What’s good about having cancer?

Matthew 5:3-8 in The Message

3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

 4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. (your health) (your control) Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

 5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

 6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

 7"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for. (It makes us compassionate.  We understand others who go through great suffering.)

 8"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. (Cancer changes everything.  It harms our bodies and our minds.  It makes us question everything.  It can turn us to God or away from God.  If we dig deep with God we get our hearts and minds “put right” and then we can see God in the outside world.  We can see his perspective.)

Intimacy

• When we suffer we need to feel loved.
• What makes you feel loved? –John 15:13 13

            Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

•  Describe intimacy.  Psalm 139
• If we don’t have complete intimacy we feel insecure.  In our relationships with others and our relationship with God. That is what is so special about God’s kingdom.  We have deep relationships with each other and with God. We study God’s word to find out how to be intimate with him and each other.  Then we have the same foundation and it deepens our intimacy.  We suffer when we are not intimate.
• God is giving us an opportunity to build intimate relationships through our common suffering.  God’s vision for our group (to help each other to be intimate with him) will bear fruit if we are intimate with each other.
• How can we be intimate with each other?   Listening, not judging, forgiving, believing that God put us in relationship with each other for his purposes.