It's Not Over Til The Fat Lady Sings

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:16-17

Yesterday I listened to John and Elizabeth Edwards announce to the public that Elizabeth’s breast cancer had returned and metastized to her bone and possibly her lung. But, they said, John’s campaign run for the presidency of the United States would go on. They recognized the depth of the commitment they were making to each other and to the country, especially in light of her ongoing treatment to manage her cancer, and they were prepared for the work.

Politics aside, I had to admire them for not letting cancer dictate withdrawal, quitting, or change in lifestyle. Cancer wasn’t in control of them; they were in control of the cancer. The diagnosis Elizabeth received of non-curable, but treatable, cancer, didn’t leave her panicked and ready to throw in the towel on life. As a couple, they are taking up the fight, continuing on with the direction they’ve chosen, and leaving the rest in God’s hands.

I know another breast cancer patient who says she was given a short time to live by her first oncologist. She was devastated and decided to come to Cancer Treatment Centers of America to get a second opinion. At CTCA, the oncologist examined her and then told her, “I looked on the bottom of your foot, and I don’t see an expiration date written there.” She says those few words gave her a new perspective on her life and filled her with hope to go on and fight. She has, and she’s been living – not dying – for quite a few years now, doing all the things she thought were going to be denied her.

The verses above tell you that only God knows the number of days you’re going to live. So leave that knowledge in His hands and don’t throw in the towel because someone has given you a poor prognosis. People, even physicians, err all the time. They don’t know all things. They don’t have the final word. They aren’t in control. God is. They practice medicine. God isn’t practicing.

Choose to take control over the cancer you have. Choose life. Choose to live each day to the fullest, making the most of the time and life you’ve been given. Choose wisely, so your body, mind and spirit can work at maximum capacity with the treatment you’re receiving. Ask God to guide your thoughts, actions, life, so you have His perspective on life, on your life. Ask Him to give you His strength, His grace, for each day, and to lead you through them so you’ve used them well. Don’t let cancer steal from you what God has ordained for you. Live, and live strongly, fully, appreciatively, filled with hope, until the moment He calls you home.

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