Showing posts with label side effects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label side effects. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Meditaciones de Fe - Efectos Secundarios (Parte Final) - Efecto Acumulativo

La vida sigue...verano, escuela bíblica de vacaciones, citas médicas, diversión
Life goes on...summer, vacation bible school, medical appointments, fun

6 tratamientos/6 rounds of treatment

 

Go to English version


Esta reflexión fue escrita para el Blog de la Iglesia AMEC: Casa de Alabanza, Canóvanas, PR (www.ameecda.org)


La quimioterapia tiene un efecto acumulativo. Por esa razón algunos efectos secundarios empeoran con cada ciclo. También es posible que algunos síntomas permanezcan por un periodo de tiempo aunque se haya descontinuado un medicamento. De igual forma, el evangelio debe tener un efecto acumulativo.

26 Aquéllos fueron a ver a Juan (El Bautista) y le dijeron:—Rabí, fíjate, el que estaba contigo al otro lado del Jordán, y de quien tú diste testimonio, ahora está bautizando, y todos acuden a él.27 —Nadie puede recibir nada a menos que Dios se lo conceda —les respondió Juan—. 28 Ustedes me son testigos de que dije: “Yo no soy el Cristo, sino que he sido enviado delante de él.” 29 El que tiene a la novia es el novio. Pero el amigo del novio, que está a su lado y lo escucha, se llena de alegría cuando oye la voz del novio. Ésa es la alegría que me inunda. 30 A él le toca crecer, y a mí menguar.” (Juan 3:26-30, NVI)

¿Cómo se llega a esa aseveración? ¿Quiénes son los que dicen: “A él le toca crecer y a mí menguar?

  1. Los que saben que el plan de Dios es que Jesús ocupe el centro. Juan el Bautista le decía a sus discípulos que no se preocuparan, que todo provenía de Dios y que lo que estaba ocurriendo era exactamente parte del plan. Cuando el evangelio tiene un efecto acumulativo podemos leer correctamente las circunstancias. En vez de competencia, planes frustrados, imposibilidades, caminos sin salida o  puertas cerradas vemos la gracia de Dios…no podemos recibir algo si El no lo concede. Vemos a Jesús ocupando el centro de importancia. Ese es el plan.
  2. Los que escuchan y estiman Su voz por encima de las otras voces. Todos los días mi voz quiere competir con la voz de Jesús. La voz de mis miedos, la voz de mis deseos, la voz de mis prioridades, la voz de mis dudas, la voz de mi desesperación, la voz de mis angustias, la voz de mi auto-justicia, etc. Pero para que haya un efecto acumulativo tengo que escuchar y hallar deleite en escuchar Su voz por encima de mi voz. La voz de Dios es revelada en Su Palabra.
  3. Los que saben que el gozo supremo es que El crezca y reciba la gloria. Yo tengo muchísimos deseos de vivir y cada día veo el rostro de 3 razones importantísimas para seguir aquí. Pero he sido confrontada con la realidad de que si sólo quiero vivir para mí y mi familia, por más noble y justo que parezca, no estoy experimentando los efectos secundarios del evangelio. El gozo supremo es vivir cuando Jesús crece y nosotros menguamos…aún cuando eso signifique tener cáncer.

Esta quimioterapia me dejó sin cabello, sin uñas, con un par de libras menos, y con unos cuantos dolores. Pero sobre todo me dejó un gran reto, si seré de los que viven diciendo: “A él le toca crecer, y a mí menguar”.

Les dejo con una de las canciones que más he cantado en estos últimos meses (por no decir a diario):

Jesús en el Centro
(
Darlene Zschech/Israel Houghton)

El centro de todo eres Jesús
El centro de todo eres Jesús
Desde el principio y hasta el fin
Tú has sido y siempre serás Cristo, Cristo

Tú eres el centro
Nadie importa más que tú
Todo el universo
Gira en pos de ti Jesús
De ti Jesús

De mi ser hasta el cielo
Cristo se el centro
Mi vida eres tú
Sí mi vida eres tú


All rights reserved. Rebecca Parrilla (July/2015)

Free translation - Side Effects (Final Part) - Cumulative Effects


Chemotherapy has a cumulative effect. For that reason some side effects get worse as you go through your treatment. Other symptoms remain for a while after treatment stops. Likewise, the gospel must have a cumulative effect.

