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by Darlene Macleod
“Yes, the tumor is definitely cancer."
This news from my husband's neurosurgeon should have shaken my world, but I felt an uncanny calm.
But I was not always this way… just two months before, I had been an emotional basket case. Not only had we just learned that my husband had an inoperable brain tumor of uncertain pathology, but my mother also had been diagnosed with a cancerous polyp, and my one-year-old daughter had been hospitalized with severe food allergies.
All the "what if" scenarios had played in my mind. What if my husband's tumor was cancer? What if he died prematurely and I was left to raise our three children? What if my mother's bowel cancer has spread and she dies? Cancer was a dreaded disease that caused great pain and I did not want this for my beloved mother. What if we lost our precious daughter? She was extremely weak; even a common cold would land her in the hospital with pneumonia.
Worried sick
All this worrying had begun to affect my own health. I knew that my usual doctor would quickly prescribe some type of nerve pill and send me home. If at all possible, I did not want drugs.
I chose to see the doctor who seemed to be helping our little daughter get stronger through a treatment plan that included radical dietary changes. I figured that he might recommend a non-drug approach.
I was right about this doctor. He listened carefully as I explained what was happening in my life. He suggested several ways to better cope with my situation, but one stood out: "A strong faith in God would help."
Spiritual RX
Immediately I was reminded of my mother's strength at the time my father had died about two years before. Mother raised us in a home where the teachings of the Bible were revered, obeyed and taught. In the weeks following the news of my husband’s cancer, I remembered a lot of what I’d been taught in childhood:
For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:10).
I knew that I needed to take action. But I didn't want to. I knew I needed to turn to God and trust him, but I also knew what kind of lifestyle was required of me as a Christian, and I felt I couldn’t live that way. I was scared.
Finally I gave in and cried out to God. I asked him to forgive me. I also asked him to help me live right. I told him how helpless I was and that I knew I could not do it on my own.
The cancer didn’t win!
Over time, it became evident that my mother and my daughter were going to be all right.
My husband lived nine more years with cancer. At each down turn, Jesus centered me, calmed me. Even when the cancer took my husband's life and I was left a young widow and a single mom, I had a strong sense of not being alone. I knew Jesus was with me. I also knew that my husband was celebrating in heaven, restored to fullness of health. The cancer didn’t win! I knew that the day would come when we would be reunited.
In spite of all we lost, I gained so much. I discovered the contrast between my helplessness and Jesus' faithfulness. These words from the Bible have become my own: "I can do all things through him [Jesus] who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).
The strength you need
Whether you’re facing cancer or an avalanche of other worries, you can experience an uncanny calm, whatever your circumstances. Jesus can be your strength. The Bible says:
Say the welcoming word to God—‘Jesus is my Master’--embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!" (Romans 10:10, The Message)
You can say the welcoming word to God right now. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I need you. I want your peace of mind. In the midst of my broken heart and my pain, I turn to you. I ask you to forgive my sins and to give me your peace and comfort. I open the door of my life and put my trust in you. I want to embrace you with my body and soul. Be my master, Jesus.
Did you pray this prayer? Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this--heart and soul--will ever regret it." It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. "Everyone who calls, "Help, God!' gets help" (Romans 10:11-13, The Message).
Related Reading:
Hitting rock bottom
Discover the Spirit-Filled life
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