It’s a scene easily recalled…where I was when I received the pronouncement that “You’ve got cancer.” I would much rather have heard “You’ve got mail,” because this was a delivery I did not want!
Then, four years later, dé·jà vu. Though the second diagnosis blindsided me, I was better prepared for it. Only because I had come to understand the significance and strength that hope, faith, and courage carry as armor bearers for our heart and life.
However, I wasted no time in asking God a very specific question: “Is this second cancer unto death?”
You see, I came to learn that…
*being diagnosed with cancer is not about beating or biting the bullet -(though that’s part of it, especially when treatment becomes your new social calendar).
*Cancer is a diagnosis, not your new identity (though it may feel that way at times).
*Cancer itself is death. There is no spark of life in it. Which means life must come from another Source.
*Memorializing the impact cancer has had on your life can be a healthy part of the process. There is, however, no lasting value added to your life in romanticizing or despairing of The Big C.
*Dwelling in the land of the living as you pass through the valley of the shadow of death can make for a much more triumphant outcome – be it spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or physically.
*The sooner you choose life, the sooner death begins to lose its power – for there is power in what we believe.
A scripture I had read many times before, that cancer brought front and center with new meaning is this:
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. ~ Psalm 27:13-14 NASB
By the way, it was also the answer He gave in response to my question.
It is life-giving to believe in the goodness of the Lord.
Let your heart take courage…
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