Update August 23 “I will give you rest”

Matthew 11:28-30

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Today is the best I have felt in several weeks.  It has been over three weeks since my last Chemo and over 16 days since my last radiation treatment.  Even though it has been a while since completing my treatment, I have not healed as quickly as I had hoped I would.

Last week included a visit to the hospital ER on Saturday night.  I tried some medicine for constipation and it ended causing me to be nauseated and vomited for over an hour and a half.  I am so blessed for a loving and caring wife.  She insisted on calling our oncologist.  I am so grateful to have such a doctor who shows personal interest in my needs and care.  He encouraged us to go to the ER and make sure that there were no blockages anywhere.  After receiving the necessary treatment we were allowed to go home around midnight.  My  doctor insisted that we call him the next day and tell him how I was doing.

The visit to the hospital was a very painful visit.  However, I must confess that since that day things have slowly improved.  My throat is still sore but I am talking a little bit and I’m drinking small amounts of water.  It will be a while before I can begin to eat food again, but I am anxious to start.  I will not be able to remove my feeding tube until I maintain my weight and am eating completely by mouth.   My weight when I started was 228; I weighed in at 194 this week.

Please continue to pray for healing in my throat area.  I still have a lot of phlegm as a result of the radiation burns in that area. Please pray that I can drink more water and begin to eat soft foods in the next week or so.

I am so grateful for all of the cards and all of the prayers we have received.  Your love and support has been felt and sincerely welcomed.

I have been reading a book by Max Lucado called “You’ll Get Through This”.  I would recommend this for anyone who is going through any kind of turbulence in your life.  One of the things that I am keenly aware of is the amount of cancer patients there are. Just recently I found out that my cousin in Oklahoma has cancer in the neck area and his treatment plan sounds much like mine has been.  Just this week Janette’s cousin’s husband was going to an oncologist.  I talked to him for a few minutes this week and his journey has been very similar to mine.  Needless to say we are all have a heavy burden going on in our lives.  Listen to these words of Max Lucado:

You’ll get through this.

It won’t be painless.

It won’t be quick.

But God will use this mess for good.

Don’t be foolish or naïve.

But don’t despair either

With God’s help, you’ll get through this.

 God’s promise to us is that he will give us rest when we deal with  tremendous burdens in our lives.  This Saturday I will try to attend the celebration memorial for my friend Roy Savage.  He is now celebrating the eternal rest and eternal promise that God has for every believer.  I had mentioned Roy in several of my post before.  When told that his illness was terminal, it did not change his disposition at all because he knew that God has eternal rest for his soul.

The truth is that we cannot deal with our burdens if we do not know that God has good things in store for us.  We are not in control of the time we have, but we can know for certain that the time we do have on this earth that God has a plan and He will get us through it.

My nightly prayers include a number of people who are going through serious health issues.  Friends in my hometown where one family has not just one family member ill but three in one family all dealing with major health issues.  My relatives are included in my prayers.  Church family members who have been praying for me are now going through cancer issues. God is making me keenly aware of those who have heavy burdens in their life.  My heartbreaks for those I see in the cancer center on a daily basis.

Jesus implores us to come to Him with our burdens.  He will give us rest and He will get us through it.