When Breast Cancer Hits Close To Home
TRIALS WILL COME
Sis, as children of God we can pray and we can confess the Word, but sometimes God will still allow us to experience times of trial. And you or a loved one experiencing breast cancer can be a hard trial to endure. James reminds us that “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” (James 1:2-3)
Scripture doesn’t say IF trials come, it says WHEN trials come. So we know they are going to come, yet our faith and our fear go into a full-on battle when these trials of life come our way. It’s so hard to speak what we know the word of God says, when in front of us we see what seems to be a deteriorating case. But it is in building up our faith, before trials come our way, that we are able to to stand in the midst of the storm.
Scripture doesn’t say IF trials come, it says WHEN trials come.
As Chayil Women, it is our obligation to prepare ourselves for the storms and trials of life. We see in our example in the Proverbs 31 woman, that she did not fear tribulation because she prepared in advance for challenges to come. Sis, we have a part to play in preparing for the storm, and that is building up our spirit man -- building up our faith, so that when the battle comes, at the end of it, we’ll still be standing.
Ephesians 6:13 (AMP) reminds us that “Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].” We have to be fully prepared with the Armor of God when trials come our way, so that at the end of the battle we are still standing.
WHEN YOU FEEL WEAK IN SPIRIT
Trials allow us to put into practice everything we’ve been storing on the inside of us. We are storing up the Word to use it as a weapon in times of trial. But Sis, despite all the word that we’ve been storing, sometimes when trials come our spirit still gets weak. Here are 6 scriptures to strengthen you when you feel weak in spirit, so you can activate your faith and at the end of it all, still STAND.
John 16:33 (NLT) - I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) - Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Romans 5:3-5 (TPT) - But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!
Psalm 34:17-19 (NIV) - The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) - When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
WHEN BREAST CANCER HITS CLOSE TO HOME
Sis, we’ve all been there before, in one way or another, when something we least expect --- something that rocks our world to the core happens. This is what it’s like when breast cancer hits close to home. This past week, I had the opportunity to interview a Chayil Woman, who lost her Mom to breast cancer after being diagnosed twice in a 10 year window. Our conversation was emotional, raw, and faith-filled.
Desiree Norwood is an educator, mother, daughter, sister, fiancé, worker in the Kingdom, and a REAL LIFE Chayil Woman! Desiree is a Math Coach for the Colonial School District in Delaware. As an educator, she is passionate about building a love for math in children and adults. The center of her life is faith and family, so when she lost her mother to breast cancer in 2013, both areas were challenged. Today, Desiree is thankful for those same core values, because as much as they were challenged through her loss, they were also the source of her healing.
Losing your mother and best friend when you are only in your 20s is a loss that can leave you questioning God and your faith. Desiree was honest and vulnerable in our conversation; below our 8 tidbits I took away from our discussion.
Being surrounded by people of faith is an important part of the process, because they will help carry you through
We can still believe in God, and have a blow to our faith
A lesson from such a big loss was learning to live for God & family, because time is not ours
When fear kicks in, I have learned that I have to give myself the best odds if something is wrong with my health; and to give myself the best odds, I have to have faith
My story doesn’t have to end like my mother's
When going through a trial, find the word of God for your situation to stand on to get you through
God always gives us beauty for ashes
This process has caused me to get closer to God, because I want to know him inside and out as much as I can
From the journey of literally watching life leave her mother in front of her eyes, to how she tackles fear today of potentially getting breast cancer, our hope is that our heartfelt and intimate discussion blesses you and encourages you to STAND despite what obstacle and sickness comes your way. Let your faith prevail over your fear. Click on the link below to see Part 1 of the conversation. Click subscribe on my YouTube Channel and click the notification bell, to get an alert when Part 2 of the conversation gets posted.
What are your coping mechanisms when terminal illness/sickness hits close to home? Share in the comment below. And also be sure to comment on the video on what your key takeaways were as well.