Trade these ashes in for beauty,
And wear forgiveness like a crown.
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy,
I lay every burden down at the foot of the Cross.
When I read Isaiah 61:3, I hear this song, sung by Kathryn Scott, in my head. Her voice is so beautiful, so peaceful. It makes what she is singing about so.....well, bearable. The full text of Isaiah 61:3 goes like this:
And provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
I feel like I should reclaim our time walking besides Sophia as she fought cancer with this verse. Who knows grief more than a parent or child or sibling watching someone they love go through chemo? Who knows the pain of radiation burns more than someone who has to transport a patient back and forth for days on end? Who knows despair more than those sitting by a bed side watching their beloved struggle for breath between pushes of pain killers?
There is no one who knows mourning the loss of the life you had before better than a cancer patient and care giver.
Right in the middle of the awfulness though is God's provision. His promises to restore beauty, gladness, praise and righteousness. It is hard to imagine those coming back into your life when you or someone you love is in treatment. There are long, dark, ugly days when you wonder if your life will ever get better. There are late nights when doctors ask you to do things that amount to self-inflicted torture. There is time lost to side affects that never allow you to plan for anything good to happen, because when you do, cancer comes back to bite you in the butt.
But even then, Christ is there. Beauty is found, joy is present and praise is possible. You might have to look for it - some days harder than others - but He is there. He is making you a display of His splendor, even if you can't see it. Others do. When you hold onto Him with whatever strength You have, even if it is just by your pinky finger, He holds on tight enough for both of you. He never leaves and He is busy rebuilding you into an oak of righteousness - full of purpose, a manifestation of His promise.
Hang in there Hang onto Him and you will see it. Believe in Him and He will show you. If you have a milliliter of faith, that's enough. That's all He said you would need anyways. (Luke 17:6)
And wear forgiveness like a crown.
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy,
I lay every burden down at the foot of the Cross.
When I read Isaiah 61:3, I hear this song, sung by Kathryn Scott, in my head. Her voice is so beautiful, so peaceful. It makes what she is singing about so.....well, bearable. The full text of Isaiah 61:3 goes like this:
And provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
I feel like I should reclaim our time walking besides Sophia as she fought cancer with this verse. Who knows grief more than a parent or child or sibling watching someone they love go through chemo? Who knows the pain of radiation burns more than someone who has to transport a patient back and forth for days on end? Who knows despair more than those sitting by a bed side watching their beloved struggle for breath between pushes of pain killers?
There is no one who knows mourning the loss of the life you had before better than a cancer patient and care giver.
Right in the middle of the awfulness though is God's provision. His promises to restore beauty, gladness, praise and righteousness. It is hard to imagine those coming back into your life when you or someone you love is in treatment. There are long, dark, ugly days when you wonder if your life will ever get better. There are late nights when doctors ask you to do things that amount to self-inflicted torture. There is time lost to side affects that never allow you to plan for anything good to happen, because when you do, cancer comes back to bite you in the butt.
But even then, Christ is there. Beauty is found, joy is present and praise is possible. You might have to look for it - some days harder than others - but He is there. He is making you a display of His splendor, even if you can't see it. Others do. When you hold onto Him with whatever strength You have, even if it is just by your pinky finger, He holds on tight enough for both of you. He never leaves and He is busy rebuilding you into an oak of righteousness - full of purpose, a manifestation of His promise.
With these thoughts in mind, let us pray for these precious warriors and their families. Pray for them to see what the Lord is doing in the middle of their grief, mourning, stress and despair. Pray for His light to shine on them and warm their hearts to His Promises today. But most of all, keep praying because PRAYER WORKS!
Completed
Treatment
Sophia
Vogel (5, Undifferentiated Sarcoma) – Doing great! <"Team
Sophia" on FB>
Anna
Grace Dennis (7, Ependymoma) – Doing great!
<"Team Anna Grace" on FB>
Rylee
Beard (5, Will's tumors in bladder/abdomen) – Doing great!
Matthew
Lucas (5, Rhabdomyosarcoma) – Doing great! <"Team Matthew" on FB>
Gunnar
Peterson (5, Wilm’s Tumor) Going great! <”Gunnar’s Team on
FB”>
Thomas
Valerio (11, rhabdomyosarcoma) Doing well, scans were great and
started school!
