Pink Ribbons and God's Goodness

Do you see that pink ribbon off to the right side of this page?  Take a look at that right quick and the memo posted below it, if you would.  That ribbon represents the battle that my Aunt Maureen fought to survive breast cancer and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure that John and I will be participating in next month.  That's right folks, I will be "racing" for the cure on October 17!  I know you're wondering how I'll be able to do such a thing.  Well, I'll be humbly riding in my wheelchair as John, and hopefully others, will help me wheel the road and cross the finish line to celebrate the courage that it took for Aunt Maureen to fight and the courage that every other woman who has breast cancer takes to fight this horrible disease.  If you click on that ribbon, you'll be directed to our team page (I'm the captain) where you can either make a financial donation or join our team.  I would LOVE for our friends and family to join us in this race!  Would you please consider donating or racing with us?  October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and each year I send a gift to Aunt Maureen.  This year I have chosen to race in her honor as the gift for 2009.  Please help me make a substantial donation in her honor to help other women fight!  If you join our team, you'll get a t-shirt, delicious brunch on us, and of course the gratifying experience of making a difference!  Feel free to email me if you have questions at jandjcheng@gmail.com.

Well, life as I know it continues in boredom.  I'm forced to stay in bed 24 hours a day, hooked up to this wonderful ice machine.  I say wonderful because that is exactly what it is!  Anytime I get up for more than 5 minutes, the heat from the wound radiates and makes my knee feel quite uncomfortable.  I have grown to love this machine!  I don't necessarily appreciate the horizontal position I spend my days in, but having the constant flow of ice water is so soothing.  I do, however, appreciate the time that I have to think about life, ponder on God's goodness, and meditate on His Word.  I confess that I have spent relatively little time in Scripture compared to the amount of time I've spent in bed.  LORD, help me to seek you FIRST!  He is SO good to us, isn't He?  I've spent the day with Aunt Dari, and we've had a considerable amount of time to talk.  I love the pearls of wisdom that she offers in our spiritual talks.  She told me about a situation in her life where, after doubting God's goodness, she finally realized that believing anything except what God says in His Word is believing a lie or lies.  Wow!  That hit me head on!  She is so right.  When we allow ourselves to be jaded by the bad things that happen to us or to those we love, we sometimes start to believe the lies that God doesn't love us and that He isn't good.  But the reality is that He is exactly who He says He is.  We can count on His promises to be true for us ALL the time.  The fact of the matter is that God is good!  This has been especially poignant for me as I've dealt with long-lasting, severe pain and struggle through surgery after surgery.  There was a time this year when I felt abandoned by God, but I now understand that my feelings were independent of God.  He loves me, cares about me, and always extends the mercies that I need to make it through each day and each struggle.  I praise the LORD that the battle is His, and the enemy will NOT win!  PRAISE GOD!!!

Ok, now I've got to get back to watching "Amazing Grace"! 

Peace to You- Jessie