A Shining Light

By Jamie Britt
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Mathew 5:16, NKJV)

"You have stage 4 ovarian cancer."

Those are words no woman ever wants to hear. But, those are the words my dear friend Shirley Lee

heard 5 years ago. She immediately had surgery and began aggressive chemo treatments. Ultimately though, the surgeries and treatments still didn't save her life.

I first met Shirley at a retreat last March. Until I was told by someone else, I never had a clue Shirley had cancer. That's not something she immediately shared. It's not that she was in denial about it, she just didn't want everyone focusing on that one thing. She didn't let the cancer define her, she let Christ define her. Shirley was a perfect example of this verse. She did let her light shine. When you were around Shirley, you knew the presence of God was in the room. She exuded it. What is it you're going through today? Is it cancer? Job loss? Marital problems? Let me encourage you, be like Shirley. Let your light shine. Be like the shirt someone had made in her honor that says "Shirley shines." Today, shine that light and shine it brightly. By the way, Shirley didn't lose her battle to cancer, she won her victory crown!

Father, thank You for Shirley and her life. I ask that You minister to each reader right where they are. Lord if they're facing what Shirley faced, give them the strength to shine Your light to the world. In Jesus name, Amen.

Not Afraid to Trust Him

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5, NKJV)

About a month ago, a family member went in to the hospital with breathing complications as well as chest pain. We were told he had pneumonia but the doctors wanted to do a biopsy to be on the safe side. A week later, my phone rings. "It isn't good; he has cancer." My world felt like it had just collapsed. In that moment, I had to make a choice. Was I going to fall apart, or was I going to trust God? I chose to trust God. As the title of this post says, I'm Not Afraid to trust Him. A favorite song of mine says, "this isn't the first storm He's brought me through, and I'll come through this one too." I had to really put my faith in to action. Was I going to believe God is who He says He is, or was I going to let this news destroy my faith? I'm not saying it's been easy to always trust. Since that phone call, we've found that it's spread to his kidney, his liver and his prostate. I've had plenty of days where I've wondered why? I've had those days where I just didn't understand why he has to go through this. But, in all those questions I can also say that I'm not afraid to trust Him. I'm not afraid to trust the one who knows all and who has each of our days numbered. Ladies, are you going through something you feel you just can't put your full trust in Him? Let me encourage you, put your hope and trust in the God of all comfort. Let Him hold and carry you through your storm.

Father, we thank You that we can put our complete trust in You. You won't disappoint and though we may not fully understand it, You know what's best. Give us the strength to keep trusting even when things seem hard and we can't take another step. In Jesus Name, Amen.

I Will Be With You

My son, David, was 7 days old when the call from the doctor came with My husband, John’s, final diagnoses. The latest and deepest biopsy confirmed what we had begun to suspect. It was cancer. As I hung up the phone, all I could think or say was, “Don’t let him die on me.” Then I burst into uncontrollable tears. Fortunately, my mother who was visiting and a friend were there with me when the call came.

We had a choice to make. Either stay with the local doctors or go to a specialist in Houston, TX, which was 7 hours away. We decided on the specialist. David was 15 days old, John, my mother, David and I headed out to MD Anderson Cancer Center to start the fight of our lives.

After long endless waits to see different doctors, get blood work, and the other tests needed, we got the final results.  The doctors told us they did not know whether it was Hodgkins or non-Hodgkins’ lymphoma so they would need to treat John for both. Hodgkins has a 95% cure rate but Hodgkins is 50%. They told us the tumor was wrapping itself around the vena cava, the main artery from the heart to the brain, and if the doctors could not stop its growth, it would pop John’s heart. Since the cancer was quick growing, there was an urgency to start radiation immediately. After the radiation, chemotherapy would begin. Then at the close, we were told we may not be able to have anymore children because of their uncertainty of what the lasting affect of chemotherapy would be.

My husband had his first week of radiation treatments before we left for home. Then he made the other 7 weeks of traveling back and forth to Houston for 5 days of radiation by himself. Then came the chemotherapy after a three-week break for Christmas. The chemo was given every week for a year and a half at our local hospital.

During all of this, I learned to draw from strength deep within me that I didn’t know I had until I needed it. God’s revealed strength helped me to be what my husband and child needed throughout the crisis. I learned how to keep my eyes focused on God so my faith in His sovereignty would not waver very far. I learned faith in His provisions as I watched God meet every one of our needs.

At some point, I final got the courage to ask God the question that loomed over my heart, “Lord, Is John going to die?”

He answered in my heart with this, “No matter what happens, I’ll help you through.”

In other words, I was going to have to trust Him through the whole process no matter what the outcome.

After 5 years of going back and forth to Houston for checkups, John was finally released with a clean bill of health from MD Anderson Cancer Center. We celebrated joyously in the victory with medical staff, family and friends. AND we had been able to have another baby.

Then, ten years later, John started having trouble getting his breath and tiredness. The doctors found out one of John’s heart valves was defective and he would have to have surgery. We decided to go back to Houston to see a cardiologist and to be near his other doctors. The cardiologist scheduled surgery with the best he knew of in the area.

The night before the surgery, I knelt down beside my motel bed and prayed this prayer, “Whether John comes through the surgery or not is not my call. That is for you and John to decide but you already know what I want. I leave it in Your capable hands.” Believe it or not I slept soundly until the alarm rang.

The surgery went well and the doctors thought after a time of recovery, John would be fine.  As the weeks and months went by, John was not getting stronger. Then, the doctors realized John was loosing heart function. John’s heart was wearing out and there was nothing else they could do except to keep John comfortable until the end.

After John’s death, I started to realize all the things God had done to prepare me for this new life. In that ten-year interval, God had inspired me to renew my teaching certificate so I could find employment, gave me a strong yearning to move back home, 750 miles away and worked on fears and self-esteem issues so I would be strong for my children and the challenges ahead. God had also given me scriptures and stories from different sources that spoke directly to my situation. I was amazed how God had connected all the dots for my future.

It’s been 20 years now. I have learned by trial and error and asking a lot of questions even if they were dumb. I talked to God about everything and he gave me insight. God gave me the hope to continue on when I wanted to give up. After 20 year, God has truly become my first love, my protector, and my friend.

Are you going through "pain-filled" times? Allow God strengthen your heart and fill you with His hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Mary Jane Downs is a speaker, teacher, and writer of poems, short stories, devotionals and children’s stories. She has been published in Awe Magazine, InspiredMoms.com, Writer’s Advance! Boot Camp blog, Schoolbox.com, The Muffin Blog and has judged the weekly writer’s contests for Faithwriters.com. Mary Jane was recently published in a book called Pearls of Promise. Mary Jane’s also writes a weekly inspirational blog, “Joy in the Morning”, which can be found at www.maryjanewrites.com. Contact Mary Jane at maryjanewrites@gmail.com.