We did not know; we couldn’t know until the tests were done. She was worried and we were equally worried but still hopeful that the results would bring good news. Scans were done and the decision was made that she had to go for surgery. The tumour that was in her neck was removed, and all was well. The tests actually did bring good news; the tumour was benign, noncancerous but it had grown to a size big enough to bring complication in the future so it had to be removed. We thanked the Lord and we moved on with our lives.
Not everyone’s experience is the same as my sister’s in that some tumours are cancerous. One similarity between a benign tumour and a cancerous one is that they are both fed by the body in order to grow. Cancer cells need nutrients and oxygen, and our bodies unselfishly feed these cells through blood vessels. The body doesn’t need this tumour but will definitely feed it.
Isaiah 40:6-8
6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
1 Peter 1:23-25
23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. In Christianity, a very important principle is that we should let the old die, so that there can be room for the display of divine glory. After self-reflection, an individual makes the decision to believe in Jesus Christ and accepts that there is a deficiency in his life. And just like how a tumour needs to be removed, the old self is removed and left to wither. If the individual doesn’t despise what needs to be left behind, that which needs to die, he or she cannot appreciate the need to change or the need to be saved from the decay.
This principle applies even in our everyday life. Some aspects of our lives have to end. We must lose some to gain some. The recovery time may be long and painful just like a patient recovering from surgery. We can all agree that temporary discomfort is necessary for long-term success.
Why do we feed the unnecessary in our lives? Why do we carry unnecessary baggage?
If you stood right next to an elephant, all you’d see is its dry, wrinkled skin. You’d have to go a few steps back to see the full elephant. Sometimes our initial reaction is not the best, we need time to step back and think about what we need to do or say. What about what we think about ourselves? We are not always honest with ourselves and that look inward is necessary to see ourselves for who we really are. And it is also important to step back and try to understand other people and their situations so we can have empathy, and our love and help will not be superficial.
A close friend taught me an important lesson about getting over myself. This was done by a constant reminder that not everything was about me. This realisation helped me understand, not everything that happens around me is about me, and I don’t have to respond to everything, I don’t have to overthink about what this or that other person has to say, and I sure don’t have to carry the burden of my imagination.
My example might sound trivial; because I know that you go through and have gone through painful changes in your life. In these uncertain times, we have been forced to look long and hard about ourselves and society. A man by the name George Floyd died crying out for his mother. A police officer had his knee on the neck of George Floyd for eight minutes and 46 seconds! We’ve seen cases of police brutality in our country. We have been reminded of the disparity in our society and the importance of basic necessities such as water. I’m sure on a personal level we all have come to different realisations and maybe going through agonising transitions.
I hope we learn from history that in our lives and society there are events that happen so we can, reflect, make a change and finally enjoy the glory that will come after. These events may come to us like a robber in the night, unexpected and frightening or they can come through our conscious volition. The path to truth is not easy, it’s not direct; may God be with us!
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