Sensing Our Surroundings, October 11
Inside the Cancer Journey: Daily Reflections for Those Coping with Cancer
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By Dan Held
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore (Psalm 125:2 NIV).
When my wife was diagnosed with cancer (first in the breast and two years later in the colon), one of the first things we both noticed was our losing track of our immediate surroundings. In effect, we lost track of our senses.
We found our minds leaving the present and moving to the future land of “what ifs” and “worst case scenarios.” In other words, our minds each traveled to some future place and time and began dwelling there in anxious worry. Anxious worry is not a good place to dwell. We’ve noticed the same tendency each time she faces a new test with an unknown outcome.
Perhaps we are all tempted to do this during times of tense uncertainty.
It was Corrie ten Boom who first reminded us to pay better attention to our present surroundings. She said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”1
When Sue and I grasp the wisdom in Corrie’s guidance we remember the practice of mindfulness, allowing our senses to help us live into the moment of here and now. We begin to see, hear, touch, smell, and taste our immediate surroundings. We return to our senses. In so doing we feel God’s presence in our own surroundings as never before. As we experience God’s presence with us now, we find ourselves also living into His own “forevermore.”
The psalmist compares God’s presence with us to the mountains surrounding the ancient city of Zion (Jerusalem). The first temple was destroyed and replaced, again and again, but the city remained surrounded by those same mountains. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (Psalm 125:2).
With any cancer, we may be led into the temptation of dwelling in the land of unknowns. Yet, our known God delivers us from this, as we sense His presence in our own surroundings—now and forevermore.
Pray: Eternal God, You surround me with Your forever presence. Help me today to be mindful of my surroundings. Help me to breathe in your Spirit and know You are here, now and forever. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Your Turn: Breathe in. Breathe out. See. Hear. Touch. Smell. Taste. God surrounds you like the mountains surround the city of Jerusalem—now and forevermore. Be ever mindful of your surroundings.
1. https://www.azquotes.com/author/1659-Corrie_Ten_Boom
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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