Luehrs Line --------------------: Day 3: Simplicity Counts

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Day 3: Simplicity Counts

Today I will be writing about a holy discipline that is still in progress in my own life. I would call it under construction and possibly on the chopping block for demolition may be more like it. I am constantly re-evaluating my "simplicity" level. It is a lifestyle choice to live simply or to simplify ones life. I love how Charles Swindoll writes in his book, Intimacy with the Almighty, he states, "To reorder one's own world, the need to simplify is imperative. Otherwise, we will find ourselves unable to rest within, unable to enter the deep, silent recesses of our hearts, where God's best messages are communicated. And if we live very long in that condition, our hearts grow cold toward Christ and we become objects of seduction in a wayward world. What perils await us in that condition!" I have found this to be so true and God's word backs this up.

"God made us plain and simple; but we have made ourselves very complicated" Ecclesiastes 7:29 TEV

Embracing the discipline of simplicity is a lifelong commitment one makes to self. In a world of constant and instant demands firing at us, being armed and ready for battle is crucial to winning the war. For some reason my life had spun out of control before cancer was even in the picture. I said before cancer. Yep. I was super woman. I put on the act like I was Mary, but in reality I was Martha...busy, busy, busy. I did it all.

Weekly Beth Moore Bible Study
Baked cookies for the bake sale
    Served in the nursery at church
      Delivered meals to the hungry
        Scrap-booked on rainy days
          Canned veggies from my garden
            Sang in the choir
              Volunteered in my sons classroom
                Kept house
                  Farmers wife
                    And the list goes on...

When we allow ourselves to be so busy with life's demands we become cold and jaded to the very heart of God. I saw the warning flags, but I chose to ignore them. I didn't want to slow down. God had other plans. I am not saying that he gave me cancer so that I would simply slow down...no that's not the point here. I just know that part of my out of control busy crazy life effected my health. I wasn't taken care of me. I was so busy serving and being in leadership roles that I wasn't truly hearing His voice. You see I was more concerned about my Martha Stewart pie photos on Facebook than the family I was bringing the pie to. I was more concerned about how I looked arriving to school and impressing the other Moms. You get the point. When we allow our schedules to become so cluttered with things to do - even good things - we often miss the point of why. This was me. So I began a journey to find simplicity. I began to weed out some of the jobs I had taken on. I began to look introspectively at my to do list. I began to make some changes. I am so grateful I did. As I began to say no to more things, God began to speak more clearly to me. I could hear that still small voice affirming the things I was spending my time on. He kept speaking over and over...I need you to say no to some really good things, so you can say yes to one big thing later.

Later arrived on May 13, 2011 in the form of you have cancer...and the sound of bombs dropping and exploding around me was heard. I have learned that embracing simplicity allows for the storms of life to blow on by. Yes they are rocky and turbulent for a period of time, but eventually the storm moves on. During surgery, recovery and chemotherapy life went on. My husband still went to work, my son still went to school. Bills got paid, grocery shopping was done and my house was cleaned. Maybe it all didn't happen the way I wanted or planed but we all survived. I choose to not stress out and do it all. I choose to be simple. Today I have to remind myself to keep it simple sister or KISS. I can sense in my Spriti when I am taking on too many tasks. I have caught myself many times. The key to overcoming this is to be honest with yourself. Know your limits. Seek wisdom from above. Keep your personal life simple and the discipline of simplicity will radically change your intimacy level with Christ.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge the Lord and he will direct your path. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8 NKJV

Amen

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My Cancer Story

Many have asked me how long have you been sick? When did this all begin? Tough questions even for me to answer...all I can say at this point is I finally found some Doctors who listened to all my symptoms and did something about it. Late in April 2011 I went to see a family practitioner who sent me to a GI specialist for a colonoscopy. This resulted in a diagnosis on May 13th, 2011 of cancer in the colon. The extent was unknown at that point in time. I had to wait until Monday May 16th, 2011 for a CT scan. Then wait till Tuesday for an appointment with the surgeon, who would later remove the colon. I was informed of the biopsy results: adenocarcinoma. The CT did not show any signs of the cancer spreading to other organs (praise the Lord). In fact the CT did not even show the tumor. It was estimated by the GI Doctor to be the size of a golf ball. So surgery was scheduled for May 31st, 2011. Surgery was successful. They removed about a foot of the sigmoid colon and 20 lympnodes. I had to wait again for lab results. On June 2nd, 2011 I was told about the lab results. The tumor had evaded through the colon wall. Two out of the twenty lymph nodes tested positive for cancer. This elevated the stage of my cancer to 3 B. This is when I knew chemotherapy would be necessary. Recovery from surgery went well. GI functions are returning on their own and pain was easily controlled. I had my first appointment with the oncology team at MSTI (Twin Falls) on Friday June 17th, 2011.

I started chemotherapy on July 13th. The plan was set to give every two weeks for infusion treatments of poison. Sounds great on paper. The reality is this: chemo drugs deplete the body of healthy cells as well as potential rouge cancer cells. Keeping this schedule of every two weeks has proven to be difficult. On my off weeks I get my blood levels checked. This is to determine if it is "safe" enough for me to get chemo again. Safe...uh...it's poison right? Anyway chemo treatments have come and gone now, twelve in all. I finished up with my last round on January 27th.

On January 29th 2012 I had a CT scan. My oncology doctor said everything looked fine. No cancer detected. Doing the party dance! I am officially on the other side of living cancer free. I am celebrating in many ways. This has been the hardest thing in my life to do. Not to mention to try to balance so called "normal" life at home on the farm.

As far as the future goes with my health I have a few more doctor appointments scheduled. I will have another colonoscpy in May. For now, it is just watch and monitor my blood work and pray cancer doesn't return. Prognosis is good and I am believing and trusting in a mighty God. He is faithful!

Fast forward seven years -- 2018! Still cancer free! After many lab tests, blood work and CT scans so far no cancer detected. Miracles still happen everyone!

Favorite Quotes

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do. Helen Keller

"Every good work should be a revelation of the glory of God. What makes the good deed an act of love is not the raw act, but the passion and the sacrifice to make God himself known as glorious. Not to aim to show God is not to love, because God is what we need most deeply. And to have all else without him is to perish in the end. The Bible says that you can give away all that you have and deliver your body to be burned and have not love (1 Corinthians 13:3). If you don't point people to God for everlasting joy, you don't love. You waste your life." John Piper ---Don't Waste Your Life

"Surrender is the key that unlocks the vault of God's best and deepest treasures." Charles Swindoll

"You can't move people to action unless you first move them with emotion. The heart comes before the head." John Maxwell

Spiritual growth is a conundrum. The key to spiritual growth is developing healthy and holy routines called spiritual disciplines. But once routine becomes routine we need to change the routine. Why? Because sacred routines become empty rituals if we do them out of left-brain memory instead of right-brain imagination. When we learn how and forget why we start going through the motions spiritually. Mark Batterson

Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. --Reinhold Niebuhr

Luehrs Line --------------------

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Day 3: Simplicity Counts

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