JOHN 10:9-11

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

I received a call this morning from a friend of mine who directs our area Relay for Life organization.  She wondered if I could talk tomorrow night at a regional meeting for about 10 minutes on the topic, “Cancer Can’t Take the Holidays.”

I decided to jot down a few notes here before I left for our Nick Nook Delivery day, and I’m hoping that any of you who have walked the road of cancer either personally or with a family member might take a minute to share something about what the holidays mean to you and any memory you might have an extra-special Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The verse above popped into my head, because I think that any time we get into a situation where we feel “robbed” of something (joy, life, friends, family, a job…), we can trace our pain right back to the “thief.”  He comes to steal.

Jesus came so that “we could have life to the full!”

That means that even in my deep grief throughout this holiday season, I have to look to Jesus to fill me back up with all that I am missing.

He promises to do that!

The devil may try to destroy our lives, but he can’t!

He hasn’t destroyed our family members who have been taken Home..he has only allowed them to enter the Presence of God earlier than us.

He hasn’t destroyed our lives as we may be facing chemo or radiation..he has given us the opportunity to share God’s love with nurses and doctors…and he’s given our churches and communities and friends and family an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

See, God has a way of taking every one of the devil’s oh-so-evil schemes and turning it around for His glory………

So, yes, our holidays are going to be tough.  I’m not going to lie.

But I want to look straight at the devil and say, “You can’t take away our holiday.”

Don’t allow him to take yours away either!

Jesus stands waiting to offer LIFE!  ABUNDANT LIFE!

That’s the offer I don’t want to miss.  Nick would expect nothing less from me as he cheers me on in the great cloud of witnesses!!!