Reflections

Stephanie Here....

I remember writing last week, "diagnosis has no power." I have been reflecting on that sentence this week missing my Poppy so terribly yet still believing that statement.

As a family, we all took the posture that his diagnosis had no power over our hearts and minds or choices. It was not out of denial or wishful thinking but out of knowing and living in what is the truest of true. Joy, love and peace are free and always available to us in God regardless of circumstance and they are the truest gifts that bring life and freedom.

Focus is the key. What we focus on we magnify. If we focus on a diagnosis, a negative, we magnify it, we give it power over us to dictate how we proceed and how we view ourselves and our circumstance. This can only lead to feelings of despair, powerlessness, being overwhelmed, and depression. We have an enemy in this world, satan, who would love nothing more than to interpret our circumstance and put his spin on it. We have violently refused him that honor in the journey with my Poppy. Satan does not get a say in any of this. He gets to watch us glory in our God and not partner with the negative.

The beauty for all of us in not giving Poppy's diagnosis the power was that each day we were able to live to the full with him in freedom. We were present to him. We were fighting for him and his healing relentlessly. We were happy. We laughed a lot. We worshiped. We did not allow the negative...cancer...to loom over our heads. The result: some of the sweetest moments and deepest intentional times we have ever had together. If we had let the negative rule it would have robbed us of being present and filled with awe and joy. We would have been dreading the future, fearful, anxious and not at rest. We would have missed out on so much.

Negativity has power. Diagnosis has power......but only the power we give it. I refuse to give it my focus. Even now.


Please see previous post for details on Poppy's Memorial Dinner to be held on January 12th.