What can I say about the year 2023? Was it a good year, mediocre, or challenging? I’d have to say the latter, and challenging is not the only C-word involved.
Last January, I started off my year by following up a “minor” surgery with the discovery that I had cancer. It wasn’t the first time I’d had this disease, but this time the cure involved an intense six and a half weeks of radiation therapy.
Upon this realization, I determined that with God’s help, I would not let it take me down into defeat. Although serious, the predicted outcome was favorable for a long-life following treatment. However, going through the process wouldn’t be a breeze.
The first few weeks were easy, and I decided to make the most of it by using the time in the waiting room to collect names of fellow patients for prayer. It gave me an opportunity to witness in a subtle way. Even more impacting was the way God answered prayers to witness to my doctor with my surprisingly low pain level. Because of the delicate treatment area involved, the doctor appeared genuinely shocked by my low use of pain meds. When he asked for the reason, I simply answered “Prayer.” He even remembered this at the end of treatment when I assured him of my daily prayer for him.
After ending that process, I had several months reprieve from health issues. I was excited for a blessed celebration of Christmas, having prepared with gifts purchased, wrapped, some mailed, condo decorated, cookies made, and plans for church program with family who didn’t usually attend, and then…
I picked up the gift nobody wants for Christmas—Covid. After holding hands at our group Christmas dinner during prayer, I received more than good fellowship. The timing was terrible, being just before the big day. It meant that I spent Christmas Eve and Day alone in my well-decorated, but empty condo.
When my daughter in Wisconsin posed the question of whether I would be alone for Christmas, I replied, “No, not MY Christmas.” That was the attitude I carried throughout. My Christmas had not been ruined. It had merely been postponed. So, closer to New Year’s Day, I was finally able to celebrate Christ’s birth with family.
Hopefully, the year 2024 will be an improvement on the one before. However, regardless of the C-words involved, I can always count on Christ, the best C-word of all.