cancer
God's faithfulness
Mindy's Journey: The Unexpected Refrains from Cancer, Part 1 of 2
6:38 PMHeather
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know
in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12
We chatted on the phone as I prepared to share her journey
with you, and this is what Mindy Scott wants people to know about having brain
cancer.
Brain cancer is her journey.
But her life is being written, day by day, as a tiny thread
of God’s bigger story.
This is God’s story. It is the story of a wife and mother of
four. But she is not the main character. God is.
And it is God’s story that she wants proclaimed and sung clearly.
Cancer puts a lot of things into perspective. For Mindy, cancer
has become a lens, allowing her to examine carefully and see the faithful and
sovereign hand of God throughout her life. Mindy recently posted on her blog that
she feels God is challenging her to turn from the daunting what-ifs to rest in
the truths of what is.
I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Genesis
17:1
So I share Mindy’s journey with you, and
her story of What Is most true. These
are the truest things of God, revealed throughout Mindy’s life. These are the
traces of God’s hand, going all the way back to childhood, where God was
working even then for what she faces even now. These are the revelations that can
bring hope and joy and can sustain you no matter what comes your way. These are
the lyrics to her God story. She wants you to hear them clearly so that you can see clearly who God really is.
He
is the God who protects us and guides us. “He loves us so much that he wants to protect
us and not let us wander down roads that could be dangerous,” says Mindy, as
she reflects on a time when she was making poor choices during her early teen
years. She was initially angry when her dad intervened and firmly directed her
back to the Lord. But with time, what felt perhaps restraining and
uncomfortable became an obvious revelation of a Heavenly Father who loves us
too much to leave us to ourselves. This early and hard lesson in life taught
Mindy that when God is redirecting us, it is intended for our good -- for
holiness surpasses happiness. The things of this earth distract us, but our
Protector and Guide wants us to live for his eternal kingdom. Even here, in
cancer, she sees that God is indeed the One who protects and guides each step.
He
is the God who will remove distractions so that we see him more clearly. Mindy
notes another painful time in her high school years that felt confusing
initially. An avid and competitive volleyball player, her career was cut short
by an injury. “At this point, I chose to pursue God more instead of focusing on
volleyball so much. My competitiveness, which flowed into all my life, slowly
became less and less. This helped me grow stronger in my walk with God before
going to college.” Our relational God
wants us to know him. And sometimes, he removes distractions so that we can gain
this greatest treasure.
He
is the God who calls us to hard things with bigger purpose. Ten years ago,
Mindy, her husband Daniel, and their four children under age 5 left all that
they knew in Texas to move to Arizona as church planters in a new community. Mindy
remembers sitting in her new home, at the top of the stairs: “I had the
greatest peace I ever felt. I knew, even in my loneliness, I was exactly where
God wanted me and I trusted him wholeheartedly.” It was then that she and
Daniel dared to pray this dangerous prayer. They asked God to use them in any
way to make a difference and to draw people to Jesus.
A decade later, Mindy sees that those
prayers continue to be answered in the most unexpected ways, including her
cancer. Her diagnosis has allowed her and Daniel opportunity to point others
toward God as their source of strength.
Little did they know a decade ago when they
moved to Arizona that they would be so perfectly positioned to access brain
cancer surgery and treatment at the world renowned Barrow Neurological
Institute. “Even then,” Mindy says, “God was bringing provision for the future
before we even knew we had a need.”
He
is the God who orchestrates our relationships and interactions for his good and
glory. Years back, Mindy struck up a friendship with a girl at the gym.
Initially an unlikely duo, Mindy pressed on and felt strongly that she was to simply
show unconditional love to Erin, allowing God to move as he saw fit for Erin’s
needs. And such is the love of God. He weaves our lives together, and when we
dare to invest in those around us, whether they look and act like us or not, God
is at work. Mindy can see the fingerprint of God, as Erin is now a strong
support to Mindy and her family, and she even uses her hair stylist skills to
care for Mindy’s hair through her treatments. In this tiny way, where Mindy
showed dignity and love to Erin, the rhythm of the gospel is repeated, as Erin
does the same in return.
He
is the God who challenges us to surrender all of our “WHAT IF’s.” In Mindy’s own words: “About seven years ago,
we took our boys to Africa to meet the kids we sponsored. I was having
nightmares about my middle son being kidnapped. I sat up one night and shouted,
‘no more satan. You do not get to put fear in me.’ I began praying for God to
free me of this fear, and I felt convicted to consider this question. ‘Do I
believe that God is on the throne?’ Wow. I began praying right then, affirming
that I believe God is in control, even if the worst fear came true… This
experience helped prepare me for getting the news of the brain tumor. I still
believe God is on the throne. He never said that this life would be easy but
actually told us to expect hard times. ‘I
have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33).’ ”
Choosing faith over fear. Looking to Truth
to silence our feelings. Preaching the gospel to our weary souls. Knowing that
God is all he promises to be, and he is enough in our deepest need.
This isn’t just Mindy’s call. This is our
very own. Wrestling through our “what-if’s” to fix our eyes on the One Who Is.
I
hope you’ll join me for the upcoming part two of Mindy’s song, as she shares
about the eight minutes that are changing her life.
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