This August is a celebratory month in our home. It marks five years cancer-free for my husband. Five years ago he was diagnosed with and had surgery for esophageal cancer. The five year survival rate is 15%, so we were fortunate he had an aggressively conservative doctor who caught this silent killer at Stage 1, and a highly skilled medical team.
In his case, years of acid reflux took its toll on his esophagus and his stomach. Often in this type of cancer, the esophagus becomes hard and brittle from years of stomach acid splashing it. The surgery is extremely invasive and complicated and the recovery rough, even for a Stage 1 person. The esophagus and part of the stomach are removed and then the stomach is repurposed to become a new pliant and flexible connection between the throat and the small intestine.
In Ezekiel 36, God tells us He will remove our hearts of stone, our hearts scarred and made inflexible and hard by years of splashing with the acids of anger, hate, jealousy, and idolatry. He will give us a new heart and a new spirit, that worship Him and that are clean, soft, and love-filled with His spirit.
That’s the good news! But what I know from years of “heart transplanting” is this is a painful, difficult, invasive and complicated procedure. It is NOT magical and instant. It requires me to follow the Great Surgeon’s directions and laws. It is a long journey.
The healing that develops, the strength, the cleanness of heart, are all worth the journey. The five year, ten year, or multi-year celebration is wild and gracious and good, and a foreshadow of the eternal celebration that is coming!
Just Sayin' 