Many years ago, more than I want to think about, I was a freshman college student. I was young and pretty unknowledgeable about the ways of the world. I approached life with the idea that everyone would treat me as they would want to be treated, just and fairly. As most college students need to do, I applied for a job to help with expenses involved with college. It took me quite a while to realize that the campus job I was accepted for wasn't about any ability I might have had but more about who I was—A farm girl from Iowa. Apparently, that came with the idea that I was tough enough to do a factory rough job that perhaps others couldn't handle. It was "no sit at a desk and grade papers" job. It was a job that gave me many slivers from the oak boards that I had to handle each day. I generally went from job to class without having time to shower and change clothes. Once in class I spent the Calculus class lecture time trying to remove the many slivers from my hands. How I could do that and learn is a bit surprising.
The job I was assigned to was "line saw" operator. I had a quick introduction to how to operate it and was introduced to a partner. The partner’s job was to take the boards from the saw and neatly stack them on a cart in layers that would move on to the sanders and then to the "gluers" who took the prepared pieces and glued them together to form a plank board that could then be used in making furniture parts—sides, tops, drawer parts of chests and desks. My job as operator was to take the boards that had been cut to length and put each one through the saw. The purpose of this step was to cut out all parts of the boards that were less than perfect. The imperfections could include knots, cracks, bark edges, etc. To know exactly where to cut, a bright light above a string showed a shadow on the board that I had placed on the saw. My job was to move the board on the saw table until the shadow line was right at the edge of the imperfection that needed to be removed and then push the board through the saw. Some boards had only one spot to be cut out, others had many cuts to make before it was perfectly clear of the blemishes. I learned my job and was pretty good at it—until the factory brought in an efficiency expert! My "good at it" skill level could not handle the pressure of someone watching over my shoulder and my production skills disappeared. My fear of not making quotas was too stressful!
Looking back, I can liken so much of this to our daily life with God. He shows us what needs to be cut out of our imperfect lives. He helps us cut out the imperfections and leave behind a product that he can "finish" into a life worth saving for His "Heaven Inventory". His inventory includes the dressers and bureaus and desks and tables that he wants to place in His rooms of His City in the sky—people who contain the attributes He has available for us. It includes those who have sat down and studied about what He wants from each of us and learned how to use that knowledge to guide others. He wants us to invite others to join together at His table of plenty and partake with Him the feasts He is preparing for those He has invited to Heaven. He never stands behind us to cause fear of not meeting His quotas for us on how many people will be in His kingdom. He guides us and leads us, but we don't have to fear that we don't measure up to His standards. We just have to do the best we can with Him at our side. Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV) says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."
One week ago, I received a graduation certificate! I had successfully completed a course of radiation for breast cancer. I can proudly say that I did it! I came into the radiation process with absolutely no knowledge of how it worked, what would happen??? I had lots of questions, though I had been given some instructions on what to expect. I was told about soaps and lotions to use and cautioned about sunburns and what to wear. But the first treatment was anticipated with trepidation and some fear and with that attitude of—I need to do this, I need to submit to whatever.....is recommended.
When I was taken to the radiation room, I noticed that the doors I was passing through were several inches thick. Maybe as much as 6 inches! That got my attention. In the room were some very expensive appearing machines. And a table! It was quite high and for someone who can barely walk and stand, it seemed intimidating. I was asked if I needed help to get on it and lay down? That seemed to be obvious—yes, I needed help! But the technicians and nurses were all so very kind and helpful. They provided a lift platform for me to stand on that lifted me up to where I could then sit on the table. They helped with removing my clothes, they helped lift my legs and feet up onto the table. They helped me to lay down on the very hard and flat table. They helped put a prop under my knees to make laying down more comfortable, sort of. They covered me with warmed blankets to make me comfortable in a very cool room. They offered me a choice of music to listen to. They adjusted my position on the table by pushing me and lifting me and checking to make sure I was comfortable on the table and in the exact place I needed to be to have the radiation be directed to the exact place it needed to be. I was sure that I was comfortable and was until after 10 or 15 minutes and then came the need to attend to an itch and my arms didn't feel comfortable any longer and I wanted to adjust them, and my knees wanted to move a bit and my arms flinched when they thought the machine was going to bump into them. Yet, I had to lie very still throughout the whole 20 minutes. The actual radiation machine rotated around me on the table! I so wanted to watch where it went—it seemed like it must go down into the floor! Above me was a green light in and from something on the ceiling. As my eyes moved around as much as they could without moving my body, I noticed the green light was forming a green line of light on me and on the radiation machine and on other things!