Izzy
Slot
(3, angiosarcoma) Her liver numbers are up again, as well as the fluid
build up in her lungs has continued. She
has to have a liver biopsy, pray they figure out what is causing her issues and
that is not organ rejection! <”izzyslot” on carepages.com and “Princess
Izzy’s Court” on FB>
Aiden
Rideout (4, Non-hodgkins lymphoma) Started school but had a
migraine yesterday, pray it doesn’t come back and he recovers quickly! <”Prayers for Aiden” on FB>
Riley
Speed (7, Ewing’s Sarcoma) – All her scans were clear and
she is recovering well! <”Riley’s Road to Recovery” on FB>
Gabbie
Howe
(12, ependymoma)
Hunter Dickens (Teenager,
Burkitt’s Lymphoma) Doing great! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hunterdickens
Callie
Cheer (3, AML) – Doing great! <”Cure for Callie” on
FB>
Addison
Marshall (18, ALL) About to start as a freshman at A&M, Gig
‘Em Aggies! <addiecake on Twitter>
Paige
Poe (16,
Lymphoma) – Completed treatment and is cancer free! Pray for her year at school to be great! <http://www.carepages.com/carepages/paigepoe>
Zoe
Austin (7, Brain Tumor) – In Remission, but struggling with
effects from radiation – pray for complete healing of all parts of her brain!
Logan
Sinclair (5, Anaplastic Medulloblastoma) – Needs the Lord to
heal the balance centers of his body so he can stand on his own and recover
fully! <”Pray for Logan Sinclair” on FB>
Hunter
(2,
Ewing Sarcoma) – Doing great! <”Cure Baby Hunter” on FB>
Nicky
George (2, Ependymoma) – Scans upcoming and then he is pending
brain surgery as the result of a previous treatment! Pray for complete healing! www.nickybear.com
Courtney
Pette (17, lymphoma) – Doing great! <"Team
Courtney" on FB>
Maddie Briscoe (8, neuroblastoma) – Pray for a treatment free school year!! <”Prayers for Maddie Briscoe” on FB>
Maddie Briscoe (8, neuroblastoma) – Pray for a treatment free school year!! <”Prayers for Maddie Briscoe” on FB>
Natalie
Fraker (5, astrocytoma) – Doing great! <” PRAYERSFORNKF”
on carepages.com>
Tristan
Smit
(3, ependymoma) – Doing great!
Mark Ochoa (2, Wilm's Tumor)
With
The Lord (Please pray for their families)
Kory Krowell – Went
to be with Jesus on November 18th, 2011.
Ruel
Bobet – Completely healed on Saturday, February 25th,
2012. Continue to pray for his family, they need strength only The Lord
can provide! <”Sandy Bobet” (his Mom) on FB>
Wesley
(1
month old, Rhabdomyoma) – Earned his angel wings Monday, March 26th,
2012. <”The Battle for Baby Wes” on FB>
Daniela
Owens (9, Ewing Sarcoma) – Jesus called her home on Friday,
March 23rd, 2012. <”Prayer for Daniela” of FB>
Brennan
Scurlock (1, neuroblastoma) – Jesus brought him into His loving
arms Wednesday, April 25, 2012. <"Brennan Scurlock" on
FB>
Aiden McSpadden
(3, AML) – Jesus brought him out of his pain and suffering on Friday, May 4th,
2012.
Preston
Winslow (4, AML) Preston completed his fight on May 19,
2012. He is helping Jesus do lots of fun
things now! Pray for his parents and
sisters in their grief. www.prestonsleague.com
Ava
Caggino (4, ATRT Brain Tumor) Flew home to Heaven after a long
struggle with an infection on July 2, 2012.
Pray for her family to heal and feel the Lord’s presence all around
them. <"The Ava Caggino Fight
Aganist Cancer Page" on FB>
Tynan
Chapa (5, ALL) Jesus brought him home on July 30th,
2012. Pray for the healing of his family
and their continued work in cancer awareness! <”Tynan’s Crusade” on FB>
Fighting
Illness and/or Inpatient
Aaron
Pena (13, Bone Cancer) Diagnosed last week - Going inpatient to
receive first round of chemo, following surgery. Please pray for no side effects and for the
spirits of his family to be high!
Katie
Wagner (15, Rhabdomyosarcoma) She is cancer free but still in
treatment with more chemo received last week.