They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:26-30, NIV)

How do you get there? Who are the ones that are able to say, "He must become greater and I must become less”?

  1. Those who know that God’s plan is for Jesus to be at the center. John the Baptist explained to his disciples that there was nothing to worry about, that everything came from heaven, that the plan was being fulfilled. When the gospel has a cumulative effect we can correctly interpret the circumstances. Instead of competition, frustrated plans, impossibilities, dead ends and closed doors we see the grace of God ... we can’t receive anything unless He grants it. We see Jesus occupying a central place. That's the plan.
  2. Those who listen and value His voice more than other voices. Every day my voice wants to compete with the voice of Jesus. The voice of my fears, the voice of my desires, the voice of my priorities, the voice of my doubts, the voice of my impatience, the voice of my distress, the voice of my self-righteousness, etc. But the gospel has a cumulative effect if I listen and find delight in His voice above everything else. The voice of God is revealed in His Word.
  3. Those who know that our supreme joy is for Him to become greater and get the glory. I really want to live for many years to come and every day when I see the faces of my husband and my kids I’m reminded of very important reasons to stay here. But I have been confronted. If I just want to live for myself and my family I’m not experiencing the side effects of the gospel. The ultimate joy is to live when Jesus is becoming greater and we are becoming less…even if this means having cancer.

This chemotherapy cycle left me with no hair, no nails, a few pounds less, and more aches. But it also left a big challenge, am I one of those that are able to say “He must become greater and I must become less”?

I leave you with one of my favorite songs this season: Jesus at the Center (Darlene Zschech/Israel Houghton)
 
All rights reserved. Rebecca Parrilla (July/2015)

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Free Translation - Side Effects (Part 6) - Lessons Learned


Chemotherapy is a cycle. You feel bad for a few days; you get better and then get ready for next time. But in every cycle there are lessons learned that help you prepare better for the next time. Similarly, our hearts need to remember the lessons learned. We need to identify and meditate on the evidence of God's grace in our lives to cope with the new cycles. I’m sharing today a reflection that I wrote in January of this year and was originally published on 33dc Ministry Facebook page.
And there we were...on September 26, 2014...listening to the doctor telling us that our 3 years-old boy had gone into cardiac arrest, that he had a chronic lung disease, that it was severe. The doctor seemed surprised that our son’s heart was in a pretty good condition given the severity of his lung disease. We just needed a few seconds to understand three years of unanswered prayers. Three years asking in faith that our child could walk. But that day we understood that the exercise of walking without treating his lung condition first may have caused greater damage to this heart or may have cost him his life. There we were…with a “faith mystery” almost solved.
 
But it's not always like this. From this side we don’t always get all the pieces of the puzzle. We don’t always understand the mysteries of faith and prayer. Our problem is that we have too much faith in our "personal faith". We think that if we pray following a specific sequence, or if we use certain words, or if we shut our eyes really tight, or if we have "great faith", everything will be solved.
 
The emphasis of the Bible is not in the faith as an object. It is about Who is the object of our faith. Hebrews Chapter 11 is full of great examples of faith; then Chapter 12 gives us the application by presenting the greatest example of all. Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) says: "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith ". In other words, we must fix our eyes on Jesus to be saved but we must keep looking Jesus to live the life of faith that reaches the goal.
 
