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I’ve been a bit MIA from the blog this week. Someone close to me had major surgery and I was at the hospital a lot. He had cancer in the nerves on one side of his face. The docs hoped it hadn’t spread through all of them but it after 7 hours, he came out to say that they were almost to his skull and were skill finding cancer cells in what they removed. Only a teeny piece more and they’d have to stop.

We’d been praying for miracles and it felt like God had ignored us.
The doc said if they’d been able to find a cancer-free section they could transplant nerves into his face and give him a chance to have them regenerate and allow him to use that side of his face. But, there wasn’t much of a chance at finding clean tissue in the small piece of nerve they had yet to test. I went out for a walk. Like the others, my first thought was to question why my strong expectation for a miracle wasn’t answered. Then I remembered, it wasn’t over until the final small piece had been tested. So I had a long chat with God.

I said I was still expecting a miracle. I didn’t care how unlikely it was to find the rest of the nerve to be cancer-free. It had to be okay! After all, isn’t that what miracles are for??

I kept repeating this thought as I walked. I explained to God that my faith was still strong and the situation was in His hands. I repeated it over and over. A few hours later, we got the news that the last section was cancer-free and they were able to replace his nerves. I jumped up and down thanking God. Yet most people just focus on is the awful surgery (14+ hours) and the cancer being so extensive. I focus on the miracle of finding the cancer-free section before it reached his skull. The docs didn’t expect it but bless their hearts, they tried and then made the nerve transplant happen fast. It also means there’s a better chance the cancer didn’t spread to his brain.

I admit that having all the nerves on one side of the face removed is awful. But while the glass may seem almost empty to most people, I’m grateful for the sweetest drop in it—the last bit of nerves that were cancer free!

The nerves may not grow back or ever work. But I’m expecting them too with every ounce of me! And I’m celebrating the miracle that happened. Too often we don’t recognize miracles if we’re overwhelmed with negatives. It’s so easy to succumb to grief. But you miss out on blessings if you do. There are usually blessings in a storm when you pay attention. I try to.

Next time you feel life isn’t going as you’d like, find the blessing in the otherwise negative situation. It’s usually there if you look.

Learning to appreciate whatever you can find feels better and attracts more blessings. As a DoorMat, what I didn’t have or what went wrong was all I saw. It contributed to the cement that kept me stuck in a bad place. Recognizing the good puts you into a better frame of mind and helps you recognize more. Sometimes you have to be a bit creative to find the blessing. They’re there if you want to find them!

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