Cancer of the Soul
I have heard it said that sin is cancer of the soul.
The most precious thing to me, is the way Keith cares for Teresa. I can't imagine the heartache he must feel for his wife. He knows her better than anyone. He knew her before she walked with the Lord and he knew her before she had cancer. He watched her change from someone who was dead in her sin into someone who was given new life in Christ. He watched her change from someone with a perfectly healthy body into someone who was weakend and disabled by cancer. Her life in Christ and her battle with cancer seem to be oppostites -one a picture of renewal and one a picture of wasting away. The only difference though, is the realm in which they occur. Cancer is a physical picture of a spiritual battle. This spiritual battle occurs within the heart of every human being. It's our battle with sin. Sin truly is cancer of the soul.
For the husband is the
head of the wife as Christ
is the head of the church,
his body, of which he is the Savior.
-Ephesians 5:23
If cancer and sin are the same -one physcial, and one spiritual, I imagine Jesus must feel the same way for his Church as Keith feels for his wife. The Church is Christ's bride like Teresa is Keith's bride. The cancer that is invading Teresa's body is like the sin that is invading Christ's Church, both cause sickness and destruction to the body. The physical body and the body of believers.
Sin is destruction.
As Keith is broken over his wife's sickness, so Christ is broken over our sickness. As Keith, out of his deep love, exhausts himself to protect and care for Teresa, so Christ, out of his deep love, exhausts himself to protect and care for us. The difference there is, Christ exhausted himself to the point of death. The hard truth is, unless you believe that God has intervened and sent Christ to die for your sin, sin will take your life.
Only Christ can bring life.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though
outwardly we are wasting away, yet
inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
-2 Corinthians 4:16
1 comment:
This is beautiful dear friend. Thank you so much for sharing.
Near the end of my own mother's battle with cancer, she penned these words in her prayer journal. Like Teresa, she possessed the recognition you wrote about in your post and now, has found true Hope forever. I hope these words are an encouragement to you:
"Lord, I praise you today for your total faithfulness to me. You've never left or forsaken me - you're always here to comfort, encourage, enlighten and strengthen me. You are never too busy or stressed to hear, comfort, or allow me time on your lap. Father I praise you for all that you are to me and billions of other children...I acknowledge you as my encourager, my strength, my hope, my healer...Father, help me to heal. Help me today to write a story of hope to those who are down; to recognize your sumballo [greek- taking many things, casting them together and considering them as one; seeing, pondering, and adopting God's perspective on your life] in all of this. To show victory in the midst of the battle. Heal me. Use me today to write your story. Give me your words in this to bring others to a hope, a relationship, a salvation, comfort, peace - a restoration in you. Use me as your instrument of reconciliation."
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