The original word used for the word “fixing” means “to turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on something”. So to “fix” our eyes on Jesus we need to reject and we need to choose at the same time. Faith is giving up to what is circumstantial; to our plan A, B and C; to our methods; and to the confidence in us. Faith is choosing to look unto Jesus, only Jesus...our faith is valuable and powerful not because of ourselves, it is because of Jesus!
And here we are, still with "incomplete puzzles" but because of Jesus and his Cross we have seen the final picture that talks about victory and redemption. That’s why we are filled with joy and peace as we trust in Him. Here and every day we say: "I trust you", "My eyes are fixed on you", "I rest in your love," "I know you have a plan."
 
May the Lord help us to remember the lessons learned, so that we may receive with joy and peace the new cycles.
 
Becky
 
All rights reserved. Rebecca Parrilla. July/2015
 

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Free translation - Side Effects (Part 5) - Neuropathy


Another reason for the dose adjustment in my chemo regimen was to treat the chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy. This is damage of peripheral nerve fibers that send sensory information to the central nervous system. Many other health conditions can cause this set of symptoms and different areas may be affected. I had numbing and tingling sensation of hands, increased sensitivity to cold, pain and leg cramping. The leg pain caught my attention because although my brain is receiving the signal that my legs are hurting when I touch them I don’t feel that this is where it really hurts. It is a pain “you can’t touch”. It is a problem of my nervous system.
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17: 9, NIV)
The context in which this verse is written shows us that one of the areas in which the heart deceives us the most is by making us believe that we are trusting in God when we really are not. We trust in ourselves, in others, in our health, in the money, in our abilities, in our plans, in our dreams, in our opinions, in our religion, etc. What is the result? Fears that "you can’t touch," pain that “you can’t touch”, bitterness that "you can’t touch" disappointment that "you can’t touch", frustration that “you can’t touch” and insecurities that “you can’t touch”.  A whole set of symptoms and you can’t pinpoint the root cause because it is a heart problem.
Christ came to deal with the condition of our heart. He is the mediator of a new covenant with better promises. The promise is:
"I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people…they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest." (Hebrews 8: 10-11, NIV)
It is possible to have a heart in which the law of God is written instead of having a deceitful heart. Hebrews 13: 21 teaches that God may equip us with everything good for doing his will and that he may work in us what is pleasing to him, all of this through Jesus Christ. What a blessing! What a relief! God is not playing hide and seek. He is not playing riddles difficult to solve. He doesn’t want to put on our shoulders a heavy yoke. He wants to write his law on our heart. This means he also produces the desire and the willingness to obey it.  
There are situations in life that reveal in what or who our trust is built. When there are no back up plans and we are against the wall, the neuropathies of the heart are revealed. But there is healing and medicine through Christ. He is the enabler of better promises. The promise that he will prepare us to do his will. The promise that we are His and He is ours. The promise of a personal encounter with God.
Just as I needed a dose adjustment to treat my peripheral neuropathy, I need more of Christ to treat my deceitful heart.
Becky
 
 
All rights reserved. Rebecca Parrilla. June/2015
 

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Free Translation - Side Effects (Part 4) - A Happy Medium


Cancer and food ... a never-ending story. There is so much information on the internet, so many theories, so many home remedies, and many contradictions. There are two main feelings I have about food since I got cancer. Sometimes, I wonder if by eating more green vegetables and by consuming less meat and sugar I would have avoided the cancer. But then I look at others and their food habits and conclude that I was not that bad myself. It is a dilemma. There is a similar struggle with other matters of Christian life.
On one side there is our obsession with performance. Is it all about praying more? Reading the Bible more? Going to church more? Do something more? Is this cancer related to my “Christian performance”? Then we go to the other side and think as the psalmist: “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments” (Psalm 73:13-14, NIV). Those who do worse than us seem to live better lives. There are others who definitely “deserve” the things that happen to us.
Where is the “happy medium”?
There is rest in the grace of God. Of course there are some commandments to follow. Of course there is an expectation that believers will bear fruit and live according to the gospel. But our biggest problem is that we think that it's all about what we can do. Sadly, the more "we progress" in the Lord, the Cross becomes a distant experience and our own efforts become more evident. But grace is to understand that everything comes from God, he made it all possible. We just need to start every day at that place where we remember and accept the perfect work that Christ did on our behalf. God is not waiting for the slightest provocation on our part to request we pay back. We could not pay him back. Christ paid it all. Grace looks too good to be true. Yes, it is too good and it is true. It is unquestionably divine, we didn’t do anything to deserve it because it is a gift from God.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9, NIV).
There is security by having a proper sense of eternity. Not always we will see here on earth a direct relationship between our actions and our reward. But those who draw near to the Lord as the psalmist did in Psalm 73 get a proper sense of eternity:
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever"(Psalm 73: 25-26, NIV).
By having a sense of eternity we can rejoice in the life we already have, not in the life we would like to live. Because we know that this life is an evidence of God’s grace; because we can enjoy God here and now; and because we know that our greatest dreams and desires are guaranteed in the eternal glory that awaits us in heaven.
"Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel." (Colossians 1: 5, NET)

