It’s my joy to introduce you to one of my favorite people, Kate McKnight. Kate lost her mother to cancer 14 years ago. Her life is a testimony of how God can bring good from even our most painful experiences. She has agreed to let me post her email to our sweet friend Donna Nathan. Donna has been living victoriously with a cancer diagnosis since 2005.
ENCOURAGING WORDS
Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
I was just going to email Donna this story, but thought I would include all my Divine Design sisters and hope it will encourage everyone.
Last year… Donna gave her testimony with a scarf around her head and her talk through CANCER, her fears and the power of Jesus through it all. As I sat in my seat, I felt as if I was that little girl again watching my mama talk on the stage. The Holy Spirit immediately told me to remind Donna that “her babies were going to be ok.” With tears in my eyes I walked up to Donna and told her the encouraging news. I told her that CANCER was the MAIN thing that led me to Jesus and disarmed the belief that my “perfect world/perfect family” is NOT what makes me happy. Cancer allowed me to get to know my JESUS. We talked for a while and both shared a really sweet moment.
Donna said to me a few weeks later… that she would love for me to meet her daughters and that they love to babysit. She suggested that I should call them sometime. I got their number, but just never made the call that year.
Fast forward to last week: Tom and I have had a CRAZY February…something almost 2-3 nights a week. Tom reminded me that we HAD to attend a Shakespeare play for his firm (I rolled my eyes) and felt that “guilty mom” feeling, as this would mean 3 nights in a row of sitters. I got an email last week from Donna’s precious daughter, Sarah Winston. Her email said she was babysitting to raise money for RELAY FOR LIFE (a cancer fundraising event) in honor of her mother. I immediately asked her if she was free on Saturday night. She said YES!!!
Background: My child Lawson is on my “front burner” right now in my prayer life. Just an area of FEAR as he is growing up and starting to desire other things than playing Play-Doh with mama 🙂 (all normal but killing me). He is ALSO my child that NEVER wants us to go out or have a babysitter…always complains about us leaving which multiplies the GUILT for me.
Sarah Winston arrives, and Lawson doesn’t even look her in the eye to say hello. He just continues to watch his movie. My heart aches as I listened to the enemy “… leaving him again, new sitter, etc., etc.” We get in the car, and I talk through it with Tom on the way to the play.
Fast forward: Sunday morning I am up in Lawson’s room helping him get dressed and he says to me, “Hey Mama, do you think you could get that babysitter to come again? She was so nice and I really like her.” My mouth drops and I say, “Well of course I would love to have her back, but surely she is not better than E (his favorite sitter from birth).” He responds, “No mama, she is even better than E.”
I realize this might not mean much to some of you, but for me I just thought, “WOW Jesus!” Two years ago you heard Donna’s cry. Now you used her own precious child not to just babysit for us, but to encourage the CRY of my heart today.” It built my trust as I realize he HEARS us and will use any way possible to comfort his people.
Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now – life for many people.
Genesis 50:20 MSG