Finish

My first visit with my oncologist involved a lot of paperwork, poking, prodding and getting my picture taken (yes I was smiling in the picture). While all of this was going on I noticed an older gentlemen make his way out of the treatment area and ring a bell attached to the left of the exit. Prior to his ringing of the bell, all of the nurses and volunteers piled out into the hallway. They got their phones out to document the event as the gentlemen celebrated the end of his treatments with the traditional ringing of the bell. I remember thinking how many times they’d have to replace that bell if the patients were not too sick to ring it off the wall. Then the thought of how satisfying that feeling must be ran across my mind.

At that point I had no real understanding of just how much that older gentleman and I would have in common. Fast forward 5 months and I would get my turn to ring that very same bell (unless of course someone had done what I wanted to do and rang it off the wall). 80 plus treatments later and I’d get the same satisfaction with the same amount of fanfare if not a little more since I had family and friends join. We ate buffalo wings. I had a Dr. Pepper and enjoyed some Reese’s Cup (a treatment friend brought me a pound of Reese’s cup). In that journey the writer of Ecclesiastes statement “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” (7:8) certainly rang true! My Cancer journey may never truly be over as I continue to process the events and check off more milestones. Somedays its like that “Cancer Guy” never existed and somedays I’m hit with the “scanxiety” out of nowhere.

The words that Jesus said in Matthew 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” mean more and more everyday. Life can be difficult but Jesus does simplify a lot of things when he makes statements like the previous. Notice I said “simplify”. Simple doesn’t always equate easy. One of the events that the wise man and foolish man (Matthew 7:24-27) have in common is the storms came. The difference was their foundation and who they “hung onto for dear life” when the storms raged. The Apostle Paul had experience with storms and he was able to write to his dear friend Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7). His storms were actual weather events (Acts 27:18), bodily pain and spiritual/emotional (Acts 16:37). As I write this I’m overwhelmed with the thought of the worldwide struggles that are faced on a daily basis. My encouragement to you is to hang on to whatever gets you through it. My hope is that you are holding onto the only person that has overcome death, returned to encourage those he left behind and will return triumphantly once again (Hebrews 12:2)

Travis

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18