Pain to Glory

Sitting in the chemotherapy clinic you see many things.  A wide range of emotions from the glee of finishing a final treatment to the anxiety of getting set up for a first treatment are on display.  The families of cancer patients sit anxiously while the treatments are administered behind a heavy wooden door.  Hard times have chiseled the faces of the patients and their caretakers.  Many look worn out and ragged but there is something else going on here- the healing power of God.

Cancer in various stages can take a huge toll on its victims- but even something as aggressive and destructive as cancer has a remedy...hope.  I had a thought driving to the clinic with my mother and my sister that was astonishing.  God, in his infinite wisdom placed the cures for some of the world's most dangerous diseases within plants, trees, sea sponges and other natural sources.  One of the drugs prescribed to my mother, Taxol, comes from the pacific Yew tree- a tree that, if harvested, takes 100 years to grow back.  But God gave wisdom to men like K.C. Nicolaou, E.J. Corey and Robert Holton to isolate, characterize and synthesize this compound in their laboratories at their respective universities.  Countless numbers of scientists are committed to the area of medicinal chemistry and biotechnology.  In the words of Paul Erlich, there is the constant search for the "magic bullet" in the war against infectious disease.

Looking into the faces of the many people there to take treatments and there for moral support, it's quite possible that they do not care about the science behind their cure.  Truthfully, it is not supremely important to me because I know the Scientist that lies behind the science.  The Great Creator whom, although the outward man perishes and grief shows on our faces, has the power to strengthen and renew the inner man on a daily basis.

Many of the patients have no clue what to expect, but God says to us through His Word that faith without doubt allows us to pray to the Father and be answered by the Great Physician.  I wrote this on a notepad before I typed it and as I wrote it I had to hide my tears.  The tears were not from grief or anxiety but from God's Spirit giving me hope that I can hold onto.  The Holy Spirit  has shown me that in our darkest hours, there is yet hope because God can do ANYTHING!!

Some of these patients may not survive their bout with cancer- but death does not always equal death, especially for those that know Christ.  Cancer may just be the facilitator of the glorious transition from corruptible to incorruptible.  From Pain to Glory.  For those that survive, and I fully expect my mom to survive, the testimony to God's healing power will be great and His name will be proclaimed in all the earth.  This is not a storm to be weathered alone, but with God all things are possible.