“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1
Within months, the Lord blessed me with leading me to cross paths with three beautiful women diagnosed with cancer who clearly and powerfully have defied the odds. How so?
Not because they were diagnosed with early stage easily treatable and curable cancer. Each was diagnosed with major life-threatening cancer with an extraordinarily tough prognosis and a grueling treatment plan. Nor because they were miraculously and instantaneously healed. All endured fiery trials through treatment that wreaked havoc on their bodies, and how long they would still have on this earth was unclear. In fact, all three had endured a resurgence and/or extreme progression of cancer. How did they defy the odds? What stood out with them?
What I witnessed in each of these three women, and through them, was the infinitely bright shining light of the Lord Jesus Christ, hope unimaginable, peace beyond description, a positive attitude beyond belief, a joy beyond comprehension, and a desire unthinkable to love and serve the Lord and others and to focus on Him and a relationship with Him here on earth and forever in heaven regardless of what challenges they have faced or may yet face and regardless how they felt physically and emotionally on a day to day basis. The love, light, hope, peace, joy, and servants’ hearts so evident in each of them blew me away.
“It’s a win-win situation,” one woman said to me. “If I’m healed I stay here longer. If I die, I go to be with the Lord.” She is a devoted Christ follower and knows her ultimate destination is forever in heaven with God.
“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here,” another of the women essentially said. “But I want to do everything I can while I’m still here.” She wasn’t talking about self. She was talking about loving and serving the Lord and others. The third might as well have said the same.
Does this mean they’re not suffering? No! Does it mean they don’t have bad or hard days? No! Or that their treatment isn’t gut wrenching? No! Or that they’re perfect? No! Or that they don’t moan and groan when the pain is unbearable? No!
But each has yielded her life to Christ and lives to love and worship the Lord forever, on earth or in heaven. Each belongs to Christ. They have repented and turned to Christ as Lord and Savior, trusting God’s Spirit to lead them. Cancer hasn’t beaten them whether they live for years or die today. Cancer doesn’t reign in them. Christ does. Each is a vessel of Christ who lives in and through them to reach the world.