Pray for recovery and faithfulness to the end of her protocol! <”Wagner
Family support” on FB>
Cameron Lindsay
(20, Rhabdomyosarcoma) – He is enduring terrible reactions to
his treatment, pray for relief and an end to the misery! Come quickly Lord to help Cameron! www.caringbridge.org/visit/cameronlindsay
Braden Murry (9,
ALL) Going inpatient this Thursday, pray for no issues with his counts so he
can stay on track and no issues from the chemo! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bradenmurray/journal
In
Treatment
Lucy
Krull (6, Medulloblastoma) Been
going to school but is fighting allergies!
Pray for complete recovery and healing! http://erikandkatekrull.blogspot.com/
Nate
Dinoffira (2, Neuroblastoma) Done with hospital stays and doing
well, but still not out of the woods – pray for a miracle of complete healing! <http://supernatedinoffria.blogspot.com/>
Kaylee
Atkins (6, ALL) – Was in clinic yesterday, pray for no issues
or after effects! <”Praying for Kaylee” on FB>
Wes
Pak (5,
Neuroblastoma) – Has scans at the end of this month, but in the meantime, he is
going to school and loving it! <”Wes’ Fight against Neuroblastoma” on FB>
Lexie
Synder (5, ALL) Going to school again and her counts are
coming back up, pray for her to continue her protocol without issue! <”Lexie
vs. Leukemia” on FB>
Wyatt
Foster (4, ALL) Continuing
to do well and go to school – pray his treatment continues with no issue! <”Wyatt’s
Prayer Warriors” on FB>
Holden
Underwood (2, ALL/MLL) – Getting counts and tests came back
normal! Getting IVIG and has a rash on
his hands and forehead. Pray they figure
out what is causing it and he continues to do well! <”Holden’s Hope” on
FB>
Victoria
Feldman (6, Medulloblastoma) Has her scans tomorrow and goes
in for chemo next week. Pray for great
results and no issues! <”Victory4Victoria”
on FB>
Lincoln
Daniel Jones (3, ALL) – Fighting off a bad cold, pray
for recovery and that it doesn’t interfere with his treatment <"Pray for Lincoln Daniel Jones"
and "Red Carpet Kids for a Cure" on FB>
Lucy
Weber (3, ALL) – In for counts and treatment today – pray for
no issues! <"Team Lucy" on FB>
Kristina
Barrett (9, sarcoma in lungs and arm) – Tumors are still
stable, praise God! <"Praying for Kristina" on FB>
Makayla
(4,
DIPG) – Still cancer free and going to school, pray she completes her treatment
with no issue! <”Makayla’s Miracle Makers” on FB>
Layton (4,
ALL) On maintenance chemo, finally! Pray
she beats this disease once and for all! <”Prayers for Layton” on FB>
Raelynn (5,
ALL) Pray she is recovered from chemo and at home, no illness! <”Prayers for
our Sweet Baby Rae” on FB>
Liam Wilson
(1, neuroblastoma) Pray he is doing well! <”Prayers for Liam Wilson” on
FB>
Lance
McClain (ALL) – Got counts yesterday, pray all continues
to go well! <”TeamLance McClain” on FB>
Sander
Linnet (5, Neuroblastoma relapse) – Pray the Lord will
continue to be with him and his family will feel His loving arms carrying them
through.
Charlie
Harris Beard (2, Leukemia) 9 months post stem cell
transplant and doing great! <”Help save Baby Charlie Harries Beard” on
FB>
Shelby Adams
(Langenhans Cell Histiocytosis) – Doing great!
Last chemo if everything continues to go well, is November 5th,
2012! Praise God! <”Prayers for
Shelby Adams” on FB>
Zayley
Oliver – <”Prayers for Zayley Jade Oliver” on FB>
Taylor
Porter (15, AML) <”Team Taylor – Taylor Porter” on
FB>
Kaylea
Stewart (ALL, 6) –<"Kure for Kaylea" on
FB>
Hudson
Kadlecek (4, lymphoma) - <"Hope for Hudson" on
FB>
Logan
Brant - <“Team Logan” on FB>
Kylie
Overton (2, Brain Tumor) – <”Prayers for Baby Kylie
Overton” on FB>
Carli
Simmons (2, Brain Tumor)
Max
Low (12,
Leukemia) <”Mighty Max Low” on FB>
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