In Sickness and In Health, March 6
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Ashley Taylor
“[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8a NIV).
On March 25, 1995, James and I promised to take one another as husband and wife, to have and to hold from that day forward … in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. James is not only my husband but also my best friend. Life together is not always hunky-dory because we live in a broken world where neither life nor marriage is perfect. We have experienced incredible joy and immense sadness and disappointment. By the grace of God, we have learned about trust, compassion, compromise, self-sacrifice, and unconditional love. Our verse for today teaches that love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” We discovered that the power of this GOD LOVE is never more important in a marriage than during the hard times.
With God by our sides, we promised to stand together against my breast cancer. James was there to support me at my doctors’ appointments, to hold my hand when I needed it, and to cry together. He gently shaved my head when it was time and told me how beautiful I was. From the beginning, I wanted to be strong and try to protect James from the enormity of the circumstances as much as I could—the fear, the pain, and the horribleness of this disease. But James was determined to show me the true meaning of “love never fails.”
Cancer treatment left James with a sick, exhausted wife instead of the young, full-of-life woman he had married. My illness put a lot of stress on us. However, not once was he not there for me. During chemo I became sick and had to spend the night in the emergency room. James stayed by my side in a straight-back chair without arms all night. I don’t know how he didn’t fall out of the chair when dozing or how he was able to work the next day. Later, looking in the mirror at a bald-headed woman with marks from my double mastectomy and reconstruction, I no longer saw the person I had been before cancer. James told me that he fell in love with the person on the inside and told me how beautiful I was. Again, James showed me the true meaning of “love never fails.”
With God’s help, I had to learn that I was not the only one going through a very difficult time. James had a lot on his shoulders—worry about my health and also the health of our daughter, Grace, the stress of medical bills, his job, and so on. Yet I had to put aside the temptation to protect James by sharing less of my struggle. For me, this was part of loving him “in sickness and in health.” We had to be sure we were communicating and being open with one another. Our love is not flawless, but even through cancer, with His help we strove for “GOD LOVE,” and it was for us a reinforcement of the gift of love that God has for each of us every day.
Pray: Gracious God, we thank You for teaching us about “GOD LOVE” and for the blessings You give through our relationships with our spouses. Amen.
Your Turn: Reflect on God’s amazing gift of love as you listen to “Love Never Fails You” sung by Bridgette Hammers and remember: “…now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV).
Ashley Taylor, Cancer Survivor
Ashley is married to James, and they have two daughters, Grace and Hannah. All four are big Tar Heel fans, having attended the same school, UNC-Chapel Hill. In 2020 Ashley obtained her roofing license to help with her family's business. She is a breast cancer survivor. She has been grateful for the opportunity to join the devo team for Cancer Companions, to reach out to others for God’s glory for His goodness in her cancer journey.
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
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