I made it TWO YEARS!
Not that I’ve expected to not make it, but rather I’m so incredibly thankful for the gift of life and how I have changed in the two years since my cancer diagnosis and surgery.
Two years ago today with a husband who gives every ounce of himself away to help anyone who needs it, and family and friends rallying behind me with more prayers and kindness than I will ever deserve and am so incredibly thankful for (and curlers in my hair before surgery because if you know me that makes complete sense 😉 – see pic below. I’m not kidding), I went through a surgery that took more hours than I would have liked and I spent the next few months adapting to what would be my new normal. It still doesn’t seem normal yet, but that’s another post for another day! My surgeon said my double mastectomy surgery was successful with clear margins, no evidence of cancer in my lymph nodes which could have spread elsewhere, and a smaller than we thought cancer tumor was removed. This was the BEST possible answer I could have gotten with a cancer diagnosis.
While I will never (ever!) wish a cancer diagnosis on myself or anyone, I am so thankful for the good and hard times the last two years. I have learned so much about who I am in Christ and who Jesus is in my life. I’ve also learned what it looks like to truly love others and to be a good neighbor. I know life gets busy and it’s tough, but I have experienced the overwhelming kindness of close friends and even those who I didn’t previously know very well the last two years and it has been such a blessing! And really, I’ve come to see what life is truly about… being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us the best we can. I know I mess up and I am not always the best at it, so thank goodness for grace, but my perspective on living this life awaiting my home is so incredibly different than it was two years ago and for that I am so very grateful.
Now… (there’s always a catch to these long posts of mine 😉) the thing is… even though I had a good outcome, life is good but definitely different now in so many ways, I’m healthy etc etc… what hasn’t changed is my DESTINY, but that was even before my cancer diagnosis.
I was listening to a new Crowder song on the way home yesterday, Red Letters. I couldn’t help but lean in to the truth that Jesus changed my destiny… good news or bad in my life, I will always cling to the hope and LIFE that is in Jesus regardless of my circumstance. My destiny was secure when I made the decision to follow Jesus when I was 12 years old.
During this Easter Season of feasting and celebration -and for always really- I hope I can always look to the Cross and be confident knowing and believing that regardless of my circumstance, whether it be good or bad, that my future is firm and secure in Him.
Hebrews 6: 18-20 – So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
May we always find refuge in Jesus, the anchor of our souls, in all circumstances! Thanks be to God. ❤️
Curlers 💁🏼♀️
Post-Surgery
Carly Wisnewski 