This Is My Story

My name is LeAnn. I am the eldest of three children and the mother of three married children. I am a brand new grandmother in training to Thomas, and a cancer survivor.

My dad recently asked me to share my story with his church. I was honored for the chance to say thank you for the prayers, notes and messages of encouragement, and for their generous gifts.

Jesus most outspoken disciple, Peter, wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, “you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”

1 Peter 3:15 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.3.15.NLT

That’s exactly what I hope to do when I write or when I’m given the opportunity to speak.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Psalms 19:14 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.19.14.NLT

When our kids were preschool aged, our church at the time decided to cancel all weekly children’s activities during summer. God used an Old Testament king to prompt me to ask a group of parents to seek the Lord’s face together with me and to act on behalf of our kids and our community. Seven families came together, each in turn providing pizza and snacks on the playground, along with a Bible lesson.

One year ago, when I was diagnosed unexpectedly with colorectal cancer, God once again used this same Old Testament king’s example to guide me.

Early in Judah’s history, Jehoshaphat ruled the southern kingdom. In II Chronicles 20, beginning with verse 2-

“Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at En-gedi.

Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance.

He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help…

He stood before the people and prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!

O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?

Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’

O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

I turned 50 in April just after the governor locked down the state during the pandemic, so my screening colonoscopy was delayed until October last year. I had no symptoms, no warning signs, so my husband and I scheduled our tests for the same day and our younger son planned to drive us. He and his dad planned to play in a fundraising golf tournament later the same day. I woke from anesthesia several hours later knowing something was wrong.

The week of tests and oncology visits that followed left me feeling numb- unable to grasp what was happening- as if I was only a spectator to my own life.

I felt powerless.

Like Jehoshaphat, I turned to the Lord for help.

I don’t know what to do, Lord, but my eyes are on You.

God’s answer to this Old Testament king guided me and gave me peace. In verse 15, the word of the Lord came.

He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the valley that opens into the wilderness. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory.

He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.

Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness.

On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem!

Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm.”

The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”

At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.”

2 Chronicles 20:2-9, 12, 15-18, 20-22 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/2ch.20.2-22.NLT

Each day of the last year, I made a choice to march out into my wilderness and watch the Lord move me toward victory. Believing in the Lord, I stand firm.

I’ve loved the Lord and His Word as long as I can remember. Mom and Dad have pictures of me standing on the hearth dressed for church, Bible in hand, reading scripture before I knew how to read.

But during this past year, I have depended on the Lord and His Word in a way I have needed to a few other times. One time in particular, I spent forty-seven days in Houston with my younger son for multiple brain surgeries. I thought I had moved to a place beyond worry in my walk with God after that experience. I saw God’s sovereignty over every situation then, but I am learning that trust comes each new day as I take the required step of obedience.

Knowing that God created me with purpose and that His plans cannot be thwarted gave me hope and peace as I took 28 consecutive days of radiation and 8 rounds of chemotherapy prior to 2 major surgeries. Scriptures like Psalm 139-

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!

I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

Psalms 139:13-18 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.139.13-17.NLT

My Creator has been preparing me for this season all of my life. From giving me extra length of colon on my left side to writing His word on my heart and faithfully carrying me through other tough seasons, God brought me to a place where I can trust him even in this.

Another verse kept my heart at peace through chemotherapy which ministered to me during my husband’s surgery training when I was often home alone with our three small children overnight.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.26.3-4.NLT

I’m not the first to have a health crisis and I won’t be the last- many of you have endured far more and you’ve learned through your own trying seasons just how faithful our God is!

The apostle Paul had what he referred to as “a thorn in the flesh” or “a messenger of Satan to keep him humble,” saying,

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.12.8-10.NLT

Our bodies are fragile. It doesn’t take much to upset the delicate balance- it seems to take less and less the older we get. It’s amazing to me, especially the more I know about what can go wrong, that it’s even possible for all the systems to function together appropriately most of the time- often in spite of the junk food I eat or my lack of exercise and sleep. But God chose to use our fragile bodies to display His glory!

“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.4.6-8.NLT

Would you like God to use you?

What obstacles stand in your way just now?

How might the obstacles be opportunities to trust the Lord for something bigger than yourself?

I’ve dreamed of writing since I was 12 years old. I’ve attended writer’s conferences and journaled all my life, but until I was diagnosed with cancer and began a CaringBridge site to keep my family updated on my treatment, I never really put myself out there, putting my privacy on the line.

I asked myself why anyone would want to read anything I had to say.

I doubted my ability to be faithful to continue once I started.

God took the CaringBridge site and turned it into a website and a blog almost overnight. I literally took the leap on Sunday evening and posted my first entry on Wednesday the same week, and I’ve been writing twice a week since- 68 posts to date (several thanks to my sister while I was recovering from surgeries.)

At the worst possible time- the least likely time- the most inopportune time- GOD chose to work my weakness for His glory.

Like Joseph said to his brothers in Egypt, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

Genesis 50:20 NASB1995

https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.50.20.NASB1995

It’s not my words- written or spoken- that have the power to save lives or to change lives…

You may forget every word I’ve said before you walk out the door today, but my prayer now and every time I write is that God’s eternal word – His Living Word – will go out and not return void but that it will accomplish His purpose. Isaiah 55:11 says-

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

Isaiah 55:10-11 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.55.11.NLT

“Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Luke 9:23 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.9.23.NLT

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.2.8-9.NLT

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for waking me up this morning. As long as I have life and breath, I have a job to do.

Thank You for Your Word, for sending Jesus, the one and only Way, the absolute Truth, and eternal Life to reconcile us to Yourself.

Thank You for your healing power which goes out to Your people in our need. Thank you for hearing our groans that words cannot express, and thank you for answering in Your perfect timing and according to Your perfect plan.

Help us to trust You in all things today and always and to be able to say-

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I live in this earthly body I live by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.2.20.NLT

In Jesus name I pray.

Amen.