When I was first diagnosed, by an MRI, I waited several weeks before I told my Mother. She was going through a rough time, and I was hoping this was all a nightmare that some test would reveal was a mis-diagnosis. When a bone scan confirmed the worst, it was time to tell Mom, and so I met her half way between our homes under the pretense that I had to get something at the outlet mall by her house.
I don't think I could ever describe the look of horror on her face, and the shock and grief she had to process on that day. At the time, I considered her very fragile and weak, and her walk with God had been shaken up by other circumstances. She could have gone two ways that day. One way would have been to shake her fist at God and claim that He was an unfair, unjust, and unloving. Fortunately, she remembered all she knew about this God we do not see, and often do not understand. My Mom cried to Him for help. She knew He would listen. She knew His Word, and she dug in and claimed the promises that were hers to claim, and she gained strength and led me to the scriptures that would give me tremendous hope during the darkest of time.
I am fortunate to have a Mother who walks with the Lord. I am grateful beyond words that my Mom (and Dad) gave me the greatest gift ever, a childhood filled with lessons from God, which led me to a deep relationship with Christ, which changed my life forever. It is because of that relationship with Christ that I am here today and living a life of peace and comfort while He takes care of the details of cancer.
Nothing on this earth means more to me than passing on the truth of what a life in Christ could mean to someone else. At the very top of that list is passing knowledge of where faith and hope comes from to my daughters. Sometimes I wonder if they are really getting it, and then I get a sweet answer to my own question.
This past Tuesday, I had my scans. In the morning Rachel asked me where my breast cancer stickers were. Not thinking much about it, and in a rush, I directed her to them and flew out the door for City of Hope. That afternoon, when she got home, she asked me how my scans went. I told her everything went smooth, but I would not have answers until next Tuesday. She then told me her reason for the stickers. She took about a dozen of them to school gave out a few telling them that her Mom had important tests, and asked them to pray. Other friends started asking about the stickers, and soon she had given them all out. There is not much to smile about on the campus of middle school these days, but I think God smiled when He saw these boys and girls united in a cause to pray.
I was touched to the core by what Rachel did out of her love for me. She is growing in her faith, and knows that these big requests can only be answered by a big God. My Mom continues to encourage me and is one of my biggest prayer warriors. My daughter, Michelle, also has a big heart for Mom and prays with with complete faith. I am also surrounded by amazing friends (who are mothers), that also display God's warmth and compassion by their actions.
Jesus came to give hope, faith, and love to a fallen world. I am thankful for my mother who gave me faith, for my daughters who live with hope, and for the love that binds our hearts in Christ Jesus.
Happy Mother's Day,
Sandy
