… a gateway of hope.

Hope has been “my word” since my cancer diagnosis back in 2006. The word jumps off the page whenever I’m reading, and I’m fascinated by any articles or quotes or sayings focused on HOPE. So when I began considering putting my cancer journey thoughts and emails together in some sort of book, I knew that the title had to include the word, HOPE. My first choice, way back in the beginning, was “Hope for the Journey” since I had perceived my experience as a journey and had used that metaphor in my emails. But, alas, a friend who was also a breast cancer survivor, wrote her book first and snagged my title! That’s what happens when you stall out. Anyway, I’ve played around with a lot of different ideas, but none of them really clicked with me until one day last week when I was reading a passage in Hosea.

The book of Hosea in the Old Testament is one of the Minor Prophets. It’s not minor because it’s unimportant, but because it’s short. And although it’s short, it’s very powerful. God called Hosea to confront the Hebrews about their sin – he told them in no uncertain terms that they had sinned against God, and as a result God was going to bring judgement upon them. God had Hosea marry a prostitute and give their children strange names, among other things, as a way of illustrating how the Hebrews had turned from God, but also how He was going to redeem them and bring them back to Himself. Having warned them about their sin and coming judgement, in Hosea 2:15, he says: God will “transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.” In other words, in spite of their sin and unfaithfulness, there was hope for a renewed relationship with God.

As I read Hosea 2:15, I realized that my own dark place of cancer was where I had renewed my relationship with God and that Valley of Trouble had become a gateway of hope for me. There isn’t anyone who hasn’t been to the Valley of Trouble. Some of you have experienced deeper, darker places than I could ever imagine. And yet, we all can trust God to turn our Valleys of Trouble into gateways of hope.

During the months of treatment and the years of recovery since, I’ve learned to lean on the promise of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” (TLB) Trusting God’s promise has made it possible for me to follow the advice of Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (NIV) My prayer is that by sharing what God has taught me, I will be able to give hope to others who find themselves in a Valley of Trouble, as well as give glory to Him who has turned my Valley into a gateway of hope.

So I have found my book title: “A Gateway of Hope.” Now to get rolling before someone else snags it!

Watch for an email announcing the availability of my ebook in January. The ebook will be like a first draft. Later I’ll be fine-tuning and adding more than just my journal emails in order to produce a “real” book. But for now, I’m pushing myself to produce the simple little ebook before the 10th anniversary of the beginning of my journey! Don’t hesitate to hold me accountable … hound me ‘til you see the ebook!

Thanks for joining me on this new leg of my journey! And remember to “Be very happy because you have a hope. Be strong when you have trouble. Keep on talking with God.” (Romans 12:12 from the Worldwide English New Testament)

We are in His Presence,
bb