Cancer Update and My Word for 2022

/ Cecilia Bacon

Thy word:

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.” Lamentations 3:40 NLT

“So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands.” 2 Corinthians 8:10-12 MSG

My Thoughts:

CANCER UPDATE

December 2021

I am very tardy about giving an update on my husband’s cancer. Thank you for your patience.

Short answer: Danny’s last chemo was 11/12/2021 and he had a CT scan soon afterwards. The scan was clear, and his blood work was good, not perfect, but good. We cried tears of joy and praised the LORD. He needed that good news and a break from chemo, and frankly, so did I. We absolutely cherished our end of year holidays.

Clouds: The one thing I’ve learned about cancer is it often has ‘clouds’ which prevent clear answers to questions. For instance, throughout the chemo process there was a cancer marker from the blood tests that was consistently higher—rather than lower—after each treatment. That marker often implies that cancer is still lurking/spreading somewhere. Although comforted by the knowledge this marker for colon cancer can become skewed with treatment, it is still unsettling. Our hearts were hoping to get clear results that ‘he is 100% healed’ with no clouds to unsettle us.

Faith and Trust: Instead, the Lord asked us to continue to lean into Him with our faith and trust as we wait for repeat and additional testing this spring. With the wonderful blessings we have had on this journey, I’d like to say we responded with a confident, “Certainly LORD! No problem!” 😬 Really, it is mostly true, but there have been times when we have had conversations about the “what if” scenario. In the end, we made the decision to stand in God’s truth and not wallow in fear. We are moving forward in confidence that he has full healing and making plans for our future!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Amen.

MY ONE WORD

Since 2015 each year I pray for a word from the Lord to guide my new year. I don’t usually ask until I’m ready for an answer because (so far) He gives the word to me right away. I can’t say I’m always pleased with the choices. However, the words I have received—although challenging—have all been appropriate, life applicable, and a blessing.

For instance, last year my word was ‘steadfast’ and the primary verse that I clung to (among others) was:

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” Psalms 112:7 NIV

This word and verse have been more than applicable for a year that included cancer. Our blessing and promise for the year 2021 lie in this verse, in Proverbs 3:5-6, and in Deuteronomy 31:8. ❤️

For 2022 I received an odd word. Odd because no matter what version of the Bible I researched there were no supporting verses because that word is not in the Bible. Therefore, I decided it wasn’t my word and kept praying, yet my heart kept turning back to this word:

Redirect.

I am familiar with this word as I received five instructions from a wise Bible teacher years ago to use as a guide for making sound decisions. In fact, I’ve used these steps for guidance multiple times:

  1. What does the Bible say about it?
  2. What would be the wise thing to do?
  3. What does my conscience say about it?
  4. What are my personal desires?
  5. Am I ready to redirect at any time?

Hmm….

The dictionary also had insightful things to say about this word, but I liked this one:

Redirect – to change the course or direction of (something); turn back.

Again, I didn’t find verses that specifically used the word ‘redirect,’ but I chose these two as being most applicable when I accepted redirect as my word for 2022:

“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.” Lamentations 3:40 NLT

“So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands. 2 Corinthians 8:10-12 MSG

(Underlining of words in these verses was mine.)

I didn’t exactly turn away from the Lord, but I did turn my back on a calling last year. Is it possible the Lord is asking me to examine myself and turn back (redirect my actions) to what He called me to do?

Is He asking me to redirect my thinking and stop worrying about what I can’t do and instead focus on what I can do?

The last words in verse 10 of 2 Corinthians say, “The heart regulates the hands.” My heart belongs to Jesus, and my hands used to write, guided by my heart. Is He asking me to redirect my heart and hands from writing things that had good intentions (keeping up with tasks during our difficult season) to the right intentions (to return to writing what He called me to write)?

Finally, twice He says “finish.” This speaks volumes and I must ask myself, am I arrogant enough to ignore this redirection to stop what I’m doing and finish what He called me to do?

Although tough questions, I can certainly use them to redirect my new year.

Additionally, as a friend reminded me: 365 New Mercies!

