Pure Joy, April 21
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Ashley Taylor
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3 NIV).
In the spring of 2019, my sweet daughter, Grace, planned to leave on a trip to Europe at the completion of her sophomore year of college. That spring, I was also diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time of her departure, we thought Grace was healthy, and I was set to win my battle against cancer with radiation after my lumpectomy. Wow! Things really did not work out like we thought!
For our family, life went from difficult to frightening. Shortly after Grace’s European tour began, she started to have issues with her stomach so severe she was not able to eat or drink. With no improvement after seeing a doctor in France and being hospitalized in Italy, we had Grace flown home. There are no words to express how hard it was to be so far away from our very sick child. In the meantime, my husband and I had met with my medical oncologist to find out I would need chemo, surprising to my doctor and to us! I also found out that I would need more surgery.
It is times like these that it can be hard to follow our verse for today: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.…” I completely understood the “trials of many kinds,” but considering trials “pure joy” when it involves my daughter being sick? That is a tough one!
Praise God, Grace was home!! She had lost weight, and I could see the pain in her eyes. The ordeal was not over. After seeing her doctor and still getting worse, my husband had to take Grace to the emergency room on a Saturday morning. Okay, I am Mama Bear, so despite starting chemo on Monday, I was ready to charge into the ER to do whatever needed to be done for my child. My husband did not want me to be sitting in the ER for hours being exposed to all those germs. How could I not be there? Cancer was making me feel like I could not be there for my child when she needed me.
Whoa! I had to take a step back and let go. I had to remember that Grace is a child of God whom He has entrusted to the care of James and me. Our heavenly Father was in control, and He had us covered in His amazing love and grace. Grace was in the capable, loving hands of her daddy and her heavenly Father that day in the ER. And I was there for her in prayer, in heart, and in spirit. Miraculously, even as my precious Grace was in the ER, I was able to say, “It is well with my soul.”
Understanding of the words from the book of James began to ring clear, why I might “consider it pure joy” when facing tribulation. It is “that the testing of your faith produces perseverance,” drawing us nearer to God and stronger in our faith. This period of trials led me to constantly reach out to my heavenly Father in prayer and to trust in Him. It brought my husband and me even closer, and taught our family to lean on God and to trust in His ways.
Pray: God of amazing love and grace, teach us to consider it pure joy when we face trials, knowing we are drawn nearer to You and can grow stronger in our faith. May we remember You are in control and completely trustworthy. Amen.
Your Turn: Listen to Kristene Di Marco sing “It is Well.” May the words of this song give you strength when facing trials, so you can persevere, grow, and have joy.
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.
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