It is Finished-The Christian’s victory over cancer is SURE!

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The young man’s fight ended 24 hours after we saw him. Thursday night.

I spoke to his sister that morning, she was talking about how she’s been with him 24/7 but now has company at least. How she doesn’t even want to take a walk in case something happens. Yet at the same time, he was more aware, he smiled, she lived in hope of a miracle healing. Said she didn’t want to even think of the alternative because it would “make her go mad.”

Well, the alternative happened that very evening. And though at times she’s had to accompany people out the hospital or go to the toilet..she was there to see his final smile. To witness his final breath. She got HER final wish.

He fought the good fight. When my husband (who’s now in the UK en route to Spain) spoke, you could tell the young man was ready. He was right with God. All he worried about was his devoted, tired sister.

The morning I spoke to her was surreal. It’s amazing how one can find laughter in the midst of such sorrow. Not many can say they have watched a loved one losing their grip on life yet still find joy in the journey. We laughed about how he was naughty. She’d be lying down and he’d call her. Thinking he needed help wit his drip or blankets or was in pain, she’d attend to him. Only for him to say cheekily“Nah, was just making sure you’re still here!”

Death is horrible. But his hope was sure. She said God spoke to her and her path is marked out. Her brother’s job on this earth was done, now all she needs to do is ensure that she gets to meet him in heaven. She will miss him. But she still has hope. She will meet him again where she won’t watch him suffer. She will meet him again.

And so will I. Along with all the other loved ones I lost to cancer.

Then we’ll be able to say “Goodbye cancer. You lost. We are here..FOREVER!”

Was He Ever in Remission?

The sibling said he was ‘cancer free’ for 9 months till it returned.

I’d like to say he was “NED” (No Evidence of Disease) which is apparently the more modern phrase for those with no detectable cancer in the body.

This young man…They want to hold his university graduation in his hospital room. The university is in another province so it’s very kind of them.

But truth is..If he lasts till THIS Friday,it will be a miracle. Let alone April 21

I hate cancer. Especially metastatic cancer.

She has cared for him for months.sacrificing her further education. Stayed with him 24/7. She’s too scared to leave the hospital room to take a break, I’m told because she fears “something might happen” in her absence.

When you hug someone who you’ve been thinking about, worrying about, and they say “I’ve been waiting for you…” it breaks your heart. And when you have to leave and they say “Thank you for coming” while hugging you back tightly, it breaks your heart.

I will say it again

I hate cancer. Especially metastatic cancer.

Where did I go today?

Well.Besides to church and back. We held a Stop Smoking Walk. It was great fun. Interesting. And everything in between.Have I ever mentioned how much I love my church family?

Those might not be clear so..The back reads “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Cor 6:19

We had visitors from other churches who also participated and it was interesting how after our chanting was over, our T shirts did the rest of the talking. We were given police permission (and City Council too) to do it from 1-3pm so after that we couldn’t hold up our banners or yell anymore but on our walk back to church many people read our T shirts aloud anyway. Silence is golden.

Thankful Thursday (2)-Your comments

I’m very thankful for YOUR COMMENTS (and emails, P you know who you are). I’m a very ‘complex’ person. ie. I don’t do much of what most people do (except for breathe, eat, drink, smile..etc)

I’ve mentioned before that even my type of homeschooling is very different to most homeschoolers. So I don’t really have a sense of community with them either. Point is, I don’t have a friend who’s exactly like me-homeschools, into ultra modesty, believes grace is the ability God gives you to to keep the law, natural hair(or DIY locs), in South Africa, frequently travelling husband etc.

But I find in you, pieces of me. Each of you say things that resonate in different parts of me. And I’m thankful that there is a sense of community.

Those who are childless think conversation with a 5 and 6 yr old fills the same type of emotional gap that a fellow adult fills. Not a chance.

And so though- as dear friend mentioned- we can’t sit together at a table drinnking a cup of Rooibos tea, I still appreciate the remarks you make.

Thankful Thursday-the blessing and the curse

 

Yesterday morning I read Deut 28 and was reminded of Isaiah 65. The curses that are written in Deut 28 for those who do not obey, are basically the opposite of the promises given in Isaiah 65 to those who will make it to heaven and to the New Jerusalem.

