You are a Heavenly Creation

You are a Heavenly Creation

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Have you ever taken a moment that You are a Heavenly Creation? It's true!

God had a plan for you since the moment of your conception. You were created just as you are as a beautiful work of God....a heavenly creation. I know as an artist, how much thought, time, and love I pour into my work. An idea forms in my mind before I even begin to put it to form. My works are a part of me, an expression of who I am. I am very endeared to them. Consider how much more God must Love you!

How can I be a heavenly creation?
~Testimony by Shirley, our Staff Prayer Warrior

Let me tell you about a summer four short years ago.

I sat on the end of the bed in the exam room looking at my sandal shod feet. "It's going to be fine cause we gave it to God," I said to my husband of 22 years. "I know it will," was his reply.

There was a soft knock on the door & then the sound of the door latch being opened as Dr. Lee walked into the room with my chart in his hand. "How are you feeling after the biopsy?" he asked.

"Okay. A little tired & a little sore but ok."

The minute he put his hand on my back, I knew my worst fears were about to be confirmed.
"I'm sorry, Shirley, but it's ductal carcinoma in situ."

I stared blankly at this man that had been my primary for several years now. I had no words. I looked at Gary. He was staring straight at the doctor.

"I'm going to give you some time. I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, Dr. Lee turned & left, closing the door behind him.

I started to turn to look at Gary. Hard sobs came from deep in my soul. It wasn't fair! I'm not supposed to have cancer! I gave it to God! He was going to make it alright!

Gary's strong arms wrapped themselves around me as he sobbed along with me. Gary had lost his mom to breast cancer 20 years earlier & now his beloved wife had been told she had the same monster in her body that snatched his mother away from him 6 months after she was diagnosed.

Dr. Lee came back in to discuss details of this disease with me & my possible prognosis. I don't remember hearing a word he said. I was numb & my brain had shut down. I had cancer!

The next weeks went by in a blur as I had appointment after appointment with surgeons, radiologists & oncologists. I had another surgery. The news after this one wasn't any better than the news after the first. They still hadn't gotten all the bad cells. The surgeon recommended a mastectomy & reconstruction to make sure they got everything. I agreed and asked for an appointment with a plastic surgeon.

By the time I met with the plastic surgeon, I had been on the internet & done my homework. I knew what was available & I knew what I wanted. We discussed what he could do & I told him which procedure I wanted. He agreed that that was the best choice for me.

Now all I had to do was wait while he & my surgeon tried to coordinate their schedules to fit in my 8 hour surgery.

I reported to the hospital the morning of the surgery to have my vitals done, have an IV started & then become a human "etch a sketch" for my plastic surgeon as he marked me up so he would know size & contour so he could match the side that didn't have the cancer.

As I was wheeled in to the OR, I felt the soft brush of wings. I knew God had sent my guardian angel to be with me & that she was wrapping her wings around me to keep me safe.

Because of this experience, I am scarred from hip to hip from a "bikini line" incision. I have an oval scar on my left breast where they went in to remove the breast tissue & replace it with stomach tissue including fat & muscle. I am numb, from the center of my breastbone to the bikini scar & the whole reconstructed breast, from the nerve damage they did trying to save my life.

How can I be a heavenly creation after all this? It's simple. God made me. He loves me. He protected me. He let me go through all this for His glory, so I could live as an example of how a Christian woman handles this kind of adversity. I am blessed. Am I a heavenly creation? YOU BET! And I will continue to praise Him for His grace poured out so freely on me!