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From CANCER…..Came a MINISTRY to Proclaim a Message of HOPE to Others
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God truly blessed me as a child in having wonderful Christian parents who were my hero’s and I wanted to be “just” like them. They taught me to depend upon God at a very early age, which has helped me throughout my life. In a small Methodist Church, at the age of 13, I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Over the years I have learned that God is always there for us. In the good times and the bad! He gives us so much peace, strength, courage and hope, especially in the bad times as we learn to depend more completely on Him. January 14, 1998, age 48 at Blount Memorial Breast Health Center, a moment in time changed my life forever. During my annual mammogram a small nodule was found! I couldn’t feel it! It looked suspicious, they said! A lumpectomy followed 2 days later. It was cancer “The Big C”, at least that’s what people use to call it! Mammograms, annual exams by my physician and monthly self exams, I did all three! Three days later my surgeon gave me “THE REPORT”! More Bad News! 8 lymph nodes positive! The diagnosis was Stage 3 highly aggressive breast cancer! I just knew I WOULD NOT live long! I knew I WOULD NOT see my grandchildren! My husband, Don, asked, How long does she have? That night I recalled the times God had been with me and the “MANY MIRACLES” in my life! I read scriptures and prayed! My sister, Louise, sent me a precious gift, “The Jesus Person Promise Pocket Book”, containing 800 verses of God's promises! I memorized the key verses and carried this awesome book everywhere. When I gave my heart to Christ at age 13, I inherited a great wealth – all the hundreds of promises God gave me in His Word. I CLAIMED them..... I BELIEVED them..... and I ACTED upon them. My family, friends, Piney Grove Baptist Church members and other churches began praying for me! Oh, those prayers! I felt those prayers! I said, Lord I'm in your hands and I know you will help me! I'm going to depend on you because I can't do it myself! My FAITH and TRUST are in you LORD. My husband Don and I met with my oncologist and he scheduled scans & tests to see if the cancer had spread to other parts of my body. I carried my little promise book everywhere! Everything was OK and we praised God! As I began preparing for high dose chemotherapy and hair loss, one of my dear nurses, Debbie Hunt, shared with me that, "99% was my frame of mind and 1% was treatments". With these percentages, I was determined to have a positive attitude! With God's help, I was going to FIGHT CANCER! During my 1st treatment I met encouraging and inspiring cancer patients! My heart became so burdened for them. Our eyes would meet and we knew what each of us was experiencing. I shared with them, “God is bigger than cancer and Mark 10:27 says: "All things are possible with God". My sister Annette and daughter Tina began preparing a wig for me! I went to the chemo room with a “smile on my face and wearing my red wig”. It became my friend for a year and half. Ladies just think! No shampooing…no blow dryers…no curling irons! I would shake it…put it on…and go! Until…I caught my wig on fire one time! WORDS OF WISDOM WHILE WEARING WIGS: Getting too close to the oven door could be a fire hazard! Also, the steam iron will not remove frizzes from a “bad wig day”! I learned that "Laughter is medicine", not only for me but for my family and friends. My intense treatments were finally over after 9 months. They included 5 chemotherapy treatments, a stem cell transplant and radiation. It was a long and enduring time but I felt the peace of God that transcends all understanding. However, in August of 1999 during another mammogram, recurrent breast cancer was found! They were tiny specs! A mastectomy followed and no treatments were needed. To keep my mind from worry and fear, I focused on “Christ the Big C” instead of cancer the “little c”. I refused to let worries about tomorrow affect my relationship with Christ today. My sister Annette was also diagnosed with early stage 1 breast cancer at age 40 and after a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery, she is doing GREAT! She was there for me during my cancer surgeries and treatments and God enabled me to be there for her. In June 2003, three tiny spots were discovered on my lungs during scans. My oncologist was “sure” it was recurrent breast cancer. I praise God there has been no significant change with those spots since that date. Folks, this is what God can do! ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD! God’s word says none of us are guaranteed tomorrow and eternity is as close as out next breath! You know, a diagnosis of cancer has been a blessing! It has changed my life! Wonderful experiences beyond belief – many, many wonderful opportunities to share with others how Christ is my hope and their hope as well. So, I celebrate life with a new perspective and mind-set. So celebrate your life! Don't give up when bad things happen. Keep a positive attitude! It’s having CONFIDENCE and EXPECTATION in CHRIST. It’s believing, standing and acting on God’s promises. As children of God we have this assurance. What God says, He will do! One of my favorite scripture verses is Romans 8:28: And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the Good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Somehow all things come together by Him for our good. The BIG "C"…CHRIST gave me Hope for Today…hope in Christ. I’m ALIVE TODAY because of God’s healing power, the answered prayers of God’s people and my doctors and nurses. Now…I am enjoying my grandchildren, Trey and twins Claire and Cade, whom I thought I would never see. I continue to carry my little promise book with me wherever I go…it’s falling apart and I keep it together with a rubber band but it continues to give me strength and peace. After my 1st treatment in February1998, God revealed His plan and purpose for my life – to form a cancer support group! From CANCER…came a MINISTRY to proclaim a message of HOPE to others. Hope for Today was formed in June of 1998 before my stem cell transplant with six people attending our first meeting. We are currently averaging eighty people in attendance with 50% of these cancer survivors. We became a non-profit public charity in 2005 and God has opened doors beyond belief. I am honored to be called of God to reach out to so many people. This is what God has done in my life, not what I have done! I give God all the GLORY…HONOR…and PRAISE for everything. My faith in Christ has strengthened tremendously and I pray that I will always follow God’s will for my life and not my will. I also pray I will always be a living example of Christ to everyone I meet.
Do you know for sure that if you died today would you go to Heaven and spend an eternity with God? It is as easy as ABC! A - Admit to God that you are a sinner B - Believe and receive Jesus Christ as God’s Son and your Savior - C - Commit your life to Jesus Christ
The Roman Road People’s Sin..................Romans 3:23 Sin’s penalty..................Romans 6:23 God’s love.....................Romans 5:8 Confession and belief...Romans 10:9-10, 13
Are you ready to meet God?
Love in Christ, Charlene Walker |
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