Lest we forget

In my ministry to men who struggle with unwanted sexual behavior, one of the things I have learned is that any long battle needs to be seen as a journey, and not as a destination. Another thing I have learned is that there will be times of progress as well as setbacks. It is easy to become discouraged during the setbacks, and so it becomes doubly important to celebrate the progress by noting little milestones or victories with a celebration of some kind. 

And so it is with my journey of healing through this battle with leukemia. I want it to be "over," but frankly, it probably will go on and on. As it does, I have to be prepared for the setbacks, and I must take every opportunity to celebrate the milestones and victories. Already, I have been able to celebrate the end of phase one of chemotherapy, a seventy-fifth birthday (which was never guaranteed), the beginning signs of recovery, a potential of going home sooner than I expected. So many things to celebrate, even in the face of my ANC being at or near zero for several days in a row now, and my feet are swollen enough that I don't recognize them.

In the story of Joshua, who took over the leadership of the nation of Israel after Moses died, the Israelites finally were ready to cross over the River Jordan into the land that God had promised to Abraham hundreds of years before. God parted the waters of the river, just as He had parted the waters of the Red Sea, forty years before:

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,  and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”
 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,  that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’  then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” (Joshua 4:1-3, 5-7) 

This altar was built in the very place that God, once again, had divided the waters miraculously so that His people could reach their destination. The idea was for the altar to be a lasting reminder of how God had made the impossible possible for his people. 

In a similar way, God has made the impossible possible for me in my battle and my journey. I suppose that I will not build an altar of stones, but perhaps posting on this blog will serve the same purpose: for me never to forget how far I have come and Who is in charge here. 

There is a wonderful post on the Pure Desire blog, titled "Celebrating Spiritual Markers," that describes the healing journey of a couple whose marriage was torn apart by infidelity. Along the way, they have built literal stone altars to celebrate and immortalize the places where God has met them in their brokenness and carried them through the impossible. 

I see God at work in all that I am going through. Would I have chosen this path? No. But then I would not have learned the things I have learned, and I would not have learned to know God as well as I am coming to know Him. So, I will rejoice and be glad that I can build altars along the way to celebrate the places where He has met me in my brokenness and carried me through the impossible.