This morning I had an email from a friend of mine at church. Her name is Rashel, and two and half years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She was 28 years old at the time.
Today she’s cancer-free.
The work that Rashel has done since her diagnosis is remarkable, really. She has started her own foundation, and through her foundation she ministers every single day to people who are walking through the devastation of cancer but may need some help getting to doctor’s appointments or buying groceries or keeping up with their household chores.
Once every couple of weeks Rashel sends an email to several hundred people and basically just makes needs known. Today she shared about six children whose parents are walking through cancer or some other life crisis and asked for help providing those kids with Christmas presents. She mentioned a family who is in serious need of prayer. She included a link to a new business started by a mother of six who lost her husband to lymphoma last year.
Totally inspirational, that Rashel.
And the end of her email today? It hit me right where I’m living. For the last couple of weeks I have been BOGGED DOWN – that’s the only way I know to say it. And while my husband probably had no idea when he married me that COUNSELING SKILLS would be required, God bless him for listening to me and talking to me and loving on me while I’ve poured out my heart to him for the eleventy-fourth day in a row.
Here’s what Rashel’s email said this morning:
In closing, anyone who knows me well knows that life can be sixteen shades of messed up, and I’ll find something to be positive about. Some may say that’s endearing, others would say annoying.
All of that being said; even still… I struggle…
I have a full heart, a pocket full of dreams and hopes; I’m planted firmly in the foundation of God’s character and word, and daily grasp at hanging on to that. I lose perspective, I have moments I’m ashamed of, and I feel weak, tired, restless and grouchy at times.
My reason for telling you that is this, we’re all in that… Every single one of us… Cancer aside, fill in the blank, we all struggle.
I’m taking Phillip Keller’s words and making them my own:
“In brokenness and contrition I humbly cry out to God for help. I reach out to Christ for restoration and healing. I exercise faith in another because I know I must touch someone greater than myself. Similarly I seek out others I can serve and in my suffering service I find fulfillment and freedom from myself. It is to my soul that God gives himself gladly and freely.â€
Translation: I must get over myself, love on others and in that, I can’t and never will miss God.
Be encouraged.
That really spoke to me today.
I hope it speaks to you, too.
And if you’d like to check out Rashel’s blog and read even more of her story, you can do that right here.
Getting “over” ourselves is tough. I’m not sure if being of service to others helps us to get over ourselves or if it’s necessary to get over ourselves in order to be of service. In any case, it’s tough because, at least for me, it’s a constant struggle.
Thanks for passing on the encouragement.
Wow….talk about toe stepping, convicting, and challenging words.
Thanks.
What a great lady. I can really learn from here. Thanks for sharing Boomama, you too are an ispiration to me.
Thank you so much for sharing!! She sounds like an awesome gal and really touched me with what she said..
God bless,
Sallie
Wow, there’s a lot of Christlikeness to come from those words. God has been teaching me lately about His purposes, His rights and His care for my life. It’s amazing what that new perspective has done for my outlook! Now, if it could only clean my house . . . .
Most of y’all are way younger than me – please believe me when I tell you – if you don’t practice reaching out to others – the Lord will provide opportunity for that instruction. Doing for others becomes a motivation/obsession making you do things you never ever believed you could or would- and get a joy that resonates down to your tippy toes. Thank you so much “BooMama” – I think Howard’s mom is a pretty special person for sharing this. Blessyougirl.
You have NO IDEA how that spoke to me today. We have a neighbor that just went in to the hospital on Monday, had emergency surgery and she has been diagnosed with brain cancer. Devastating is not even a huge enough word to describe how we are all feeling. I knew there was a reason a long time ago that I started reading especially heather’s blog and now I know why. And thank you for sharing this Boomama, so that we can all be reminded of how those diagnosed with such heart wrenching illnesses are thinking and feeling on the other side of their devastating circumstances. You bless us, on a daily basis.
“Similarly I seek out others I can serve and in my suffering service I find fulfillment and freedom from myself.” Awesome.
Thank you Boomama for sharing that you too have those times when it all seems like “a lot.” That’s why so many of us keep coming back to this blog…the perfect balance of life stuff, fun stuff, and Howard stuff.
And, when all else fails, I think that our sweet Miss. Kapur will not let us down tonight. Breathe, relax and laugh….
As one who has suffered with depression, this really hits home with me. I feel God telling me to “turn outward” or “look outside myself” to help myself heal. What better place to look than to someone else who is in need?
I was not at all planning to tear up tonight. Wow.
What an amazing woman! Do I seek out others to serve that way? Nope.
Still praying for YOU!
Thank you for sharing :)
This is just beautiful! This is exactly who we should strive to be….to serve others….always. I’ve been blessed so much Sophie. I can’t thank you enough for sharing.
I’m a needin’ those wise words right about now. Thank you.
Beautiful.
What an inspiring example! Amen!
Thank you for sharing that. I’ve been bogged down in some “issues” lately, too (your husband and mine would probably have a lot to talk about). That quote was very timely.
Yes and amen.
I am continually amazed at God’s ability to remind me that when I’m “bogged down” it is because I haven’t put the load where it properly belongs – at the feet of Him who made the world and he who gave the permission for me to endure it in the first place.
I have a feeling (unsubstantiated, of course) that the sooner I learn to let go and to do the will of the Father, I won’t be as bogged down as I am now. Now there’s a hypothesis I should experiment with…
Thank you for letting God use you (and Rashel) as his vehicle this time. That God – he’s sneaky, but very, very good.