Why A Blog?
Why have a blog? We decided having a blog would be the best way to share Jenna’s journey through cancer and our families learnings. But the number one reason is to give God Glory. Our desire is to become part of a larger community that can use our story for inspiration through life’s struggles. There really isn’t much downside to us creating this page except we must be honest and bare our learnings and challenges in order to help others. Not an easy task on the face of it but is a necessary lesson in itself. By learning this first lesson we can become a more humble and usable vessel for God. Our prayer is this blog will help you through your fear and doubts and into a closer walk with Christ. Maybe in a small way this can become a go to guide for people struggling with life’s trials. Hopefully we can give you plenty of examples and inspiration to keep you moving forward.
As Jenna’s journey began Becky and I didn’t know she would be teaching us more than we could ever teach her. What we quickly learned was God grows us in many different ways with many different tools. Jenna was supposed to be the patient but in the economy of eternity Becky and I have been changed the most. It seems when you watch Jenna and how she deals with things that God designed her for this moment. As you walk through this journey with us you will get to see how God is changing our family and no matter how difficult for the better in ways we cannot understand.
Learnings-God Gets The Glory
This experience is challenging to say the least. The tears, heartache, and pain of watching Jenna and not being able to intervene to make anything better. This is the journey of cancer. But the day Jenna was diagnosed our family determined to ensure God gets the glory from everything that happens with Jenna. At the time we weren’t sure how this would happen. God as always already had a path worked out. We know long as we stay in His will things will be okay. There are times His will is difficult but true knowledge is knowing we are still safer there. And the thought has crossed our mind, as odd as it may sound, through this are we being protected from something worse. The ups and downs drive you almost mad but somehow you settle down and regain your strength. Seems when your feet are held to the fire the draught rises to the top as you become more refined in your faith. The difficult part of being more refined is when the fire gets just a little cooler you so easily go the other direction.
Love Is Powerful
This story will be our victories and struggles through this trial. But we know wherever this takes us God has won the battle in advance of us even fighting. Because while I am writing we are currently 5 months in and Jenna is sitting up in the hospital making a valentines card and she writes “Love Is Powerful”. Such a deep statement as this was Jesus whole ministry to those He walked with and to each one of us down through eternity. Love Is Powerful. It is a fact the more we go through at the hospital the more we love others. A true ministry is only one of love.
As we write we will continue to stretch our boundaries and explore new areas that seem intimidating. Without over analyzing things to the point of paralyzing ourselves. The layout will be to post the normal Jenna Update to Facebook (Prayers For Jenna Bodiford and Family). Then post on this blog with follow ups delving deeper into what God has shown us. This method will allow only the update as well as a way to go deeper.
Jenna smiling makes everything else in life seem insignificant.