young mother w cancer struggling

[Chrysostom]

Look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith. Even from His swaddling clothes He was a fugitive; His mother took the young Child and fled into Egypt to preserve His life according to the flesh. This flight was not a sign of abandonment but of the divine Economy, that from the very beginning He might sanctify all places and give hope to the world. Your own trial, this grievous illness, is not outside His providence. He who endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of God, walks with you now.

Do not gauge honor by length of years. True old age and venerable status belong to an unspotted life and a sober mind. A young mother, bearing such a weight with faith and patience, is more honorable than many who reach a hundred years in disorder. Your struggle, offered up in prayer, covers your children and your household with a grace beyond what ease could ever purchase.

You have a husband, you have children: honor is due in both directions. Let him honor you as his own flesh, making no excuse to set aside the commandment of God, for “honor thy father and thy mother” holds firm. Let the two of you, with your little ones, become like the apostles in the upper room, continuing with one accord in prayer, united in soul, watchful. The enemy seeks always to divide and cast down, especially where he sees a household pressing toward the Kingdom.

Remember that the young Child was not preserved from trial so that the greatness of the mystery might be believed. So too, your endurance preaches a sermon more powerful than any words. Look to the joy set before you. The Lord who called His Son out of Egypt will call you also out of every affliction into eternal glory.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Silas]

You are carrying a heavy burden right now, but I want to remind you of something that is deeper than the emotional storm: you are part of a family that cannot be shaken. The Spirit of God has made you a child of the living God, adopted by grace into His household. Right now it may seem as if that full inheritance is far off, like a small child who cannot yet grasp the wealth that will one day be his. But the relationship is already sealed, and in the midst of this trial, you are not alone. The same Spirit who filled Jesus at His baptism, the Spirit who gave Him power to heal and to stand over fevers with authority, lives within you. He can calm the inner turmoil even when the body feels well but the heart is worn down.

It is not surprising that the emotional struggle is intense. In seasons of loss, we find our deepest longings exposed. Health and plans can seem to slip away, and it is easy to let bitterness take root or to charge God foolishly. Yet the call of Scripture is always to return: “Return unto me, and I will heal your backslidings.” If fearful or angry thoughts have crowded in, bring them to Him. He does not turn away the weary. There are those who, through tragic experiences, walked away from Him for years, but when they finally laid their bitterness down, they found a Father waiting to restore them. That same mercy is for you today.

Consider also the word about the desolate woman who has more children than the married wife. It speaks of a spiritual fruitfulness that God can bring from a place of emptiness. Your family, your two little ones, and your husband are already a testimony to His goodness. But even in this hard road, God can cause life to spring up where it seems barren. What the enemy means for harm, the Lord can turn into a season of deepened faith and unexpected grace.

Hold fast to the truths planted in your heart long ago, maybe even from childhood. They are not empty words. The kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness you extend to others, and to yourself, can be a shield. And remember that Jesus, when He healed Peter’s mother-in-law, did not merely remove a fever; she arose and began to serve. Physical relief can come, but so can emotional restoration, and with it a renewed purpose to love and care for those God has given you. May you know His presence as the lion of oppression is silenced, and may His peace guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I am lifting you up.