Fighting Cancer with Christ's Courage: How to Surrender the Unknown to God

By Evelyn Sherwood

God's Brave Women - Evelyn's Story

As we stood in the lobby outside the main meeting room, our conversation took a deep dive into the faithfulness of God in our brokenness. I begin to share the onslaught of trials we had faced just in the past eight months, but how God’s grace had carried us beyond our strength.

“My husband and I both stood at death’s door while in the hospital battling Covid pneumonia. Miraculously, they wheeled us out of the hospital at the same time. We were the story of hope. Then two weeks later, I received news that Covid had left blood clots in my lungs. But here I stand, six months later with an all-clear. Then my dad received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. He passed away one month later. I don’t know how I am standing here but God.”

As I shared my story, I noticed a subtle shift in her body language; a nervous discomfort was creeping in.

“Next week, I go in for a procedure,” I said. “The doc doesn’t expect any bad news.”

There was a pause; her head dropped slightly then she touched the leather band on her wrist. “Evelyn, I know this may seem strange, and I don’t know how you are going to feel about this, but I think the Lord is telling me to give this bracelet to you. Several years ago, when I was going through a painful situation, someone gave it to me. And now…” She spoke in a hushed tone as she unsnapped the leather band and placed it on my wrist. “I am giving it to you. I don’t know what is ahead, but God does.”

My eyes shifted from hers down to the soft brown bracelet. I ran my fingers across the words that read “BE BRAVE.”