Christine here: Today, Shirely Corder gives us her final installment on my blog. I hope her story encourages you, especially if you are going through the Cancer Valley.
About two years after my
cancer treatment ended, I attended a cancer survivors' seminar in Cape Town,
South Africa, with my oncologist and some other cancer survivors. Part of the
program included a panel of ladies sharing their cancer experiences. I listened
in dumbstruck amazement as one after the other gave praise for cancer. That's
right. For cancer.
The last woman to speak gripped
the mike and blurted out, "Cancer ruined my life!" She dissolved in
tears, and a couple of ladies rushed forward to assist her from the stage. One
of the leaders got up to explain that the poor woman was only a few months out
of her treatment regime, and that it took time to gain perspective on something
as drastic as cancer.
"Gain
perspective?" I said to my husband when I got home. "She's the only
one that made sense! The others are crazy. Sure, I'm thankful God brought me
through it, but to be thankful for
cancer? Never."
I knew of the promise in
Romans 8:28 that "in all things God works for the good of those who love
him." But honestly? How could that include cancer?
As I mentioned in my
previous post, once my treatment was over, doors started to open for me in the
writing field. At the age of 60 years, I flew unaccompanied from Cape Town via
London to the United States of America where I attended a writers' conference
in Baltimore. The Lord provided finances for the trip in miraculous ways. A few
years later, I started work on a book of meditations in which I shared 90
stories of how the Lord blessed and protected me through the journey of cancer.
In 2010, I flew from
Johannesburg to attend another conference, this time in Florida, USA. While
there, I met an editor who liked my book, and in 2012 it was published by a
mainline publisher in the States.
Today, I can see how much
richer my life has become because of cancer. I speak at meetings on a variety
of topics. But they all bring out the same point. I am thankful for cancer, the
lessons I learned and the blessings I received. Would I go through it again? I
pray daily that I will never have to. I hated every moment of the journey. Yet I
can honestly say I'm grateful for the experience.
I guess I have gained
perspective.
Oh . . . one more thing. When
Scripture says in Romans 8:28, "in all things God works for good to those
who love him"? Yes, that even includes cancer.
Links:
Purchase
Strength Renewed (print or Kindle)
Purchase
from Barnes and Noble (print or
Nook)
Rise and Soar Website (encouragement for
those in the cancer valley)
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