Don't Be Alone

I see Dr. R on Friday. it's a regularly-scheduled, 4 month appointment, and while I feel OK, you just never know what he might see that I don't see. Happened once before -- something in the blood test results made him a little concerned. He asked me to come back in a month (rather than our usual three or four months) for another exam. It turned out that everything was OK. But it's always there in the back of your mind.

I've been having some issues lately with breathing. I'm sure it's the pollen and mold that's been affecting lots of people. But you just never know. I'm due for a scan sometime soon, so it wouldn't surprise me if Dr. R orders one.

But all of this brings up the issue of anxiety. When people in the support group first join, the advice I always give them is: Don't stop talking. Talk to a trusted love one. Talk to your doctor and ask questions, even if they seem totally out in space. Keeping it all in was the worst mistake I made when I was first diagnosed. If you do that, all you have is yourself and your own thoughts to bounce things off of, and you're in no shape to give yourself good advice.

So remember that you aren't alone, and take advantage of that.

I'm going to do another cut-and-paste job here, as well as provide a link back to original page. This is a post from a blog with one of the best names I've ever come across: Beef on the Grill, written by Jerry and judi Seehusen. It's not a barbeque site (though it probably reflects their midwestern location); it's a site on integrating Christianity into your everyday life. The specific post is a few years old, but it's got a nice message. Maybe not one that everyone is open to, but some readers will be. And if you look at the big picture, it's just a good reminder that you can't isolate yourself.

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Waiting for Cancer Tests—you got to walk that lonesome valley by yourself…or do we?


In the late fifties there was a popular song entitled “You Got to Walk that Lonesome Valley.” Some of the words are:
"You've got to walk that lonesome valley
Well you gotta go by yourself
Well there ain't nobody else gonna go there for you
You gotta go there by yourself."

Waiting for the results of your cancer test can seem like one is walking in a long, lonesome valley. People who go through this will agree with what I’m saying. Whenever I have upcoming tests to see if my cancer has returned, I get edgy. I get more depressed; I isolate myself on purpose. Problems at work seem much larger than they really are, relationships seem more tenuous. Every ache or twinge gets exaggerated… “has the cancer spread?” Every thought lost in mid-sentence raises the idea “I wonder has it spread to my brain?”

Some people may think I’m nuts but anyone awaiting tests has experienced this in some way or form. Most of us keep all this to our selves. We, by choice, walk that lonesome valley alone and it sucks. After some thought and inspiration from John Piper (“Let’s not waste our cancer, let’s live each day to the fullest”) whether we have cancer or not, today could be our last day. Let’s not keep all the pain and all the joy to ourselves. Whether we want to believe it or not, cancer can be a blessing. Yes, it shifts our priorities, shifts them back to what is really important. Our relationship with God, new found appreciation for our marriages, and our children. Work is still work but if we look for it a reward and satisfaction are somewhere in the mix.

Cancer is not a detour in life. It is life. Why do we think we’re exempt from getting it? Why should everyone else get cancer and not me? Why do other people lose loved ones in tragic accidents yet I’ve been spared that? Life in this sinful world is cancer and tragic accidents along with joy and sheer delight all mixed in…that’s life.

We must keep involved in life, we cannot withdraw. A lot of people don’t want to hear about our aches and pains. Yet if we pray and search, God has gifted certain people with the gift of encouragement and the long lost ability to just listen; to be still and yet love us and encourage us.

The world and its songs may say “You got to walk this lonesome valley by yourself.” We can walk it alone or with someone else; the choice is ours. But, if we are a believer, we don’t walk it alone, the Lord is with us. Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Lord is with us. His rod (an instrument of authority; He rules the universe and eternity) and His staff (an instrument used to control, rescue, guide and protect sheep) comfort us. What is God’s comfort? It is His reassurance that He is on the throne in control of all things and we need not worry. Good news!!

Remember, whether we are on the mountain top or in the valley, whether we’re riding the horse given us or crawling to the finish line, we need to remember the Lord is with us. This is good news. Hang in there; the Lord is good. Amen.

Posted by Judi Seehusen at 11:30 PM