Christmas with a C

For many years, the first week of December was my quarterly cancer screening. It was a cluster of different appointments shoehorned into a single day to accommodate my travel to Seattle. I’d walk from the ferry, passing storefronts festooned with lights, expertly wrapped boxes that looked like huge presents, and smiling mannequins wearing the holiday finest. Westlake Center had a huge Christmas tree glittering with thousands of lights. 

I kept walking. The cancer center was not that far, and once inside the huge building, it had its own bright holiday decorations. It might seem odd to celebrate Christmas with cancer. But that’s the optimism that prevailed there. The caregivers wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Cancer during Christmas could be a journey you’ve either taken or have walked alongside with someone you love. 

While doctor visits and chemo treatments happen, life seems blissfully normal for everyone else. Other folks are Christmas shopping and planning parties, while you’re making your way through crowded streets heading to another medical appointment. 

Cancer brings an awareness that life is both precious and fragile.

So, before this special season gets further along, may I pray for those with cancer?

Heavenly Father, I thank you for all the advancements in cancer care, but You also provide the strength, courage, and endurance our loved ones need. Help them know that you are there, taking every step of this cancer journey with them. May you also deliver a daily dose of hope, and a full measure of joy for depleted spirits. I ask that you would bring healing.

And Lord, for the rest of us in the rush that this season brings, will you help us slow down and remember that you came to be with us. You promised to never leave us, wherever we may be—in cancer treatments, or as we walk alongside those who are. Amen

It’s a busy season, but it’s also a divine one. God is reminding us he is here—and especially for those who are weary, sick, and alone.

The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged. Psalm 34:18