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Faith Focus: The God who comforts

It was three words you never want to hear: You have cancer. At 34 years old, the diagnosis of colon cancer was surprising, confusing, unexpected and overwhelming. Though I would imagine regardless of age whether you or a loved one have heard those words, you probably experience the same overwhelming sea of emotions.

I was too shocked to react at first. I had little to no symptoms and as more information became available, I turned to fear, sadness and anger as I learned the cancer was more aggressive than first assumed.

A cancer diagnosis is only one life-changing event you can experience that can seem to overtake the life you once knew. Maybe you are experiencing a death of a loved one, the loss of a job or severe financial troubles, strained relationships with friends or family, or sudden change in circumstances. No matter the cause that tips your world upside down, the only place to turn is to God.

God is the only one who can take those thoughts, concerns and emotions and make it manageable for your heart to digest. He is the only one who can calm the sea and make the unknown bearable.

The first weekend of my diagnosis, I stayed home and poured over my Bible as I sat in silence and allowed the spirit of the Lord to overcome my soul. As I remembered his Word and remembered his promises, the upheaval in my soul started to turn toward peace. Was I still afraid? Most definitely. Was I still worried and unsure of the future? Yes. But was I comforted and assured the Lord loved me and was beside me as I traveled the unknown that was coming? Absolutely.

For me, comfort came with the assurance of healing. I know that death is not the end of the story for those who trust in the Lord. If my physical body failed, healing would come to my spiritual one as I would be reunited with our Christ Jesus. Either way, I would be healed. We have hope through Christ because to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

I am still going through treatment though my prognosis is looking positive. I still don’t know what the future holds, but I have peace in the outcome no matter what it is.

No matter the circumstance that is bearing down on your soul, take some time this week to sit with God and reflect on his truths. Give yourself the opportunity to see him as the God who comforts.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” 1 Corinthians 1:3-5

Written by Aimee Freston, associate director of digital communications for Buckner Communications, as part of a special Faith Focus series focusing on who God is and what he does for his people.

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