Do you lack courage? Then try hanging around someone who's courageous.
It's true. You ought to try it. Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and let me explain. I remember several years ago after I had my mastectomy for my breast cancer, my doctor implanted a catheter port in my chest wall –my quadriplegic veins are pretty thin, and this little port is like a small checker underneath my skin into which they can stick a needle to either draw blood or give chemotherapy. It’s pretty hard to find a good vein on me, and the port under my chest wall made it a lot easier to take chemo. I still have it embedded in my chest, even though I only use it when I take PET scans or when my oncologist needs to draw blood to test my numbers. My doctor wants to keep it in there for another couple of years until I can be declared cancer free. The only inconvenience is I have to go into the lab every six weeks to get the port flushed.
I don't mind that. What I do mind is that this port is situated high enough on my chest wall so I'm able to feel the needle when they plunge it in. And a port needle is a big needle! I remember the first time I had to take chemotherapy they stuck that needle in and it really hurt. And I looked around at some of the other people hooked up to their IV’s and wondered if it hurt them as much as it did me. When I went in for my second round of chemotherapy, I cowered when they approached me with that big needle. But then I watched the nurse stick the woman next to me: I couldn't believe it; she didn't recoil or shy away or drawback or flinch or nothin’! It didn't seem to bother her at all.
Well, I remember thinking, man, if she can handle it with grace, I sure ought to be able to! That woman really inspired me, and so I asked the nurse, "Is there something I can do like her to make this less painful?" to which she replied, "Well actually Joni there is. Just take a deep breath right before I stick you; then let it out fully and quickly when I plunge the needle in." And you know what? It worked! I didn't feel anywhere near the pain I did before. And now, many months later, as well as many port flushes later, I'm like that woman I first saw in the chemo clinic – I don't drawback, I don’t flinch or anything. I found her courage.
You know, friend, I once heard someone say that human beings naturally lean toward cowardice and fear – you hang around someone who's afraid, and it will breed fear. Spend time with someone who is cowardly and you begin to feel timid and cowardly too. But! If you spend time with someone who is brave and courageous, guess what: their courage will breed courage in you. And God knows this. He wrote the book on it. It's why he says in Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." God knows that when we are brave, we influence others to be brave. He knows that when we act cowardly, it influences others to do the same. So we’ve got a command, God commands us to be courageous; be strong; be brave.
And we need to especially be courageous when others are observing the way we face our trials, cancer or whatever. And I’ve written about this in a booklet called, “Diagnosed With Breast Cancer.” And the insights, I know, would be valuable to you, no matter what trial you are battling – you don’t have to have cancer. Just visit me today at joniandfriends.org and ask for your free copy of my cancer booklet. It’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so give my booklet to a friend you know who is battling this disease. Let me hear from you today at joniandfriends.org. And remember, the command is, be courageous!
© Joni and Friends, 2013
Compliments of Joni and Friends
PO Box 3333 Agoura Hills, CA 91376