My training to run a marathon doesn’t stop for Leukemia. It may slow down at times during treatment, but it doesn’t stop. I choose not to be sick today.
My friend Bob closes every text update with the above statement.
Bob is battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia and his latest update struck me to my core. It was beyond painful. It simply left me numb…
Bob is now on schedule to receive a bone marrow transplant which is no easy chore for the body. He will spend six weeks in the hospital as his body adapts to the procedure and overcomes the side effects.
He needs two people who are perfect matches in order for the procedure to go forward and they found them!!!
Then one of them backed out.
Now they are quickly trying to find a second match…ugh.
Throw on top of all of this the fact that he and his wife’s beloved dog went over the rainbow bridge at around the same time Bob was let go from his job and suffering a severe case of gout in his knee.
This all happened this past week.
Double ugh.
So how did Bob handle these most recent setbacks?
He had a good conversation with his marathon training partner/coach, Tara, who told him, “You’re allowed to have an off day, but how you bounce back is what counts!”
Bob did indeed bounce back and these are his words.
So this morning I bounced back the only way I could think of. I woke up, said a short prayer, and told God that I was giving Him all the things I was worrying about and went out for a 5.25-mile walk at 4:45 am.
It felt really good to get out that early and spend time with God and talk to my Dad. It’s something I hadn’t done since before I went into The James on 8/22.
Whatever difficult situation we may face in life, our perspective and perception will determine how we face it and our perspective and perception is impacted by those we surround ourselves with and put our trust in.
Peace is not the absence of challenges. Peace is the presence of Him and viewing our challenges from His perspective.
Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
