This is my granddaughter Eleanor. Ten years ago, there was a question if I would ever see her. I’d been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in November 2010, and the prognosis had not been good. The doctor’s best-case scenario was that I would have a colostomy for the rest of my life, with the other outcomes measuring my life in months. Few outlooks had me living to see little Ellie. In the midst of bleak diagnoses, I had a choice to make. I could accept the fate I was being given, or I could hope for more.
At 43 years old I had rectal cancer, and a large tumor to show for it. The initial imaging revealed it had grown into the lymph area. From a medical standpoint, things looked dire. When I discussed possible outcomes with my surgeon, he advised me that if chemotherapy and radiation treatment were effective, they hoped to shrink the tumor down to a size that would allow it to be extracted without major damage to my digestive tract, but that the tissue would be so damaged that repair would be ineffective. I would have to use a colostomy bag the rest of my life. It was hard news to hear, and not a future to look forward to.
I asked him what would happen if the tissue was in good shape. He informed me that he had never seen that happen before, but theoretically with good tissue he could forgo the colostomy and reattach the digestive tract to restore functionality. As I stood there considering his words, it rose up in me that I could hope for more than what he said the outcome would be. I could be the exception to what he had experienced before. My present reality was that I had cancer in my body, and it looked grim, but my reality didn’t have to be defined by only what the doctor said. I knew what God’s Word said as well, and in it I could find my reason for hope.
Some might have thought it audacious for me to hope for more. Others might have thought it irresponsible. There were those who thought I was being naïve, even foolish. As I stood there talking to my surgeon, I told him that I understood what he was telling me, and what the treatment regimen was. Then I said what must have sounded more than optimistic – “I’ll follow your treatment advice, and trust God for viable tissue to be there”. He replied, “If that happens, I’ll be the first one to give Him credit”. I was not only expecting to survive cancer, but I was also expecting to have functioning digestive tract that would allow me to travel and do the things that God had placed in my heart. I would be writing books, speaking to crowds, and seeing my grandchildren. I would see Ellie, and more.
The Lord’s Goodness
Psalm 27:13 is a verse I live by:
Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. NLT
I made the decision to trust God to be with me through cancer, to see me to the other side, and to take me further into what He has for me in my life. I decided I would trust Him and see His goodness in my life. He had more for me than what the diagnosis said. I didn’t base this on a desire not to die. I based it on what His Word had to say about my situation. My hope came from 1 Peter 2:24 –
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross, so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. NLT
I believed that Jesus’ redemptive work at the cross made healing available to me. I didn’t see it happen overnight, and I ended up doing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Yet through all of it I never let go of hoping for more – I never lost sight of seeing God’s goodness in my body in the land of the living. Hebrews 11:1 tells us:
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. NLT
I had a hope, an expected outcome. It wasn’t a wish; it was my hope. (Click here for more on wish vs. hope) My faith, my trust, was in Jesus’ redemptive work. I saw the healing provided in His sacrifice as my reality, in the face of all the test results and sickness. Things didn’t look good, and I went through many horrible side effects – but I never let go of my hope. I remembered what the writer of Romans said about Abraham in Romans 4:
18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. NLT
“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping.” Even when the side effects get almost unbearable, even when they take you off of chemo because they think you are so weak you may not survive until the next week – when there seems to be no reason to have that hope, that expectation – keep hoping. Because God is faithful. That’s how I approached each day, and in March of 2011 the surgeon opened me up and found no cancer. He found what he called “pristine” tissue where there was to be none and reattached my digestive tract. He biopsied 21 lymph nodes, and all tested cancer free. Most of all, he gave God the credit. Because he saw God’s faithfulness firsthand.
Jesus Is Where True Hope Is Found
Whatever you are dealing with – Hope for More! Understand that hope you are looking for is found in Jesus. If you are looking in other places, you won’t find the true answer, and if you are only playing with God, you’ll never develop the trust in Him required to see your hope become reality. Remember, “Faith shows the reality of things hoped for.” That faith is found in the person of Jesus. Hebrews chapter 12 explains it this way:
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
When you come to Jesus and place your trust in Him, He initiates and grows your faith. As you look to Him to be faithful to keep what He has promised, you will see His goodness continue to happen in your life. You may be facing sickness, financial issues, or problems in your relationships. Hope for more than what you see as the only outcomes. God is able to do amazing things in your life when you trust Him. You need only look up at little Ellie and remember that 10 years ago I wasn’t given much hope of ever meeting her. I hoped for more, and I continue to see it happen before my eyes. You can too!
Thanks for listening, and have a great day!
