Yes, we keep trying to blog but who knew we would experience a rainy season?  I spent more time mowing last week than usual by summer standards.  This is really not complaining but just a fact.  My yard could produce a few bales of hay after each cutting.  Just another unexpected turn of events these days.

I did make time to go to the oncologist today.  My schedule is to go every six months or so for checkups.  Fours years ago is when my treatment for cancer got underway.  So far the results are positive with no sign of a recurring problem.  We all deal with our problems differently.  No two people are going to walk through those times in the same fashion.  Some appear to just carry on as if nothing was wrong.  Others may really struggle with the process of therapy.  A few will fall in the middle range between those two options.  I am learning that remission doesn't mean that disease has no effect on me.  Not all of that discovery is positive or worth bragging about.  But it is far better to be honest than to live in denial.

People tend to overlook how life can throw us off track.  Those lucky few who can manage to keep their focus just make it harder for us who struggle.  My lessons revolve around two or three major headings.  One of those truths relates back to who I am and how that affects my coping even four years out from diagnosis.  Perhaps it does not have to be that way but it is true.  Another issue is in how I allow others to assist me in the journey both then and now.  We who are introverts can sadly miss out on that source of encouragement.  There is of course that whole other area of how this influences my relationship with God.  Be sure that a person can keep Him at arms distance at the least just as they might with other people.  This doesn't mean we don't truly have faith or really believe but it is about keeping control over self.  That is about as specific as we will get for tonight.

What you may find is theology may suffer from how we process our world.  Our coping may lack something you just cannot put your finger on.  Being a genuine believer goes far beyond quoting scripture or doing nice things.  God always wants to work in our heart so He can work through our life.  Our struggle is in not wasting those dark times when He seems to do His most holy work.  The good news is that as long as we have breath then we also have the possibility for real growth.  God is not limited to our situation or how we calculate our conditions.  He is free to move beyond our limits or our fears.  Our part is to allow Him to do just that.  We may be forced into being vulnerable, humble or desperate to let Him do just that.  Such an approach may frighten us more than the problem itself.  So may we allow God to do His great work so we are finally free from this world's clutches.  Probably it will not make sense to some but know it always is worth the struggle.

Bro. Trey