As I have reached a "happy medium" with food and now I'm eating more green vegetables and less sugar, my soul has reached a "gospel medium" between the Lord's grace and the hope of eternity.
 
Becky
 
All rights reserved.  Rebecca Parrilla. June/2015.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Free translation - Side Effects (Parte 3) - The Chemo Brain


The "chemo brain" is real. For years people with cancer have mentioned about the "mental cloudiness" they notice before, during or after cancer treatment. Although the exact causes are unknown, this mental fog is called "chemo brain". Some examples I've noticed are: forgetting things that I usually had no trouble recalling, difficulty remembering details, trouble concentrating (solving Sudoku is an unexpected challenge) and trouble doing more than one thing at a time. I suspect that I am describing a typical day for some people (ha,ha,ha), but I'm sorry to say that if you are not undergoing chemotherapy treatment, you can’t call it "chemo brain". However, the "gospel brain" must be real to everyone.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) says " Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will"
First, the "gospel brain" makes us focus on God and not on us. Any action from our part is the result of God's mercy. We are not the protagonists of the story. If our struggles, trials, successes, failures, dreams and goals are exclusively about us we are not experiencing the side effects of the gospel.
Second, our life should be an act of spiritual worship. This is not a sacrifice for our sins because Christ's sacrifice was sufficient. It is about displaying the mercy of God with our lives. This offering is not holy and pleasing to God because our lives are perfect or because our bodies are healthy. It is a holy and acceptable sacrifice if we offer every part of ourselves to him as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:13).
Third, our minds are the battle ground between being conformed to the pattern of this world and being transformed. It is “How do I think?” before “How do I feel?” The biggest fight against cancer is the daily struggle with thoughts that come with the cancer. The arrival is unexpected, varied and cruel. It's not always at the same time or in the same way but inevitably every day there is some thought that causes me trouble. We all have the same issue. Every day we are bombarded with the framework, the way of thinking of this world. "Do whatever you want", "the most important thing is to be happy", "it is all about yourself," "it is okay to do it as long as you don’t hurt someone" etc.
That battle is not won with positive thoughts or following a series of steps. That battle is won in one place and doing one thing: " And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV). Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory.  By keeping our eyes on Jesus we are transformed into his image and renewed in our mind. But this transformation also comes from God through His Spirit.
There is no way that based on my own strength and with my "Becky brain" I can consider this cancer as something good, pleasing and perfect. There will always be a situation that we can hardly see as part of God's good, pleasing and perfect will. But the "gospel brain" says: focus on God’s mercy; surrender yourself to the glory of God; do not conform to the pattern of this world; keep your eyes on Jesus and be transformed by His Spirit.


Becky

All rights reserved. Rebecca Parrilla. June/2015

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Free Translation - Side Effects (Part 2) - A Famous Sinner

Iron infusion to treat chemotherapy-induced anemia.
I'm also eating spinach and orange-carrot juice.

