I Breathe. Hope.

Hope is a midwife, helping us breathe. Out with the pain. In with the Spirit. Repeat as often as necessary. And again and again. There’s no shortage of oxygen. No shortage of God.  —Jennifer Dukes Lee

I wrote the quote above in my Bible Study journal nearly three years ago. I can’t remember the specific reason why it spoke to me then, but at this moment, I am breathing hope.

We learned that my sister’s cancer metastasized to her brain two weeks ago. Radiation was stopped after a week because it was not preventing the spread of the disease and was only making her weaker. Two days ago, the doctor told her husband, my parents, and my baby sister, “There is no hope for recovery.” Plain and simple. To the point. Not what we want to hear, but the candor we need to activate hope and faith.

The late, great evangelist E.E. Cleveland, in expounding on Hebrews 11:1, told our class of wide-eyed college students many years ago that “faith is belief in the absence of evidence and in the face of contrary evidence.” I’ve never forgotten those words. They are ingrained in my spirit.

So now the faithwork intensifies. Now, we pool our faith and hope and pray and fast and plead for the miracle we know God can perform, if it is His will to do so. Because we cannot just lie down and accept that this is our story…again. We cannot simply accept that this is sweet Lori’s story. Lori with the heart of gold. Lori who has been unflappable. Lori who has found a way to praise God through mind-numbing, excruciating pain. Lori whose faith has been rock-solid, unwavering throughout this entire ordeal.

The doctor did his job. Now, we wait in hope for God to do His.

How can I have such audacious faith that GOD CAN HEAL even metastatic cancer after I’ve already lost one sister to cancer? I believe in miracles and divine interventions. I serve the Most High God who still performs divine acts in the face of human impossibilities.

So I lay all of it on the altar and praise God for what He will do, and if He allows another outcome, He is still God.

I breathe hope.

23 thoughts on “I Breathe. Hope.”

  7. Laurie says:
    Reply

    Hope, prayers. That’s all we can do. Hope that God will have mercy. I can’t imagine going thru this again. I will keep you and your sister in my thoughts and prayers 🙏❤️

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Janet from FL says:
    Reply

    I am so sorry for your bad news! At times like these all we have to hold on to is hope and love. May God bless you and your sister with overflowings of both! I am a cancer survivor told by doctors that there was nothing left to do, so I know that God heals! Whether we find healing here on earth or in Heaven, either way it is a blessed healing. I once prayed for either way for myself. I pray the same for your sister. May God bless you and your family.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Chandra Lynn says:
      Reply

      Thank you for sharing your story. I am grateful for your healing because it is proof that God is in the miracle working business and HE IS GREATER THAN ANYTHING that comes up against us. Thank you for your prayers. Hugs…

      Like

  9. kangtrang says:
    Reply

    Sending Lori, you and your family, peace and love, Chandra. For you, I will breathe hope through each of my nostrils, through each of my pores and through each of my cells. I will breathe peace, and I will breathe for Grace to soothe every wrinkle in your hearts. Hugs

    Liked by 2 people

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  14. April Garcia, BA says:
    Reply

    Lord, we lift Chandra’s sister up to you. We know you can perform mighty miracles. We pray for one for her, if it is your Will, Father. However, if it is not your Will, then I ask you to give Chandra and her family all the peace and comfort they need to get through. I don’t know these women Lord, but you do. Your word tells us in Psalm 139 that you have searched us and you know us. We can never flee from your Spirit, Father. Be this family’s strength and refuge, Father. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

    Liked by 1 person

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