God's been there through this, He'll be there through that too...and I'll still learn something new.

I found this and laughed!!!

Top 10 Ways to Know You are a Cancer Survivor

10 Your alarm clock goes off at 6 a.m. and you're glad to hear it.
9. Your mother-in-law invites you to lunch and you just say NO. (It's ok Joann, we are still on for dinner :)
8. You're back in the family rotation to take out the garbage.
7. When you no longer have an urge to choke the person who says,
"all you need to beat cancer is the right attitude."
6. When your dental floss runs out and you buy 1000 yards.
5. When you use your toothbrush to brush your teeth and not comb your hair.
4. You have a chance to buy additional life insurance but you buy a new
convertible car instead.
3. Your doctor tells you to lose weight and do something about your
cholesterol and you actually listen.
2. When your biggest annual celebration is again your birthday, and not
the day you were diagnosed.
1. When you use your Visa card more than your hospital parking pass.

Just thought I would share some comic relief as I head into this next week of doctor appointments. I have my blood work done tomorrow, meet with my oncologist Dr. Powell at Cancer Care on Tuesday to talk about my blood counts, schedule when I get my scan to show if there is any cancer left, when my port should come out, and the other 10 questions I have for him. And then on Thursday is my appointment with my OB/GYN to discuss my future family status. Which I feel once my cancer is in remission…this will be my next big mountain to climb.
It’s funny I say mountain because my small group is doing a series on Keep Climbing: Why God doesn’t give you everything you want. And today, we talked about when you are in a tough situation, why doesn’t it feel like God is on your side? Well we know that God IS always on our side, so the question became about the situation and how do we still see God working in bad situations, when it seems like He’s not even there at all.

We came to the conclusion that God always hears your prayers and that there are three ways to look at how God helps us in our circumstances. He either uses Interference, Interaction, or Inner Action. Interference is what we would call the MIRACLES in life, where God intervenes and the circumstances change. We did nothing to get our answers or to make the situation better…it’s the miracle cure, the money that showed up out of no where…that kind of interference. And then there is Interaction, where God interacts and empowers us to act and uses other people or things to help reach the goal. Then there is my favorite…Inner Action, where God is working inside YOU. This is where nothing changes around you, your circumstance doesn't change, but YOU do. He is changing us from within. We start accepting the mountains we are faced with and are like Paul in the bible. You are changed, therefore your situation has changed even though it looks as though nothing has on the outside. I don’t think my Pursuit has been an Interference, and I think it may be a little Interaction because of treatments and you guys for my support. But most of all, I think in this situation, God has used more Inner Action. I have done more changing inside ME than anything throughout this Pursuit.

When you are in a tough situation, it is much easier to experience God. But when you aren’t in a tough situation, and just living the day to day life, it can be hard to ‘feel or experience’ God. It’s kinda like nothing is going terribly wrong, so you don’t need to turn to God as often. However, I have learned that when you get ‘real’ with life is when you really experience God. And you do not have to be at church to experience God (don't get me wrong, church is great for worship, fellowship with others, and support). But when you start to see and experience God in the 'normal, laid back' moments of life is when you really get a relationship with the Living God and your life is changed!
So when my next big mountain comes, how can I prepare my heart for the when God doesn’t give me what I was hoping for? I think I’m on the right track by acknowledging that even though I may not get what I ask for, God is still working in my life, even when I don’t see it right away. Just being aware makes all the difference in the world. And just knowing that God has my back and knows what’s best for me, even though I may not agree, I have comfort...because He is all knowing. :) God will never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).