ENDURE IT Podcast

11/09/2024

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/RZfrvDZoNMb

Be Encouraged!

When the battles of life are raging, it may seem as if darkness maintains the upper hand. But we know better than this! Stay the course and do not be fooled by the temptations and appeals of the wide road that leads to death.

06/09/2024

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭56‬:‭3‬ ‭

Our lives are but a v***r. Time slips through our fingers so quickly. We will do anything in our power to purchase “more time.” When we are faced with the darkest of vallies, we can surely put our trust in Christ. He is faithful to comfort in the doubts, the tears, the heartache, the grief, and the pain.

Treatment #2 out of 4. Pray for my momma. 🙏

28/08/2024

Be encouraged!

We are all in the same boat. There are times that we lose our trust in Christ because we are afraid. Fear has a way of diminishing our faith but if we stay focused on Christ, our faith is always restored.

22/08/2024

Be encouraged!

In this episode of the Endure It Podcast, we share some lessons learned when it comes to fighting against P.O.T.S. Christ himself is the great physician! We are never left without hope.

14/08/2024

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rachel-thomas1/episodes/Back-From-the-Dead-e2n5r07

The Endure It Podcast is back!

17/06/2024

I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. What are we without it? A debt was paid that we could never pay. A comfort was provided that we cannot fully comprehend. I am seeing it comfort my mother. It is carrying her through one of the most difficult trials she has ever had to face.

When the load is so excruciatingly heavy, Christ promises to help us.

“We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, NIV).

Far beyond our ability to endure? That is a strong statement. Many times in the midst of a season of difficult suffering, the only option we have is to simply look up. For the believer, everything is a divine appointment. Nothing happens to us by chance. We do not need to lean on our own understanding or strength, because in our weaknesses, He is shown strong. This is not always easy, but the most rewarding. He is always in full control of our lives.

Chemo treatment #12 has been completed as of this past Friday. She has been so brave! Witnessing her being so close to death a year ago and being rescued by the grace of God has filled me with awe and wonder at the plans and purposes carried out by the Lord. Continuing to lean on Christ and His word while trusting in Him to carry her through the days ahead.

Keep those prayers coming.

Every single day really is a gift.
.

02/06/2024

Steroids, nausea medicine, immunotherapy, and chemo therapy. By the time she bounces back from a treatment, it is time for the next one. These last several treatments have not been easy for her.

She is really having to be brave and trust that this will all be worth it. She has one more treatment to go!

Please, would you keep her in your prayers?

18/05/2024

Two more treatments to go!

A small blood clot formed in her lungs and was discovered a few weeks ago when her scans were completed. Blood thinners have been added to the regiment! I admire her bravery. A new group of side effects added to the ongoing list. Some doctors will even tell you “just don’t read the side effects list.” No cancer was seen by the naked eye on her most recent scans.

Everything we do in life involves risk. Driving our car is a risk. Crossing the street is a risk. Eating at a restaurant is a risk. Taking chemo is a risk. Starting new drugs is a risk. The list could go on and on. Risk of what, you may say? Risk of side effects, risk of accidents, risk of sickness, risk of injury, risk of death, etc.

Christ does not want us to live and walk in fear. He wants us to trust Him. He remembers that we were made from dust and He assures us that He will never leave our side. No matter the outcome of situations in our lives, He holds us. Come what may, He is ours forever. Our time on earth is so very short and we never know what tomorrow may bring. The scriptures clearly tell us that it is appointed unto man once to die, eventually.

I see my mom fighting and believing that this journey of trusting will lead her to remission and healing.

Please keep praying for my mom. ❤️

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

Psalm 73:26

04/05/2024

A room with a view. I would be willing to bet this statement makes you think of a beautiful vacation getaway, possibly somewhere tropical or maybe even a breathtaking view of snow capped mountains.

Or, maybe it is just a little thing that makes getting through a chemo treatment a bit more enjoyable. I’m sure if my mom had the choice to pick her view this morning, it would not be the high rise buildings of Houston! But here she is, fighting for the chance to live longer.

Treatment began Friday morning and lightheadedness immediately rared its ugly head. Once again, you hold your breath in hopes that it will pass, and you cling to the direction of her nurses and doctors. By the grace of the Lord, it passed, and she was able to relax and endure the treatment.

It is so easy to forget that in these moments, Jesus promises to be the closest to us. When walking through a health crisis, you want so badly to be able to focus solely on getting better and recovering. Making it to the health crisis finish line. Closing the chapter to failing health. But the additional difficulties of life still show up and the weight can become increasingly difficult. As my mom would say, trials in this life will make you feel as if you have lost your footing. You are grasping for normalcy and reaching for consolation. Let us encourage ourselves in these moments, for it is on Christ, the solid unmoving ROCK that we stand.

He will hold us up and he will sustain us.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Psalm 23 can easily become just passages of memorization. We can recite the verses but until you truly experience a life altering situation or crisis, you cannot effectively absorb the power and hope in these God breathed verses of beauty. They become the air that you breathe, enabling you to keep your eyes on Christ and equipping you to persevere on the narrow path.

Grateful for the peace of God that is carrying my mom and comforting her while she faces the toughest battle she has ever fought.

20/04/2024

Chemo Treatment #4 post surgery. The process began early this morning. Labs are completed first thing and then, the treatment begins. Steroids are administered first to help minimize any type of chemo reaction. After several hours of chemo here at the clinic, she is then connected to an additional chemo that goes home with her and pumps throughout the weekend.

I know she is trusting God as every drop of chemo enters her body. So am I. Dispelling fear from my mind as it rares its ugly head and attempts to take me down the dark path of “what if’s.”

Christ himself prepares us for these life altering, faith shaking trials in John 16:33 with these words- “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus encourages us to take heart. What does this mean? To gain courage or confidence. To believe that things will get better. And so we do. We cling to our faith. It is the unmoving anchor that holds in the midst of the storm. He enables us to endure it. Time and time again.

I just love the smile on her face. Even in the midst of her toughest battle. ✝️
Keep enduring it, mom.

06/04/2024

3rd chemo treatment today. It never gets easier to watch. My mom is one of the bravest people that I know.
She gave us quite the scare today. Her blood pressure began to rise as the chemo was administered. More drugs to add to the list. New side effects. Fear tries to take over.

Thankfully, the doctors were able to get her blood pressure under control. Moments like these make me even more grateful for the fact that we can trust in Christ to comfort and stabilize us when all else fails. We do not have to give way to the suffocating grip of hopelessness or panic.

We simply pray. We trust. We hope. No matter how powerful the storm rages, we can put our trust in Him. He never promised us a pain free, trial free, suffering free, or sickness free life. He promised that He would never leave or forsake us. He is there, sustaining us, in the midst of the darkest of days.

I am seeing Him sustain her. Strengthening her. Assuring her. Enabling her to endure. Why? Because He cares.

22/03/2024

Thank you Lord 🙏