Consider It All Joy-Update

Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
NASB

In my last post found here, I was waiting for the results of medical tests. The results are in.  I have Hodgkins Disease, a type of lymphoma. That would explain why my immune system was down and my platelets were low. That would explain many other symptoms I experienced before that I thought were related to a busy schedule and a lack of sleep. It is all starting to make more sense now.

If this were a typical good news/bad news presentation, what preceded would be the bad news. What is unique to this story is that the good news is the same. I have Hodgkins Disease a type of lymphoma. Medically and statistically speaking if someone is to have a type of lymphoma, Hodgkins is the one to have.  It has the highest (80%-90%) cure rate.  Over and over again my doctors and nurses have told me how fortunate I am to have this particular type of lymphoma. With 6 months of chemotherapy I should have a full recovery.  With that being said, there are some observations I would like to make.

I must confess, that I was very relieved to hear that I have Hodgkins. My wife and I knew that I was being tested for lymphoma, so my wife researched everything about it. She discovered, as the doctor later confirmed, Hodgkins was the type with the best cure rate. Those conclusions are based purely on statistics gathered from people diagnosed and treated with conventional treatments.  Those treatments were discovered and developed by medical science. 

That leads to the question, “What is the origin of man’s wisdom?” We get over confident, even cocky, about the advances in medical science, technology, education, etc.  If we can, through “our” understanding, explain a process or determine a course of action, we quickly remove God from His throne and place ourselves there. We are quick to relinquish control to God when the situation seems hopeless and beyond our capability to change.  But when we think we know what to do, we take over and relegate God to blessing our plans.

We soon forget that it all comes from the Lord. There is nothing that we have that has not been provided by the Lord; even wisdom and intellect. Everything was created by Him and is provided to us according to His purpose, not ours.  Although I was relieved to hear the diagnosis, I was quickly reminded that I am just as dependent on the Lord as I was before.  He hasn’t changed nor has my reliance on Him. Tomorrow is not guaranteed for me. I had no guarantee six months ago when I thought I was healthy. Every day is a gift from God. He sustains me moment to moment.  Whatever His will is for me, I trust in Him alone. Forever I will be grateful.