One of my most precious memories from October 2024 was telling my Sunday School class ladies about my breast cancer diagnosis which I’d received only a few days earlier. Their response to my announcement was exactly what I needed at that time: big hugs and steadfast prayers.
They knew that my life would be changed from that point onwards. Because they’d seen life changed for many of them with personal cancer diagnoses or for those they dearly loved as family or friends in their cancer diagnoses.
As we were sharing Scripture and stories that morning, one of the ladies jumped up and came to the front of the room as she was unpinning a little pink ribbon pin from her jacket. She then pinned that ribbon on my shirt while saying “I love you.” She said that another lady had given it to her during her time with breast cancer.
That little pink ribbon pin helped put hope in my heart and steel in my spine for many days to follow. Days full of many things I never wanted, including surgeries, scans, side effects, scars, and that dreadful waiting for test results. I often pinned that pink ribbon to my clothes, including my pajamas, as a visual and tangible reminder that God was indeed with me, like Scripture tells me He is.
Needless to say, that little pink ribbon pin now occupies a special place in my jewelry box and my heart, even two years later from when I received it. And I still wear it on days when the life changes from breast cancer seem to require more strength and hope than I have. For those days do still come and bring doubt and defeat with them.
Days like today.
Today is one of those days when the marks of cancer threaten to overwhelm me in body, brain, being, and belonging. My body bears the literal marks of cancer. My brain carries the leftovers of chemo. My being wavers in its calling to obedience to God. My belonging wants more than the abundance of now.
All of these marks are trying their best today to push against what I know as truths in my head but still struggle with knowing in my heart. The truth that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6 NIV). The truth that I lack nothing (Psalm 23:1 NIV). The truth that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).
Receiving and believing these truths in both my head and heart is one way God speaks courage and comfort to me. For the comfort and courage I receive from Him in this ongoing war with cancer isn’t just for me. It’s for others, too. For whomever needing comfort and courage from God through me.
So, if you’re here hoping for comfort and courage in cancer (be it for yourself or another), please know I am praying and claiming these truths for you and me, too:
John 10:29 EXB My Father gave my sheep to me. He is greater than all, and no person can ·steal [snatch] my sheep out of my Father’s hand
Psalm 100:3 AMP Know and fully recognize with gratitude that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture
Nothing and no one is greater than our God.
Not even cancer.
written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2026.
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