Experiencing God's Blessings
What is a Cancer Survivor? We are those who have had cancer, but are celebrating being cancer-free. At the same time, we realize that we are still at risk for cancer returning. During my cancer journey itself, I was able to recognize God's blessings among the fear, pain, and uncertainty. Now I am doing more than recognizing God's blessings - I am experiencing them! God has filled in the "gaps" of my life. When I first became a survivor, I spent a great deal of time wondering what I should be doing with my life. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up! I asked God to give me direction, but He seemed to be telling me to rest and wait upon Him. I was able to do that, but not always very patiently. Waiting can be so very difficult - whether waiting for test results, treatments to end, or for God's direction, in this case. Most everyone who has gone through a health crisis struggles in the aftermath. You may have to assess who you are separate from your health issue. You may have less energy than you did before and realize you need to change your way of life. I believe everyone in this category has a different perspective about life than they did before the illness. I wish to share the blessings God has allowed me to experience as a cancer survivor who is attempting to follow God's leading. My prayer and purpose for this is to encourage the reader to live more fully and experience a more abundant life in our Lord Jesus Christ following a health crisis.
"Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them..."
Hosea 14:9 (NLT)
people I was with, and how I felt during each step of my pilgrimage with breast cancer. I also jotted down scripture verses that encouraged me - those I read over and over. I felt compelled to put this journal all together to share with my family and close friends. Writing the journal also helped me see the whole ordeal from God's perspective and gave me a sense of closure and purpose as it was completed. My family and friends appreciated receiving copies of it. They ended up sharing it with others and before I knew it, quite a number of people were asking for copies. This was completely unplanned and I was overwhelmed. I had never intended to share it with others, but God was speaking to me. I ended up rewriting the introductory paragraph to reflect God's purpose. I realized that God could use it to encourage others. This was and is very exciting! I also feel very honored and humbled at the same time that our Lord would be able to use something I wrote. I can't imagine any greater joy than being able to encourage others in the Lord. This is experiencing God's blessings!
Let me explain more specifically the emotions and inner conflicts I experienced shortly after reaching survivorship status. Hopefully, the reader will be able to identify with this and be assured that the Lord will give a sense of purpose and hope when we trust Him. We cannot live a Christian life in our own strength, but only through God's power. During my treatment time, I had a specific schedule and it always included the company of friends. I became very tired and needed to rest quite a bit. My days had routine to them even though I experienced discomfort and couldn't do all of the "normal" things. I had regular doctor appointments to attend. I had attention all the time! Then when all this stopped, I didn't know what to do. My life had completely changed and I had no idea how to spend my time. I did not have the energy to go back to substitute teaching. I felt lonely and depressed. I thought people expected me to be jumping for joy about being cancer free. I was very thankful about the actual treatments being over and certainly did not miss them. I was certainly thrilled with receiving a cancer free diagnosis. However, I didn't know who I was apart from cancer. I spent my time calling out to the Lord and expressed my feelings to friends and family.
Please visit my website http://www.thejoyperspective.com to read more of my story and to be encouraged in all areas of life!
By Claudia J Barron
What is a Cancer Survivor? We are those who have had cancer, but are celebrating being cancer-free. At the same time, we realize that we are still at risk for cancer returning. During my cancer journey itself, I was able to recognize God's blessings among the fear, pain, and uncertainty. Now I am doing more than recognizing God's blessings - I am experiencing them! God has filled in the "gaps" of my life. When I first became a survivor, I spent a great deal of time wondering what I should be doing with my life. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up! I asked God to give me direction, but He seemed to be telling me to rest and wait upon Him. I was able to do that, but not always very patiently. Waiting can be so very difficult - whether waiting for test results, treatments to end, or for God's direction, in this case. Most everyone who has gone through a health crisis struggles in the aftermath. You may have to assess who you are separate from your health issue. You may have less energy than you did before and realize you need to change your way of life. I believe everyone in this category has a different perspective about life than they did before the illness. I wish to share the blessings God has allowed me to experience as a cancer survivor who is attempting to follow God's leading. My prayer and purpose for this is to encourage the reader to live more fully and experience a more abundant life in our Lord Jesus Christ following a health crisis.
"Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them..."
Hosea 14:9 (NLT)
people I was with, and how I felt during each step of my pilgrimage with breast cancer. I also jotted down scripture verses that encouraged me - those I read over and over. I felt compelled to put this journal all together to share with my family and close friends. Writing the journal also helped me see the whole ordeal from God's perspective and gave me a sense of closure and purpose as it was completed. My family and friends appreciated receiving copies of it. They ended up sharing it with others and before I knew it, quite a number of people were asking for copies. This was completely unplanned and I was overwhelmed. I had never intended to share it with others, but God was speaking to me. I ended up rewriting the introductory paragraph to reflect God's purpose. I realized that God could use it to encourage others. This was and is very exciting! I also feel very honored and humbled at the same time that our Lord would be able to use something I wrote. I can't imagine any greater joy than being able to encourage others in the Lord. This is experiencing God's blessings!
Let me explain more specifically the emotions and inner conflicts I experienced shortly after reaching survivorship status. Hopefully, the reader will be able to identify with this and be assured that the Lord will give a sense of purpose and hope when we trust Him. We cannot live a Christian life in our own strength, but only through God's power. During my treatment time, I had a specific schedule and it always included the company of friends. I became very tired and needed to rest quite a bit. My days had routine to them even though I experienced discomfort and couldn't do all of the "normal" things. I had regular doctor appointments to attend. I had attention all the time! Then when all this stopped, I didn't know what to do. My life had completely changed and I had no idea how to spend my time. I did not have the energy to go back to substitute teaching. I felt lonely and depressed. I thought people expected me to be jumping for joy about being cancer free. I was very thankful about the actual treatments being over and certainly did not miss them. I was certainly thrilled with receiving a cancer free diagnosis. However, I didn't know who I was apart from cancer. I spent my time calling out to the Lord and expressed my feelings to friends and family.
Please visit my website http://www.thejoyperspective.com to read more of my story and to be encouraged in all areas of life!
By Claudia J Barron
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