Tut-Tut, It Looks Like Rain

Could you pray for me?

My energy level has picked up and as a result I've done more things. I've worked a few Saturdays. I played in the softball tournament. I rode some roller coasters. Slow down, slow down. That's easy to say, but when you've been limited for so long, it's hard to do. Well, maybe I have overdone it a bit because I've had some back pain that hasn't gone away for the past six weeks. So, my oncologist scheduled a bone scan for tomorrow morning.

I want to say, "Oh, I'm sure everything will be fine." But the truth is that I don't know what tomorrow will bring. I pray that everything will be fine and that with some further core strengthening exercises, my back will get stronger and the pain will go away. That is my prayer. I place that before my God.

The emotional ups and downs after major treatment for cancer can be hard. Every headache, every bone ache, every twinge or irregularity gets scrutinized by one's imaginings. It's like having a rain cloud over one's head. From day to day the cloud rarely changes, but one's perspective of the cloud can change from hour to hour.....if one let's it. Some days the cloud is just a passing thought, but on other days it encircles above, looming like a hurricane.

I refuse to let this cloud fester and grow within my mind. So, today whenever it's tried to gather strength, the picture I see is Edward Bear....."Who?" you ask. Well, Pooh, of course. I picture Pooh floating along with his blue balloon. Silly? Maybe. That's okay, God has given me a unique perspective and way of taking my thoughts captive...and it works for me! :)

Do you remember that story of Pooh trying to trick the bees in hopes of getting a little smackerel of honey. He disguises himself as a cloud and floats along while holding onto his big blue balloon. Christopher Robin walks beneath him wearing a raincoat, carrying an umbrella, and saying, "Tut-Tut, it looks like rain." In the end, Pooh's deception fails and he misses out on the honey. Christopher Robin eventually shoots the 'cloud' out of the sky to save Pooh.

So, I thank you for your prayers. Just because it looks like rain and smells like rain.....doesn't mean it always rains. Let's knock this cloud out of the sky!

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James 1:2-5 (Message)
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believing without a second thought.