Greetings from the land of ice, snow, mud, sunshine, and rain (all in a month’s time)! This month brings some truly amazing news from cancer-land, a mediocre bit of book proposal progress, and some upcoming excitement. But first, join me for a reflection on God’s love, which is the best news and the heart of every good gift, even those given in the hardest seasons.
Measuring the Love of God
Let’s face it: At some point in our lives—maybe many points—we’ve all questioned how much God loves us.
If we measure God’s love by how agreeable our circumstances are, we’ll always find limits to His love for us. But if we assess His love by how He walks with us through our circumstances—providing, encouraging, comforting, protecting, sustaining—we’ll discover a story of compassion, faithfulness, and deep commitment.
Yet we can find another, even stronger testament to God’s love, one that stands firm and indisputable amid the darkest situations. Paul sums it up this way: “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 CSB1)
God the Son gave up His life so that we might have an eternal relationship with Him. Through His sacrifice and resurrection, He defeated our worst enemies—sin and death—and opened the door to redemption. Because of what He did, anyone who repents of their sins and puts their trust in Jesus receives forgiveness and an intimate relationship with God, now and forever. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them, equipping them for a God-honoring life and cultivating Christlikeness in them. And when Christ comes to earth a second time, He’ll resurrect and transform their bodies, and they’ll live with Him forever in a world free of sin and death.
In other words, God loves us enough to do whatever it takes to give us abundant life. He wants us enough to destroy whatever stands between us and Him. He values us enough to undertake the slow, intense work of shaping us into who He made us to be.
If you haven’t already accepted the wonderful gift of a relationship with Him, now’s the perfect time! Believe that Jesus died on the cross to atone for your sins, was buried, and rose to life on the third day afterward to offer you eternity with God. Confess your sins to God and repent of them. Ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life and Savior of your soul.
When you find yourself questioning God’s love for you, reflect on His faithfulness to you in the past. Name His blessings in the present. Read the love letter called the Bible.
Above all, gaze long and hard on the cross and the empty tomb.
Behind the Screen
First things first. On January 30, my mom had her first PET scan since starting treatment in October. On February 2, the results came in: Her treatment is working! The cancer in her lung is shrinking, and the spots on her bones, liver, and lymph nodes have resolved. No new cancer has formed.
My family and I are beyond thankful to God for His grace and compassion in giving us these results. Good news is truly precious. And we appreciate every prayer that was lifted up for her.
Please continue to pray for her healing, for her protection against illness, and for her endurance and relief from side effects. Pray also for God to be glorified through her as she navigates ongoing treatment and meets people who need a glimpse of Jesus and the hope of the gospel.
In other news, God has kept our family safe and provided for these past few weeks, keeping our power on through an ice storm followed by a foot of snow (almost unheard of for my part of NC in my lifetime). He also sustained me through some throat soreness that no one else in the family caught and which has faded. However, between that and some busyness, the work on my book proposal has slowed. Please pray for the energy and focus I need to get it done!
The next few weeks promise to bring much more excitement on the book front. In March, we’ll find out whether Just Megan made it to the Selah Award finals. I’ll also sit down for my first ever podcast interview on the Redemption Press podcast, At This Table. I’m excited about this opportunity and will share the episode link in next month’s newsletter (along with a Selah update).
As always, thank you for joining me on this journey!
Coming Up: A Special February Holiday
February 28 marks the second-biggest annual awareness day for those of us living with Riboflavin Transporter Deficiency: Rare Disease Day.
Created by EURORDIS and celebrated annually on the last day of February, Rare Disease Day spotlights the thousands of rare diseases (including RTD) that affect children and adults worldwide. Each disease or disorder may be rare, but combined, they impact millions of real, unique individuals across the globe. Like RTD, many have limited treatment and no available cure. Yet, with greater awareness and community support, there is hope for change.
To learn how you can join the Rare Disease Day campaign, visit rarediseaseday.org.
For RTD-specific information, visit CureRTD.org.
Help others find grace and resilience in the face of the unknown.
Did you read and enjoy Just Megan? Leave a review on Amazon! Reviews help books get found and increase their chances of being picked up by new readers.
If you’ve already left a review, thank you! If not, use the link below to share what you loved most about Just Megan with the world! It only takes a few minutes and a few sentences.
Jesus loves you. Embrace His love and live it out.
- Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. ↩︎
BeanSpired Editions 