The Gift of Cancer, An Unexpected Guest
The Gift of Cancer
An Unexpected Guest
Can cancer be a gift? In my book, Return from Exile, I help people reframe their loss by showing how God might use it to broaden them as a person. When you are able to believe that good can come from evil you are able to return from "exile" and live a fuller life that blesses others.
With this in mind, I'd like to share with you what my sister has come to call "the gift of cancer." Last year my sister was diagnosed with colon cancer and has been receiving chemotherapy for the last several months with very positive results.
One Qualifier
Before I share her thoughts on the gift of cancer, it's important to admit that, if your life, or the life of a loved one, was ravaged by cancer, hearing it called a "gift" might be offensive. I understand and appreciate that. Everyone's experience is different.
If my sister's treatment hadn't gone so well, maybe she'd have a different perspective. But I'm happy to know that she's gained something from her cancer experience and not let it steal from her. I hope her words might encourage you. This is what she wrote:
The Gift of Cancer
In reading other blogs, I have seen that maintaining a positive attitude through our journeys is common of the bloggers and their followers. On that note, I have rewritten a common saying on what cancer cannot do to what it can do for us. This saying has been sent to me a couple of times over the past 8 months and they are posted in my office.
Cancer is so limited...It cannot cripple love, It cannot shatter hope, It cannot corrode faith, It cannot destroy peace, It cannot kill friendship, It cannot suppress memories, It cannot silence courage, It cannot invade the soul, It cannot steal eternal life, It cannot conquer the spirit. - Author unknown
There's More To It Than That
I believe all these statements are true, but I also see that cancer has been a gift in my life. I have chosen not to fight it, and be angry with it, but to recognize its gifts, be grateful for them, and then encourage it to leave my body. So far, it's been a good approach…
I have chosen to rewrite the common cancer phrases in a more positive light. I hope you can understand my position on why I choose to follow this journey:
Cancer can be a gift...It can expand your love, It can encourage hope, It can enhance faith, It can bring peace, It can build friendships, It can make new memories, It can develop courage, It can blossom the soul, It can help me face eternal life, It can inspire the spirit.
No matter what journey we are following, whether it's a loss of a loved one, a concern for a child, a tragic occurrence, depression, or any disease, we all need to keep the spirit of joy, love and gratitude in our hearts. May we all look for those gifts every day that make us happy. Diedre Kaye
Good Can Come From Even Cancer
Back to Remy here. From my perspective, you can trust God to make good out of anything, even cancer. It's the ultimate act of worship. Rather than focus and lament over what's been lost, why not focus on what's been gained?
Too often I hear people speak as if God owes them a pain-free life. Any pain is fought with bitterness and they resent God for allowing it to visit them. But I never read that guarantee anywhere. I'm grateful that God is willing to walk with me through my pain and give me eyes to see the silver lining that exists if I look for it.
Bitterness will shut you down and close you off to all that's good, even the healing you might be longing for. Gratefulness does just the opposite. I hope you might see the gifts in your life today.
*Update: It is now July, 2022 and my sister is still with us after eight years of her cancer. She has stopped all treatment because it was taking too much out of her. She’s outlived her doctors predictions due to her positive outlook. She is a source of encouragement to many. I don’t know how many more weeks or months we’ll have with her but we are soaking up as much of her light as we can with the time left.
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