Healing

My mother-in-law has been diagnosed with a cancer that will continuously pop up in her body. Therefore, she will undergo chemo treatments for the rest of her life (she is in her mid-fifties). This saddens me so much, and yet when we talk she has the most amazing attitude about the whole thing. She is determined to fight – even though she will endure chemo forever. I’m in awe of her, quite frankly. She is a living example of how one’s attitude can really make all the difference in the face of difficulty.

On the other side of this is the pain I feel this very moment as a dear friend and neighbor left us to live with the Lord early this morning.  His attitude all through the surgeries and cancer treatments was that of a fighter. He was determined to live. When the realization came that his life was ending quickly, he struggled with that. But, although he was afraid of what death would be like, he embraced his end and let go.

In both of these cases, their attitudes got them through (or is getting them through) a huge trial in their lives. Disease and death are two things that we all fear and dread. These are among the hardest to tackle with a good attitude when all we want to do is grieve, worry, and fear. I commend them both for their strong will and bravery – and for their beautiful attitudes.

I titled this post “healing” because I have found that healing, both physically and emotionally, can come from ones positive attitude. In many ways, how we see our situation can determine how well we can cope with the situation. I can’t tell you how often I’ve been in the midst of a painful situation and then realized that one thing in the middle of it all that isn’t so bad. Once I focused on the blessing in the midst of the heartache, then my attitude shift to a better place. That can, literally, change everything for a person.

I really don’t know what I’d do if these situations were my own circumstances. Therefore, I won’t say that I would have a good attitude, myself. But, I can say, with all hope and trust in God, that I WANT to have that attitude through my trials. I WANT to have an attitude of hope and peace. I WANT to wear that beautiful attitude of healing and wholeness no matter what life throws my way. May God grant that to each of us who call out to him and ask to receive it. May God be with my neighbors family as they grieve. May God continue to lift my mother-in-law’s strength. And, may God embrace my neighbor in his loving arms. Healing has come for him. Healing has come.