God is Working! July 1
Written by Karen Tripp
“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV).
Have you ever played hard to get? It’s when you like someone—I mean REALLY like someone—but you don’t want them to know you like them. So, what do you do? You act like you don’t like them.
You walk into a room, and instead of running over to the person and saying how happy you are to see them, you turn and talk to someone else. When they invite you to spend time with them you want to say yes, but you don’t want to seem too anxious. You may even leave your calendar open just in case they want to get together, but you don’t actually ask them to spend time with you. If you did, they might think you liked them—which you do—but you act like you don’t. Pretty silly, huh?
So why do we play hard to get, when all we want is to get “got”? Why pretend? Because we’re not sure whether or not we’re as important to them as they are to us. We are afraid of being hurt.
Sometimes, cancer can nudge us to play hard to get with God.
Before the cancer diagnosis, you may have lived each day with perfect clarity of God’s unabashed love for you. Then cancer came and chipped away at your view of God’s love pouring out to you. Perhaps it began as a subtle chip, when you prayed for the biopsy to come back clean, and instead they found cancer. As each cancer difficulty, frustration or fear entered your days, you might have unknowingly felt less cherished, less adored by Christ.
Cancer hasn’t removed your need to draw closer to God. If anything, cancer gives you more reason to bathe yourself in His love, walk in His peace, and rest assured in His guidance. Too easily, though, you can wrap yourself in your cancer and leave Jesus standing on the other side of the room, waiting, arms still open.
Jesus is not fickle. Your importance and His abundant love do not sway from day to day—or even from breath to breath. You do not need to wait to know if you are loved and adored by God. First John 4:19 tells us, “We love because He first loved us.” Before you ever heard the name of Jesus, He loved you. There’s no reason to hold back, waiting for assurance that Jesus cherishes you. Remember, Jesus loved you first.
Dying on the cross was His way of showing you that He is here to stick with you. Don’t let cancer block your view of Jesus waiting for you each day with open arms. Jesus totally adores you! Every room you walk into, He wants you to run to Him. Every time you see His goodness, He wants you to sing His praises. And each time you fall down, He wants you to remember He’s there lifting you up. Don’t play hard to get. He’s waiting. Let yourself get GOT!
Pray: Jesus, don’t let this cancer block my view of Your outpouring of love into my life each and every day. Amen.
Your Turn: Think about the last week. List the things Jesus protected you from. Add the things He brought to your days that gave you reassurance, companionship, or joy. Include any concern, fatigue, or discomfort He relieved you from—even temporarily—so you could have a nicer day. Continue to look for these outpourings of Jesus’ love for you.
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.
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.
