New Lease on Life

A new lease on life....this is one of those phrases that I have often heard, but seldom thought about it's meaning. The phrase came to me again as Steve and I came home from the doctor this afternoon.

It has been almost ten months since we heard the word "terminal" and while the doctor didn't stamp me with an expiration date he did give the statistics of life expectancy for someone with my disease. In the past two weeks we have prayed, cried and rejoiced in the faithfulness of our Lord as we prepared to hear these results.

My doctor said the scan showed "modest" improvement. The majority of my tumors have either decreased in size or remained the same. In the world of terminal cancer, where tumors increase in number and/or size, this is positive news! He is pleased with how I am tolerating the treatment and doesn't see any evidence of needing to move to a more aggressive treatment at this time.

So today, on this beautiful, sunny day I have a new lease on life! No, I wasn't given the all-clear, I wasn't told I had been miraculously healed, but I do have the possibility of living longer than we first thought. That means more days to love my husband, more days to see my children grow spiritually and find their path in this life, more days to laugh and make memories with my sisters and their families and our friends. It also gives me more days to share the love and the joy and the peace that has been showered on me from Jesus, my Rock, my Redeemer, my Strong Tower. Which brings me to the thought of my new lease on life....

It IS a lease - because I have been saved by the grace of God, this is not my life to spend selfishly or mindlessly. I have leased this life to use while I am on this earth. It is my responsibility to use this life for the Glory of the Owner of this life. It is not mine to squander or waste. It is God's life and I will spend all the days leased to me to glorify Him.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, who gives and takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!

AmyLou