People like to focus on the negatives. “If you don’t do this, you will go to hell…” Why not “If you (and God) do this, you will live a life of peace and joy with Him.” It reminds me of Ezekiel 16. God enumerates all the terrible things his church has done but right at the end He tells her that if she repents, He will renew His covenant with her. That’s the point of Christianity. We aren’t perfect. We have fallen. But God still woos us and promises us LITERALLY-heaven and earth if we turn away from disobedience. I’ll copy the verses-starting with the curses- and leave it there. I’m thankful that for every ‘punishment’ God warns about, He has a wonderful promise for those who truly love Him. Let us worship Him out of love and gratitude, not fear.

Deut 28:29-33 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.

Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.

Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.

Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and [there shall be] no might in thine hand.

The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed always

And the blessing:

 Isa 65:17-25. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.

They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

I didn’t know

I was vacuuming. Minding my own business. I moved this chair out the way, while bending down to pick something up.

And the chair YELPED! It SQUEALED!

Oops

I didn’t know he was sitting there reading!

Which is where he disappears to. Need to ‘encourage’ him a bit more to look forward to copying his sister

No children were harmed. And yes, Eliora was supervised closely.

Flattery is for fools

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. John 15:20

People like having their egos massaged. They like to be told they are the best. They like to be fawned over, to be ‘liked’ by people. It gives one a ‘high’ when they feel that everyone is adoring him and the high sense of gladness at being accepted by the masses gives one a warm glow.

Look at Jesus, riding on the colt. People everywhere shouting praise. Everyone so happy to see Him. People even sacrificing their robes to lay them on the dusty ground for the donkey to tread upon. Oh, they were so excited and happy to see Him. They fawned over him, they liked him, they probably thought they loved Him. Even the priests became jealous of all the positive attention he was being given, the flattery that people were heaping upon Him.

But wait a minute. Once you start telling an uncomfortable truth then people start to think twice about you. When you start gently showing them where they are going wrong, the whispers start. The backstabbing comments, the unkind words, the faultfinding and criticism. Once you start to lead people not to fun and entertainment and earthly pleasures but onto the narrow way,suddenly you’re an enemy and don’t deserve the time of day. Certainly, you don’t deserve their praise and friendship. If looks could kill…So what if your aim is to make your own life right and to help others to also make their lives right? We don’t all want that. We’d rather think we are right than to be shown we are wrong.

Poor Jesus. One minute adored by the masses. One minute popular. The next moment, the people decide they don’t want to be led to the narrow way. The really wanted earthly pleasures. They want to have fun here on earth. The faultfinding reaches fever pitch. The criticism starts. His friend (Judas) becomes His enemy and reaches a level of backstabbing that most people have yet to meet. Jesus just wanted to make our lives right with God. He just came to show us where we were going wrong. Look what they did to Him. The very people who shouted “Hosanna!” are the same people who shouted “Crucify Him!”

If they could do that to Jesus, is it any wonder that it was done to Protestant Reformers for thousands of years? Is it any wonder that the same spirit exists today? Should you feel sorry for yourself when in your pity and love, you share how to get onto the narrow way but instead are treated as an enemy? Should it cause you to mourn when those who come with smiles also come with hatred?

NO.

Why feel pity. It’s a blessing. Rejoice!

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.Matt 5:11,12

My Sewing Misadventures

At least she likes it!

There is a dearth of modest length dresses for children here. So…I’ve made three skirts for my daughter, re-fashioned a dress of mine that was too tight around the chest which is now a dress for her. Decided to make the third skirt for church. Then decided to embellish a top of hers to match the skirt. I had bought a pattern but honestly, I have no idea what all the jargon is about and I was experimenting anyway, so decided to just do my own thing.

Putting those hearts on was something else. Negotiating those curves seems 'easy’ in theory. But in reality, it was slightly nerve-wracking. More nerve wracking than making the skirt. And 8..was too many! I shouldn’t have asked her what she wanted

But, the fact that she has ‘tried’ it on so many times during the week even while knowing that it’s for church makes it all worthwhile. Here’s to many more sewing ‘misadventures!’