The consent form for my chemotherapy treatment doesn’t start with the side effects. The first thing is the diagnosis and the treatment. If we talk about the "gospel side effects" we must begin specifying the "disease" and "treatment".
A kid in the Sunday Bible class of my daughter told another kid that Julietta’s mother was a "famous sinner" meaning that she was a “famous singer”. When I was told I thought, "I hope not to be a famous one, but sinner I am."
Romans 3:23 (NIV) says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We all have received a consent form saying that our disease is called sin, the prognosis is death and that treatment is Jesus. The problem is that deep down we don’t believe that we are that sick.
In recent weeks my daughter was studying about natural disasters. She asked us why God allowed natural disasters. We explained that God created everything perfect but due to the sin of Adam and Eve nature was affected. We added that our hope is that one day there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Then she said : "Thank you Adam and Eve ... thanks guys for ruining everything." I said, "Don’t be so hard, you and I would have done exactly the same in Eve’s place. In fact, whenever you disobey us you are doing just like Eve” (she didn’t like that).  But I must confess that I didn’t like the thought either. I don’t know Adam and Eve’s awareness of God's love, but I have no excuse. I already know that “… For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son." Christ is the most powerful, convincing and extreme display of God's love. But so often our way of life says that this gift was not a big deal. Many times our attitudes indicate that deep down we think that we deserved some of that love.
It happens whenever we don’t live a life of gratitude and contentment; whenever we don’t do what the Bible says; whenever we are not willing to forgive; whenever we don’t choose the right thing because we don’t want to sacrifice our comfort or "happiness”; or whenever we are reluctant to render ourselves unto God. We don’t do these things to win God’s favor because his mercy and grace are not based on our merits or performance. But the measure of our joy, obedience, willingness to forgive, decisions and beliefs will be proportional to our acknowledgment of what Christ did for us.
Christ is the "big deal" and NONE of us deserved that love. Nothing in us was worthy. Our situation was very serious. Romans 5:6-8 (NIV) says:  "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us ". There is no cure until we come to terms with the disease.
If Christ dwells in our hearts sin no longer reigns in us. But sin never gives up. It always tries to sabotage our Christian life. Every day we must return to the Cross. Every day we must conclude that we did not deserve such love. That will change the perspective of our lives and how we relate to God and others.
Instead of obsessed with the "famous" we will be broken and contrite with the "sinner" part. Rather than resentful with the cancer (or any other situation) we will be grateful for the undeserved love of God. So my biggest problem is not cancer. My biggest problem was already diagnosed and resolved in a "consent form" signed with the blood of Christ on the Cross.


All rights reserved. Rebecca Parrilla. June/2015.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Free translation - Side Effects (Introduction)


"For the gospel is not just good news for people getting ready to die – it’s good news for people who are now ready to live" Scotty Smith
Because of my work I have read many informed consents. Informed consent is a process for getting permission before conducting a healthcare intervention on a person. You are told about the risks and benefits of other options; and you are able to use that information to make a decision that you think is in in your own best interest. This time I had in my hands the consent form for my chemotherapy treatment but I was not looking for all the elements required by law. I just went over the pages listing and explaining the side effects.
Every time I have a chemotherapy treatment I wonder how a few milliliters of a colorless solution have so much power. It has power to attack the bad and to affect the good. It has power to impact my concentration levels and my memory. It has power to change my eating habits. It has power to influence my daily activities and to determine my energy levels. It has power to change my physical appearance. My whole body, from head to toe, is being impacted by the side effects of chemotherapy.
Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." The gospel is more than information, more than a list of rules, more than a one-day event ... the gospel is power. So what I really wonder is whether or not I am experiencing the "side effects" of the gospel. Is this power destroying the evil and affecting the good? Is this power impacting my concentration levels and memory? Is this power changing my "eating habits"? Is this power determining my activities and my energy levels? Is my whole being subject to the intrinsic, essential and permanent power of the gospel?
Colossians 1: 6 (NLT) further adds "This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace." The gospel produces change. The gospel has "side effects".
Please, accompany me these coming weeks to review some of the "side effects" of the gospel.


Becky

All rights reserved. Rebecca Parrilla. May/2015