There I lay, on a very firm steel table, with my arms and clasped hands above my head, with no clothes on the area of radiation treatment. And then there was that green line! Several things went through my mind. The green line of light reminded me of the light I had used with the line saw back in my college wood factory job that I used to cut out the imperfections of the wood. It reminded me that the radiation was to remove the cancer cells that might have remained in my body! It was an interesting parallel to me! The green line of light passed right over the spot that was to receive the radiation to remove the possible remaining cancer cells.
During several more treatments, I had even more time to think. I remembered seeing a picture in the set of 10 books called The Bible Stories by Arthur Maxwell. Our family set was blue, and I have used them often since I became an adult in reading to my own kids and for teaching Bible lessons to Sabbath School classes. One picture of the many that stand out in my memory is in the story of Abraham and Isaac following God's instructions to climb a mountain and offer a sacrifice. The picture of Isaac on the altar with his hands tied above his head and of Abraham about to sacrifice his own son—representing how God would sacrifice His own Son someday—seemed to sort of be me on that steel table. I was led into remembering what Jesus had done for us to be able to have the promise of salvation. The radiation was giving me a promise of salvation from cancer. Our Salvation by Jesus' Sacrifice is saving me and you and others from the cancer of sin.
Like Abraham and Isaac, I should never rely solely upon my own understanding. I must trust Him even if the reason for His test or His calling does not seem clear at the time: As Proverbs 3:5-6 explains: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I absolutely do not understand anything at all about how radiation works. I just know that doctors know, and I have to trust their judgement on how to make it all work so that it saves lives. I do not understand how salvation works; I have to trust that God knows and makes it possible for us to have eternal life! If I submit to what He wants me to do.
Another important lesson that we can learn from this story is that often times when we are faced with adverse circumstances, we must try to obey and believe in doing good as God will show kindness to those who believe in him. My adverse circumstance of cancer was overwhelming but I had to believe that the doctors assigned to me really knew how to treat the illness to make it be a good outcome.
Lessons to learn—
Living by faith, not control. Faith motivated Abraham to obey God’s call and leave the familiar to discover the territory he was destined to inherit from God. So he left with only a promise and without even knowing ahead of time where he was going, Abraham stepped out in faith. I had to choose to step out in faith and have trust in the process. But like Abraham, I did not know where I was going, and Abraham did not get to know where he was going, what he would experience, how he would get there, how long it would take, or what his life would be like when he arrived. Having nothing but the promise of God, Abraham stepped out on faith. If we are searching to be in control, then we will live life constantly in a battle with our anxiety and insecurity, where we’ll either be overwhelmed by it or try to avoid it. Oftentimes I want to be in control because my emotions can overwhelm me, and I think the solution is to get myself or others under control. But that is just putting faith in what I can do, instead of what God can do. Do I make myself available to God to pray through my anxiety and insecurity? Am I able to let go of control and let God be in control? It is hard!
It’s the journey that shapes us!
It was during the journey that Abraham forged his relationship with God, guaranteeing that Abraham would have the heart, character, and spirituality to appreciate and hold on to his inheritance.
The “journey” is the avenue in which we discover and work out our differences with God. It’s the time we become aware of the convictions we need to develop. It will expose any lack of trust and help us clarify any wrong view of God. All of these are important experiences for developing a healthy relationship with God. If we learn to enjoy the journey, then we will learn to enjoy God every step of the way. Almost everyone loves a good journey story in books and popular movies, seeing our protagonist enemy overcome adversity, against the odds, and come out the other side a different person!
What is my journey revealing about me and God? As we are on the journey, what can we take time to focus on and change in our relationship with God?
Focus on the promises—
He never stopped believing God’s promise, for he was made strong in his faith to father a child. And because he was mighty in faith and convinced that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises, Abraham glorified God! What we can learn from Abraham is that his focus was on God’s power to fulfill his promises and not on the circumstances he was facing. Abraham knew that God was willing and able to keep every promise he made to him.
What are some of God’s promises we need to hold on to? I need to search out and read the promises in the Bible! The number of promises in the Bible varies depending on the source, with estimates ranging from 3,000 to 30,000. WOW! The InterChurch Holiness Convention says the Bible contains 8,810 promises, while the Dictionary of Bible Themes says there are 5,467 divine promises. It will take me a long time to search out every promise to me from God.
Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. He took God at his word, and as a result, he became the father of many nations. God’s declaration over him came to pass: “Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to count!”
I chose to believe the promise that if I did what was considered the best way for me, I to continue to live. My blessings are impossible for me to count!
This is my theme scripture for my new life: Abraham believed God’s promise and expected him to fulfill it. I want to grow and exemplify that same faith on my journey to health. To always have faith in God’s promise regardless of the circumstances or outcomes, even as we wait, like Abraham and Sarah did, to see the answer to their prayers. So, what can I learn from the life of Abraham? He charted his course by faith. At the end of his life, it was clear that he had made the right choice.
Have faith in the Promise!