I had no clue hemming a round bottomed skirt was so difficult!

Thankful Thursday-Sabbath irritation explained

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Whenever someone has noted the difference between the days on which we rest and worship, it generally been put together with the phrase “Your Sabbath” or “the Jewish Sabbath.” This has always irritated me, though I never really thought about why it did.

A fellow Sabbath-keeper made a comment that finally crystallised it and I extrapolated the cause of my irritation from there.

It is NOT my Sabbath, it’s God’s Sabbath. It is NOT the Jewish Sabbath, it’s the Lord’s Sabbath. He instituted it at creation, He reminded us via the ten commandments, He kept it when He was on earth and He kept it while in the grave. It’s NOT mine to claim.

Part of Ex 20:10 states “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God”

And this is what makes me uncomfortable. It’s as if I made up my own day. And that God kept any day and we can just choose. Nope. It’s HIS day and will remain such. He changes not. (Hebrew 13:8)

Failure is an option-homeschooling

Just for fun…Guess who drew which picture.

I don’t see why THIS should come as a surprise. I’m sure many of us live this daily.

The research came out in the APA that kids tend to do better academically when told that failing is ‘normal,’ as opposed to those who are told that failure is not an option and are pushed to succeed at all costs.

I’ve seen this with my own children. My children something think/say that what they need to do is “difficult, it’s not easy” and I tell them that that doesn’t matter, as long as they try their hardest, they’ll be fine. But then I add a religious twist. I told them that God gave them brains and they can use them as perfectly as He desires and that they will eventually be able to understand the concept. (We don’t do much testing. Maybe just for me to see if they still remember certain concepts before we move onto something totally different. I believe testing is really about testing memory retention, not skills or principles. So I ‘test’ informally-while playing or talking etc.

That went off-topic!)

And what do you know?

Without any pressure, they consistently get an average of 90% of their work correct, even though they were doubtful of themselves at the start. The lack of pressure helps. They know their own competencies, but they also know that even if they do badly, they’ll still have my love..and hugs. And it’s the cheers that they look forward to, and the knowledge that even if they don’t get it the first time, I’ll still cheer that they tried (or that they wrote neatly or whatever else I can praise) And I’m sure if the researchers had added making school FUN, they’d see even better results!

What did they do to Muslimahlocs?

There was a wonderful blog, primarily about sisterlocks (If I remember correctly) but the owner of said locs never ever uncovered them. I found it when I first started this DIY, natural hair journey in 2008. She always wore full scarves / hijiab even when updating us about her locs-no fringe showing, no ponytail. I admired her principles, and she had a witty way of writing. I think I may be at the same point-almost.

I cannot delete all the pictures of my hair that are online. Or rather, even if I did, they’d still be hidden somewhere, waiting to pop up. But at the same time, I’m not going to post any MORE pictures of my hair. If, as Isaiah 47 says, “locks, thigh and leg” are “nakedness” and a “shame” then in the same way I don’t show you pictures of my calf or thigh, I will no longer put pictures up of my hair.

I see that Muslimahlocs’ blog is now only open to invited readers. Maybe she got a lot of negative comments regarding her stance, I know some of the comments I used to see weren’t always respectul of her beliefs. It’s sad because her beliefs and principles didn’t hurt anyone. They didn’t remove anyone else’s right to do what they wanted. But I guess certain groups of people like trying to undermine those who are different to them.

Thankful Thursday-Hope

The hope in the eyes of a young man whose body’s been reduced to a shadow of itself thanks to cancer and the toxic chemotherapy he’s on. Who has lost his ability to walk.

The hope his sister must feel who has let go of her dreams of studying to travel with him, and care for him, during treatment.

Hope and faith that be it in this world or the next, a cure has been found. Job 19:25,26 Faith in God and hope that the treatment will work this time, after having been NED for a while. And I guess that’s what keeps their hope alive. Faith and hope.

Social Media Also Saves Lives

My cousin ‘in law’ was leaving his ex wife’s place after doing his fatherly duty (Take note,all you losers fathers who don’t pay child support) and had gone to wait for a taxi to take him back home. This is a guy on minimum wage by the way. He’s spent time without complaining yet virtually having nothing to eat, no electricity, because he’s taking care of his family and paying his rent.

