Wonderful

The letter I posted last night was an email I typed and sent out 5 years and a day ago. Today marked the 5th anniversary of the day I completed my cancer treatment and rang the bell. What bell? As I mentioned in the email, there is a bell that hangs in the hallway of the radiation area and when a patient completes their therapy, they get to ring the bell. I remember the day like it was yesterday. Surrounded by family, new friends, old friends and my radiation team. I remember tears rolled down my face and feeling this sense of peace. I had no idea what to expect for the rest of my life, but knew the Lord had walked with me the entire time through my treatment and that he would continue to walk with me on the other side.

"The Ringing of the Bell" is a letter I have gone back and read numerous times. I have this image in my head of the Lord helping me type that email and understand that He had a message to share through it as well. Last May, some of my girlfriends were so sweet to help me celebrate this five-year milestone here in Houston. At the end of the weekend they presented me this letter in a beautiful frame. A sweet reminder that the Lord has a plan for my life and that He continues to use my battle with cancer for His glory.

And back in 2006, a sweet lady I met while I was in Kerrville even asked if she could publish this letter in a book she was writing. Her name is Debbie Williams and she is the founder and president of Hill Country Ministries. (www.hillcountryministries.org) Debbie loves the Lord and is an incredible teacher of His word. She has written numerous bible studies and books and I was so honored to be apart of her book, "Pray With Purpose, Live With Passion". The subtitle of the book reads, "How Praising God A to Z Will Transform Your Life". My letter was included in the "W" chapter titled "Lord, You Are Wonderful". Tonight I will leave you with a excerpt from her book.

Hospital bed. Sterile sheets. Dimly lit hospital corridors. Loneliness. Heartache. Medicine. Chemotherapy. Hair falling out. Nausea. Pain. A doctor's solemn countenance speaking volumes before a single word declares the cancer has spread. IVs. Collapsed veins. Tears and more tears as loved ones search for comforting words.

Prayer.

"God, are you there?" "When will this end?" "I'm ready, God, for whatever Your will is. Take me. Leave me. I'm Yours."

The faint sound of a bell ringing. Hope at the end of the hall. Someone has finished her final treatment! In a world wracked with suffering and disappointment, how do we understand and pray to the Lord who is wonderful?

Consider the exceptional perspective revealed in the following letter, written by a young lady who battled cancer for eight months and whose testimony gives praise to our Lord.

(Insert my letter here from previous post, titled "The Ringing of the Bell")

Who would have thought that a young woman with cancer would one day be praising God for the wonderful day He gave her and thanking those who prayed for her?

The fact is, God is Wonderful. Although not all of us will be healed is this lifetime, all Christians will celebrate God's wonder and power when we are wholly healed and raised in His presence. In the meantime, God gives each of us the opportunity to know Him as a Wonderful God and to seek His wonder-working power, counsel, and presence in whatever situation we find ourselves.

Thank you, Debbie, for sharing this letter in your book. And thank you, faithful friends, for celebrating life with me today.

And if you listen closely, you just might hear a little bell ringing tonight.