are near as they deal with this cancer struggle, too. You truly are God with us. Amen.
Your Turn: Set your sight on God alone and thank Him for the greatest gift ever given to you, His Son, Jesus, our Savior, to always be with you. Sing your praises with Chris Tomlin’s song, “Emmanuel God With Us.”
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.
