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Hello and welcome again! Today, let’s learn from Joyce and Rosalind, a cancer survivor, on how to keep our lives simple and let Jesus take control completely.
When Joyce first saw a periwinkle - a purple flower with five petals - she thought, “What a plain, simple flower!”
It then occurred to her that periwinkles were never arranged in a bouquet as a gift, nor in a bridal posy or even in a funeral wreath. Perhaps the world has lost sight of the beauty of simplicity.
Now, whenever she sees a periwinkle, God is reminding her to keep life simple.
E is for Energy:
The toxins of unforgiveness and bitterness in my soul rob me of the energy to love God and people. Just as bad food contaminates my body, bitterness and negative thoughts contaminate my soul. To keep life simple, I have to examine my life daily in the light of God’s cleansing word and in obedience to His command, and to release forgiveness promptly.
N is Nutrition:
Eating right for the body gives me strength and feeding my spirit daily with the bread of life gives me the power to obey God and do His will. To keep life simple, I must never let a day pass without reading the word of God and having healthy habits.
T is Thankfulness:
Having an attitude of gratitude sets me free from the trap of envy and discontent. To keep life simple, I must learn to be thankful for what I have and not what I want. I learnt this attitude from a friend with whom I stayed for two weeks in Kuching, Sarawak. She is simplicity personified! There are no duplicates in her kitchen or her wardrobe! What she has is what she needs. And what she needs, she has! Her ministry in church and at home bears testimony to this fact – she has made life simple. So, she is free to do the things that are of ultimate importance in God’s Kingdom.
E - Enjoying God’s presence:
Rush and hurry often rob my time with the Lover of my soul. God patiently waits in the wings for me to turn my attention to Him. In our world of high efficiency today, we do not take time for the intangible things like quiet devotion. We are tempted to do the tangible things on our ‘To Do’ list for the day first. “Be quick but don’t rush.” is a mantra of a successful American football coach. How do we do that? To keep life simple, I suggest that we must return to our time of uninterrupted attention to God and run that time from duty to delight. I must enjoy God’s presence and grow deeper in love with Him. I must never ever leave my first love.
R is for Rest:
Rest is almost impossible in our world of super achievers and corporate ladder climbers. Workaholism is a word coined in our modern day. In the demands of modern day living, I need to know what is of ultimate importance in my life. I must prioritise my time in the day. I need to sit down for a while and rest in the bosom of my Heavenly Father. For this is the moment to hear His still small voice reassuring me that He is in control in a chaotic world suffering from chronic busyness. Then I can receive grace that’s sufficient for the day, and strength that’s equal to the task at hand. To keep life simple, I always work from a posture of restedness.
Joyce also shared a simple, thought-provoking article written by Erma Bombeck, an American columnist who lost her fight to cancer. After she found out she was dying, Erma wrote:
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realised that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner”.
There would have been more “I love you’s.”.
More “I’m sorry’s.”
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute.
Look at it and really see it.
Live it and never give it back.
Stop sweating the small stuff!
Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who’s doing what.
Instead, let’s cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.
Erma Bombeck was right, Joyce agreed that life is to be lived at its best every moment of every day.
Joyce is amazed that is such a simple dance step had escaped her attention for so long. It is simply to ENTER fully into His rest. To remind herself, Joyce said she just needs to look at the periwinkle and hear God whisper, “Keep life simple.”
Rosalind’s Dance
2 Corinthians 12: 9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
At age 32, Rosalind was diagnosed with cancer of the nasopharynx, the area behind the nose. She went through 35 sessions of radiotherapy. Then three years later, at age 35, she fought cancer a second time because doctors found a new cancer on her neck, at the base of her skull. As a result, the left side of her neck was removed.
Two years later, Rosalind suffered partial blindness as the radiation had damaged her optic nerves. At 39 years, doctors found that the radiotherapy had also damaged the pituitary gland, the control centre for several hormones. Because of that, Rosalind was put on cortisone, thyroid and growth hormone replacement for life. Doctors warned her that without the medication, her body would either drift into a coma or go into shock. Regrettably, the radiotherapy had also damaged her hearing and as a result, she suffered from more than 45 per cent of hearing loss.
When Rosalind was first diagnosed with cancer, she was desperate and asked God helplessly, “Lord, what should I do? How do I live with cancer?” God spoke to her clearly, “Get up in the morning and give thanks that I have given you one more day. In the evening, give praise that I have given you strength for the day.” It was wisdom from an all-wise God!
God was teaching Rosalind how to remain positive in times of crisis – by keeping a thankful heart and a trusting spirit. ‘I must say it was not easy. But I learnt to thank God for each day. I thanked Him for giving me the gift of life, even though the journey was bumpy. And I trusted Him for grace to live each day well,’ Rosalind testified confidently.
Her friends and family were amazed that she remained cheerful although physically, her health was deteriorating. But her joy and gratitude were often challenged when she began to compare her circumstances with others. Then she began to lament and complain that God was not fair to her. She asked, “God, why I can’t be like everybody else? Why can’t I have the energy like everybody else? Why can’t I hear clearly and see clearly like others can?” One day, feeling sorry for herself and lamenting to God, He spoke to her, “Do not look at what you don’t have and can’t do. Look at what you have and can still do.” As Rosalind began to take God’s counsel seriously and count His blessings on her life, she realised that there are still many things which she has and can do. Although she is not physically fit like everybody, God has blessed her tremendously.
Most of all, she thanks God for the gift of life. One of her doctors told her that it’s a miracle that she is still alive. He hadn’t expected her to live so long in the initial years of her cancer. Rosalind learnt to value the wonderful gift of life. She affirmed, “Since life is a gift from God, then I should learn to live for Him and Him alone.”
30 years have passed since the day she was first diagnosed with cancer, Rosalind has learnt to keep life simple. Indeed, life is short compared to eternity. She has made up her mind how she wants to live this short life on this side of heaven. She is determined to make each day count by making her life count as she offers herself to the service of God. She resists the temptation to wallow in self-pity and does not want to waste a minute of her precious day on triviality. Instead, she lives life with a vengeance. “I enjoy what I do for the kingdom of God. I relish the times when I can speak to women’s groups and encourage them in their walk of faith. I find great delight in reading the word of God and being in intimate communion with Him. Every opportunity God gives me to minister to others, I gladly take it on, speaking a word in season to encourage fruitfulness in their lives with truths from God’s word.”
Rosalind’s dance with Jesus was one of letting go and letting God. It was a dance step God had to patiently teach her through the 30 years of her battle with cancer. Rosalind is still alive today because she has learnt that dance step of letting Him take control. God is her Saviour and Redeemer. Rosalind still faces challenges along the way, but she knows she is in a dance with Jesus, the Healer, and life is simply wonderful. The lifelines to healing for Rosalind is found in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. And Psalm 18: 31 & 32, “For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect”.
Let’s meet again and learn another dance step next week, shall we? Stay tuned.