HIS FACE IN MY JOURNEY
HIS COMPASSION
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort."
2 Corinthians 1:3
The story of how I found my cancer is what I call a "God-story". I believe the Lord led my husband and I to our new church where I connected with a friend who opened my heart to her friend which prompted me to find my cancer early. His fingerprints are undeniable.
I will never forget the day I received the news. It was a beautiful summer day and I was at a friend's house swimming with the kids, a pleasant distraction from the phone call I was awaiting. I hadn’t told my friend about my situation because I did not want her to worry. I was a little anxious, but truly believed that the lump would be benign. As the afternoon drew to a close, I gathered our belongings and rounded up the kids. I had just packed the car and was walking across the lawn to say good-bye when my phone rang. It was my doctor with the news. She told me that the cancer was aggressive and invasive, and I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I was pretty sure I was going to die.
I didn’t recognize God’s hand in the timing of that phone call until much later. But when I did, I was in
awe. If it had come just moments later, I would have been driving home alone with my kids. God knew
that I needed to receive that traumatic news in the presence of a friend. He knew that I needed her to hug
me and hold me and tell me that everything was going to be fine, even though it all sounded so bad. God knew
that I needed my friend to keep my kids so that they wouldn’t have to watch their mom fall apart. He was there protecting my children, protecting me, from more than we all could bear. His timing was merciful. His compassion, I will never forget.
