I remember the first time I was in a chemotherapy room. I was 22 years old and Cyndi, my wife of 6 months, was beginning treatment for Hodgkin’s’ Disease. We were young, confused, and finding it hard to breathe as fear tightened its hold.
The room was clean and strangely bright, as if trying to warm our mood. We made our way to a reclining chair and the nurses began getting to know Cyndi and explaining the process.
Unable to find an anchor for my emotions, I detached and began to take in the room. Scattered around were patients and family members all with the same unmistakable emotion etched upon their face. Fear.
Fear and hope had come to battle and the gravity of this war rendered the room silent. Only whispers and the muted beep of machines broke the solemnity. Something deep was planted in me that day. Now, years later, I’m beginning to understand what God was teaching me.
Cyndi shortly after chemotherapy
My wife Cyndi (as many of you know), passed away of a heart attack after a long battle with cancer. I’ve remarried and through Rayna, God has brought tremendous joy and peace into our family. Rayna is the greatest gift I’ve ever received.
But, ever since those days in the chemo room, I’ve always cringed when I hear the phrase someone has “lost their battle with cancer.” To begin, this statement adds great pressure to those facing treatment, as if they can fight harder, be tougher emotionally, beat this wicked disease by sheer force of will.
More importantly, I believe that as believers in Jesus, we can’t lose a battle to cancer. Jesus has given hope to those suffering, He has conquered death, He has risen from the grave, there is no battle He cannot win. As His children, we are given the promise of redemption, of eternal life, of healing and restoration. Because of Jesus, this is a fight you can never lose!
We’ve all found ourselves broken by the ravages of cancer. This past winter, I spent a considerable amount of time writing a song for my new album Just Beyond the Door. It’s a song of hope for those who are hurting. The response to this song has been absolutely amazing and encouraging.
If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with cancer, I pray you find hope and strength in the song The Fight You’ll Never Lose. You can find it here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/just-beyond-the-door/id441782343
Danny, that was beautiful. As I study counseling and live life, I find myself struggling with cliche sayings as well. I know people mean well, but I think sometimes their anxiety about what others are going through causes them to say things to calm themselves rather than the person suffering.
I pray that your words will help people stop just for a moment and think before they speak-especially to someone who is suffering. Maybe if they sit in their anxiety for a second, they will find the grace and compassion to help the other person either through their silence, or they will find words to mourn with them as they suffer.
I was checking updates on someones blog and for lack of a better term I followed a rabbit trail to you. I will be very interested in hearing your music, but I am almost sure I must have heard it before now and did not realize it.
I was very touched by the title of your book written about the journey you had with your wife and I am not sure if everyone that reads that title will know what it means but I got it immediately.
When I was a young single mother and a rookie police officer I would think of my mortality, after one thing or another occurred at work and probably scared me. I wondered what would they tell my young son about his mom. And I thought, tell him when he sees a sunset, or stars in the sky that mommy put them in the sky just for him. When he missed his mom he would not have to look further than the sky and what mommy had painted for him.
Our God is surely and Awesome God.
Thank you