Before I wrap this up, I’d like to give you my answers to the five questions I mentioned earlier:

  • What does the Bible say about it? – “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT
  • What would be the wise thing to do? – Be obedient! “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22 NLT
  • What does my conscience say about it? – Turn back! Partial obedience is full disobedience!
  • What are my personal desires? – To finish what I started and to know God’s pleasure. “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:23 NLT
  • Am I ready to redirect at any time? – Yes, but I need you, Lord. “Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help” [to redirect.] Psalms 86:1 NLT

Amen!

My Prayer: Father God, I continue to ask full healing for Danny and guidance in this new year for both of us. Protect us from all viruses when we venture outside our home. For all upcoming medical procedures and appointments, we ask for wisdom, guidance, and compassion from all medical professionals and their staff. Lastly Lord, I ask You to firmly redirect my thoughts and actions from good intentions to the right intentions, all the way to the finish line. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

36 thoughts on “Cancer Update and My Word for 2022”

  4. Thank you for this update and for sharing your beautiful and positive attitude. You and Danny are inspirations to all of us. We too will be praying for complete healing. 🙏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. “Redirect” … It sounds like you have an interesting year coming up, Cecilia.
    I was intrigued to notice in reading Acts and some of Paul’s letters, that the apostles didn’t make plans that were set in stone. Acts 16:6-10 tells of a time when God redirected their journey. I Corinthians 16:5-12 is full of “ifs,” “I hope,” and “if the Lord permits.” We should all stay flexible and ready for the Lord to change our plans into His.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. I love how you and Danny are leaning into God. I love your honesty about not always feeling 100% confident but again, that you are walking in trust and in obedience. Thank you for the example that you all are to me. I look forward to hearing how God is redirecting and teaching you this year. Love and prayers, my friend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you Patty. I have had so many excuses as to why ‘I can’t’ I’ve grown weary of myself! I do have a curve ball headed my way but I refuse to give it more than the appropriate time required before I get back to work. Your resolve and strength are shining examples for how to do that. Praying earnestly for your wisdom, guidance, and protection for all as you walk through your challenges as well. Much love.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Thank you! I can’t help but wonder what people do without the Lord? No doubt I wasn’t a shining example of a strong warrior walking forward in the storm. But we could not have made it day by day without the word of the Lord and His presence as we stumbled and fell through the valley. What a God we have to never leave or forsake us.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. Thank you, dear friend, for sharing this personal blog. I know it must have been difficult to write. I am praying for you and your husband during this journey that God will use you to reflect His light to everyone you meet. And I pray for you specifically that God will redirect your focus to be on Him, and not on things on this earth.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. What a blessing to read this post from you Cecilia. You both look so wonderful!! I have you and your husband in my prayer journal and am consistently praying over you both. Thank you for the update.
    What a great post, I love those five questions and how it makes you dig in deep and reflect so you become committed and passionate about your word…I think mine is “perspective” this year but your last question on the list intimidates me but I love what you said about being able to rely on God’s help to see to it that you remain faithful to your word!! Thank you, great post sweet lady!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for your continued prayers, Alicia. That last question intimidates me too! The first time we used these questions to guide us it led us to walk away from a house we had put a contract on because the seller was not being realistic about a serious repair. We canceled the contract and started looking for houses again. Two weeks went by and the seller (of the house we really wanted) contacted our realtor and was ready to do what it took to sell the house. Every time we have been ‘redirected,’ it has ended up being a blessing but it comes with an emotional roller coaster ride (His will vs. my will) before acceptance. Thank God for His mercies. Thank you for reading and again for those prayers!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  12. I think redirect is a very apt word for the upcoming year. Standing in faith is the best way, always….it calms our fears and reminds us that we’re never alone, no matter we’re facing. And I’m so glad that your husband’s chemo is over and that he had clear scans! I’m sorry about the marker still being high. I think that’s the hardest part about dealing with cancer: we so rarely get a doctor telling us, “you’re completely cured!” Instead, it’s a journey toward healing, one slow step at a time. Learning to live with that is hard, but faith helps. Praying for you both!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Hey love how open and sincere you are. I wanted to tell you about an all-natural herbal formula. I am not advertising for them or me(no one reads my blog lol), this is the name, Reneprevent. They have a website, I would’ve private messaged you but I cannot figure out how to do that. Anyway, check it out if you want. I pray for your continued good scans and health.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s