Restoration #9 of 9-Cancer and Strawberry Jam, August 9
Written by Justin Wood
“Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish” (John 21:12-13 NIV).
Cancer and strawberry jam. Let me explain—in my grandma’s garden, there were long rows of strawberries. I can still see my grandma bent over, picking gallons and gallons of strawberries. She would take some of those strawberries and make the best strawberry jam you have ever eaten. It was delicious on homemade biscuits. But then, when I was three and half years old, my childhood cancer showed up. I struggled to take the chemotherapy pills. I hated the taste, and I hated what the chemo did to me. My parents tried to ease my discomfort by giving me the sweetest thing possible—chemo pills covered in grandma’s strawberry jam. It worked—sort of—but the bitterness of chemo corrupted my taste. Even after cancer, strawberry jam brought back too many memories. I grew to hate strawberry jam.
Cancer can ruin a lot of things—including your appetite. Losing the ability to taste and enjoy food robs us of a little part of what it means to be human. But God delights in restoring things! It has taken a few decades, but now I eat strawberry jam. And when I do, I often tear up. In one spoonful, I can taste the beauty of my grandma’s garden, the love of my parents, the bitterness of chemo, and the Lord’s restoration of my body and emotions.
Restoration looks like a meal with your friends. In today’s passage, we see an image that is repeated dozens of times in the Bible. Actually, heaven is going to look like a big meal with our friends and family, prepared for you by Jesus (see Isaiah 25:6, Matthew 25:1-13, and Revelation 3:20 and 19:9). Imagine Jesus preparing breakfast for you as He did for the disciples in today’s passage.
“Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish” (John 21:12-13).
Jesus not only shares a meal, but prepares the meal, too. After saving the world from sin, you would think Jesus had more important things to do than a cookout with His buddies. But obviously, He did not. Throughout this cookout, Jesus knew He was about to ascend to heaven and that these disciples were about to face a massive, God-filled task: starting the Church (see Acts 2). So, what does He do? Jesus prepares a meal for them.
Sharing a meal with family and friends, which was prepared by loving hands, can provide much needed restoration—not only for our bodies, but also for our relationships and our spirits.
In parallel, cancer restoration often looks like eating a quality meal with your friends and family. There are physical aspects of eating food that are critical to our physical restoration. There are social aspects of eating food that are critical to our social restoration. There are also many spiritual aspects of eating food that parallel spiritual restoration.
If you want restoration, plan a meal.
Pray: Lord, thank You for using meals as the biblical image for restoration and heaven. I ask that I will dine with You daily. Amen.
Your Turn: Restore yourself by scheduling meaningful meals. Go out. Cook at home. Heaven will be dining with friends and family. Start practicing now.
Justin Wood, Childhood Cancer Survivor
Justin lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky with his wife and six homeschooled kids. Through his life, Justin has become a wonderful mix of entrepreneur, English teacher, and foreign missionary. He is a survivor of childhood cancer. Justin is very grateful for Cancer Companions and the opportunity to be a part of this devotional writing process.
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