Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone
Have you ever wondered what not to say to a friend with cancer? Maybe you know what NOT to say, but you aren’t sure what to say instead. I tackle this challenge head-on in a recent article I wrote for my publisher’s blog. Check it out here! Also, P&R is running a sale on Loving Your Friend through Cancer through October 31 in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You’ll find the coupon code and a link to the book at the end of the article.
ShareLast week I had the privilege of doing a Facebook live interview with Patricia Durgin from Marketers on a Mission. Patricia helps Christian writers and speakers succeed online with a daily Facebook live show, and last week she hosted a special breast cancer awareness week. I was thrilled to be able to share God’s story of faithfulness to me during my battle with angiosarcoma and discuss how we can support our friends with cancer. You can check out the replay from YouTube here!
Share
Last Tuesday morning I opened my Facebook app and saw a post that stopped my casual stroll. It’s not the first time the cancer battle of a Facebook friend has ended in death. And sadly, it’s not even the first time I’ve learned the news by seeing a teenage daughter’s loving tribute to a mom she won’t see again this side of heaven.
I sat in stunned silence, praying for the grieving family as I absorbed the reality of their loss. Several minutes later, I saw another tribute for a young father who just passed away after a five-year cancer battle. On a morning when I planned to write a devotional on Psalm 23:4, I couldn’t avoid the reality that death is a pervasive part of life.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
This verse tells us that as we endure the pain of suffering, we have nothing to fear. Through our tears and our heartbreak, we can have confidence that Christ conquered cancer, sickness, death, and loss when He rose from the grave. We can say with the apostle Paul, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55).
The psalmist draws comfort from these four words: “You are with me.” We have peace in the midst of suffering because God is always with us and will never abandon us. There is nowhere we can flee from His presence (Ps. 139:9-10). We belong to Him, and He promises to always be with us (Isaiah 43:1-2). Just as the fourth man appeared with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace, we never suffer alone (see Dan. 3).
Because our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, walked through death for us, we will never walk through death’s shadow alone. Because our Shepherd suffered for us, we can face suffering without fear. Because our Shepherd demonstrated His love for us on the cross, we have confidence that He will always be there to comfort us and will one day wipe away all our tears.
No matter what you face this week, God is with you in your suffering.
ShareI’m grateful to be this week’s guest on the Equipping You In Grace podcast with Dave Jenkins. I hope you’ll check out our conversation about Loving Your Friend through Cancer! And if you enjoy listening to thoughtful people discuss important topics, listen to some of his other episodes, too. I especially enjoyed this conversation with Jen Wilkin!
Note: There were audio issues with this podcast recording. If you’d rather read the interview, I answered many of the same questions in written form on their website – click here to read the interview!
Share