Breast Cancer Diagnosis Provided Author With ‘Fresh Start’

I love fresh starts, don’t you? There’s something awesome about the opportunity to clear the decks and begin again.

I enjoy opening the cover of a brand-new book or the potential of a blank piece of paper. How about a set of just-washed sheets on your bed, or getting a mulligan when you whiff the ball? There’s something about a new start that gives us a sense of hope and a fresh wind in our sails.

Isn’t that the reason we make New Year’s resolutions or set goals? We take a look at where we’ve been and where we thought we’d be by now. We evaluate our progress, deal with our disappointments, and consider a new plan of action. That’s why the changing of the calendar from December to January fills me with a sense of hope.

When I received the heart-stopping diagnosis of breast cancer, the initial trauma left me shell shocked, openly exposed on a battlefield for my health.

Thankfully, some experienced soldiers in this fight came to my rescue. They took my hand and led me to safety and hope. Thanks to them, I learned that this diagnosis was not the end, but a fresh start for me.

Maybe you’ve had a few “Oh no” moments too. This battle called life may have left you standing on the sidelines. You might have sustained a few hateful blows from our enemy, or maybe even some friendly fire from those you love. Well, be encouraged!

Our God is all about the second chance. He’s always inviting us to begin again with Him. He never leaves us on the battlefield alone or unequipped. There are countless sisters in the same territory who want to rush to your aid. In the very place you thought you were beyond recovery, you can in fact be saved.

The preceding is an excerpt from Jan Greenwood’s book, Women at War: Declaring a Cease-Fire on Toxic Female Relationships (Charisma House, 2015).