How to make half a million dollars while on chemotherapy

It's not common for me to be running down the hallways of the lab dressed in a bright green John Deere Tshirt, jeans and flip flops.

Well, not common for me to be running, anyway.

But what I had just read on my email was too exciting to keep to myself.  I had made a half million dollars!  While on chemotherapy!!

Astonishing, you might say.  Miraculous, I would say.  For two reasons.

One, I did it while on chemotherapy.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer last spring, had surgery and then over the summer, had 4 rounds of chemotherapy.  Now everyone's response to chemo is different.  I had my issues and I was as sick as I have ever been in my life.  But even being that sick, I was still able to do most of the things I normally do.  God really had a hedge of protection around me, and my prayer team was AMAZING. 

Two.  I want you to think back to the absolute worst writing assignment or project you ever had to work on.  Got it?  Now I want you to multiply that by at least a thousand fold and picture working on it day and night for 3 months solid.  Got that picture?  You eat, drink and sleep the thing.  OK, that is what it's like when a scientist writes a grant proposal designed to get an agency to fund your work.

Not sure it ever occurred to me that I couldn't write one of those while on chemotherapy.  And it was a brand new concept too, so we couldn't cut and paste from other ones we had written before.

And I wrote it while I was bald. 

And the award notice came in when I was barely able to get my new hair into pig tails.  I just stared at it.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I read it three times, and then it finally sunk in.

And so I ran down the hallways of the lab like Paul Revere shouting "WE GOT IT!"  Well, maybe not shouting.  But I had definitely come unglued.

Because we had just been awarded a half million dollars on a new project grant we had written while I was on chemo.

Isn't that just like God?  To take us at our weakest moments and show us miracles.  It just makes me laugh with joy uncontained!

Beloved, be encouraged.  You may be in a season where you feel weaker than you have ever been.  But OUR GOD is a God of MIRACLES.  He enjoys lavishing them upon us.  He enjoys hearing us laugh and LIVE LIFE. 

Just be careful running down the hallways in your flip flops!