Christine here: My guest for this week and next is author Shirley Corder. I hope you will drop by again next week to be encouraged by Shirley's inspiring story as she went through the Cancer Valley and came out the other side.
For some years, my husband
and I lived in the beautiful Elgin Valley of South Africa, home of Elgin apples
and Appletiser®. We often traversed the magnificent Houw Hoek mountain pass, about
an hour from the city of Cape Town. After leaving the valley with its acres of
apple trees, the road ascends at a fairly gentle gradient to the summit. Majestic
mountains tower overhead, casting long shadows across the road.
After negotiating a steep
U-turn, the road continues down a steep descent to a spectacular valley. It's
like entering another world. The farming landscape is dotted with small
buildings and grazing cows. And as the mountains slip into the background, the
road is often bathed in bright sunshine.
One sunny afternoon, my
life journey arrived at just such a pass, only it wasn't beautiful. One minute
I was enjoying life as a busy registered nurse and pastor's wife, and the next
I hit a U-turn.
"You have
cancer," announced a radiologist. "And I don't think they'll be able
to get it all out." My life spun out of control as I attempted to
negotiate this unexpected twist in the road. God promises in his Word that
"in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans
8:28). I had often seen this verse in action, but I admit, I couldn't see how
he was going to do it this time.
With the use of a skilled
surgeon, an unconventional and courageous oncologist, a supportive family, and many
praying friends, God pulled me through a pretty grim year of treatment. At the
end of the year, I started the descent into the valley. My future lay spread
before me, but it was so different. I could no longer nurse, due to a weakened
immune system. What would I do with my life?
I hadn't anticipated being
blindsided by cancer, so I had made no plans. But then God had known about the
cancer long before I did. And he did have plans.
Suddenly doors opened for
me that I would never have anticipated. My hobby of many years turned into a
full-time occupation as I began to share in print some of the good things God had done in my life as a
result of cancer.
At the time my treatment
came to an end, I had no idea how long it would take for my life to get fully
back on track. Nor did I realize that when it did, I would be travelling in a
different direction. From nursing sister to published author. But then, isn't
that what a U-turn is all about?
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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