So..he’s waiting with others who are also waiting for public transport. He talks with one of them, a vehicle comes and this fellow traveller gets on, purportedly going in the same direction as he was. By the time he realised it wasn’t kosher,they pulled a gun on him when he wanted to jump out the moving car.

Long story short, they took him to a rubbish dump, took everything including shoes-rent was due that very day- and left him there. At night. He had no clue where he was.

No money-he’d been paid that day. No rent-thankfully his housemate paid it for him so now we need to get money together to pay the housemate back. But mentally…I see acute stress disorder and if something doesn’t break soon, he’ll have PTSD. (ASD is diagnosed if symptoms appear within the first 30 days after the trauma.) The guy is in bad shape and we aren’t in the same city.

I only wonder how this woman will fare.

In the same city where cousin was accosted, a woman and her 10 yr old son were attacked by armed robbers who promised to rape her. They tied her up in the bedroom and took her phone while ransacking the rest of the house. But she had her laptopn. She managed to get free, got into her wardrobe with her son and put an update on Fb about what was going on. Two of the messages she typed as a status update were "Please help! We have an armed robbery, they're waiting for Hennie at the gate, please phone him, don't let him come inside."
A second message was posted a few minutes later, saying "Help! Call Hennie. We've managed to untie ourselves. They said they would come back to rape me. Armed."

A friend alerted the police.

Fb saved her. But who knows what mental scarring will take place in her and her son? This world is truly not our home and I don’t ever plan on making myself so comfortable that I’ll delay God from coming. I’m ready.

Insensitive Christian

At our women’s camp last weekend, I had a terrible back pain attack-the norm but it was the first time it came before midday. I couldn’t sit any longer and ended up crouching on the ground to try to ease the pain. During lunch I went to lie down in the tent, knees bent in at my chest…No relief.

After asking why I was doubled over in pain, a certain lady said to me “Hmm, when I’m sick, I pray and God heals me!”

And it wasn’t the first time she’d said something like that.

So my first thought was “So, are you saying I don’t pray, or that I’m so sinful that my prayers are going unheard because I’m not as holy as you are?”

I kept my thoughts to myself.

There are so many people who are like the disciples. Poor Jesus was trying to tell them that He was about to face the hardest trial ever and instead his ‘closest brethren’ are arguing about who’ll be next in command when he takes over as Ruler. Totally missed the boat. Only caring about themselves and about gaining popularity. They forgot to ask for details, to ask how long He’d known He was about to die. To ask what they could do to ease his burden. To pray for Him..for His dear mother…

Not saying I’d have wanted her to rub my back or spend her time worrying about me. I didn’t even consider others. I was just in extreme pain and didn’t want anything from anyone. But I’m saying that of all the comments to make, that was an unnecessary one to make.

And who knows, maybe I’ve also been insensitive to someone else without realising it. The disciples didn’t purposefully ignore Jesus’ pain. They didn’t plan on being insensitive towards Him. And I assume neither did this woman.

Empathy goes a lot further than negative comparison. Care for others goes further than self-absorption does. Love, empathy… May I learn from others’ mistakes and think before I speak.

Thankful Thursday-green pepper

In the quest to be a frugal, many SAHM have taken to growing their own vegetables. As you know, this was a privilege we were granted. But first, my poor husband had to find time to dig up our lawn, remove the concrete the builders had left below the lawn and add nutritious soil to the mix-we are living on sand.

I’ve not bought spinach/chard in ages because we have transplanted greens and red chard. Today, I picked my first green pepper from our garden. Longtime readers will recall that we found green pepper at the mission centre inTanzania so it’s not my first time picking it ever.

Not only is it cheaper, but I know that it’s ORGANIC! Other veggies are making their way out, others are ripening and all is well. I am thankful for the privilege of working the soil.

One thought I had. I enjoy being out there, I enjoy weeding. How much MORE enjoyable will it be when we’re doing it where there’ll be no more weeds, no more aphids, no more thorns!? I can’t wait to see the perfection that our Master Landscaper has prepared for us above and for the new earth.