Set Free!

I had a simple, yet profound, experience of freedom.

Since a cancer diagnosis (twice!), and successful treatments, I am being closely monitored by my doctors. A few days ago I had CT scans again. I receive the results online, even before seeing the doctor. Each time I nervously look at the report, reading it one line at a time.

And so when the recent report came to me, I again looked at it line-by-line. It all looked great, until I read, "Bowel blockage or inflammation." What?! I wasn't panicked, but I did feel disappointed. I went to my doctor's appointment wondering whether there would be more tests and treatments.

When I met the doctor, he read the report and looked at the scans while I was with him. "It looks good," he says. 

"What about the 'bowel blockage or inflammation?'" I asked.

He looked directly at me. "That's a typo," he said. "It should read NO bowel blockage or inflammation."

What?? A typo? Everything is okay?? He reassured me. It's a typo. No blockage.

I felt relief. AND he said he did not want to see me again for 8 months! (It's usually 3-4 months.)

Praise God for that.

I've been thinking about this experience. This morning during prayer time, I realized I have a new sense of peace and - I would say - freedom. I'm taking time to let that permeate. How am I really feeling about this? I feel gratitude. And peace. 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galations 5:1.

I think the Lord may have allowed this experience for me to sense, even in a simple way, the meaning of being set free. It's like a burden is lifted. It is relief. It is joy. It is being in the Lord's presence. 

I want to relish this feeling of being free. I want it to be an integral part of me that I can return to often. I want to live in this space of peace and freedom. It is a way to enter into the Lord's presence. I know I can trust him - ALWAYS. 

Free image from National Cancer Institute