I’ll never forget that moment — walking into the grocery store with my sweet momma. I was 17 years old, and she was 42. The Walmart employee stood in the door, “Hello, how are you?” My mom replied, “I’m doing well. How are you?” Like she always did. The thing that was different about this time is that I knew she really wasn’t “well” in that moment. It would be simple to say her life was falling apart. Yet, she held it together.

A week prior to this moment she received the phone call that yes, she indeed did have breast cancer. With five children depending on her, a loving husband, and being the glue to our family, many would agree she could have said, “I’m not good. My life is perhaps crumbling.” Yet, she replied “I’m well. How are you?”

It was in this moment that I learned how differently everyone copes. But most importantly – people face private battles daily that we just don’t have any idea about. Treat them with grace. Treat them with love. They may have just received the worst news of their life. Jesus walked with people, and we should walk with them too.

I remember just getting home from school – I was wrapping up my junior year when my mom came into my bedroom to tell me the news. Through her words she promoted comfort and faith. That’s when it hit me – everything was going to be okay. If she can be strong, I can be strong. I firmly believe this set the mood of this season for her.

⁃ It’s how we decide to fight.

⁃ It’s how we decide to take on each day even when our world is crashing down.

⁃ It’s if we decide to trust where the Lord has us in this moment. Even when we are unaware of tomorrow.

She decided from the day she received the phone call that she was going to fight. She decided she was going to trust in the only one who knows the journey.

The Gospel is not only the greatest love story, but the greatest story of restoration, forgiveness, and hope. Hebrews 6:19 shares with us, “We have this hope that is an anchor for the soul. It is firm, and secure.”

I am thankful for the hope of the cross. Life hurts. This world is not meant to be beautiful. Cling to the Gospel. Cling to the hope – even when the storms of this world come.

Today my mom is healthy and able to be the very best Momma, Wife, and Grandma. She didn’t know what the road looked like for her. None of us know what’s ahead of us. She did know that she was going to cling to the hope of the cross. Her story is powerful because she could have given up. She could have used it to make her weak, but she didn’t. It built her faith, hope, and trust in the Lord.

Lastly, I am thankful that my mom scheduled regular mammogram checks. It might have saved her life, and it could save yours, too.