“So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭50‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Can you imagine David showing up to a fight with a sling and stone? This is such a great backstory to our stories. God is always showing up and equipping us for whatever we are facing. On this Finish Friday, I encourage us all to face the day with courage knowing God is on our side. The song, Fear is a Liar by Zach Williams reminds us that the Devil is always trying to tell us differently. What the Devil doesn’t know is that we have a rock and a sling in our pockets.

As most of you know by now, I have been sharing my HPV journey. Today is surgery day. At 8:00 am EST, I will have a Hysterectomy. I’ve had the last four months to mentally, physically, and spiritually prepare for today. It is no different than training. Life isn’t a 5k, it is a Marathon. Today is just another race.

Each day has been something different about my journey. Today I am a little anxious because it has also been four months since my last biopsy. It can take up to a decade for HPV to turn into cancer. Mine as been more aggressive so I am at a higher risk. I ask that you all sing a prayer over me and my medical team with In Jesus Name by Katy Nichole. “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Look at the stats from CDC.gov, every year in the United States.

• Nearly 200,000 women are diagnosed with a cervical precancer
• 11,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer caused by HPV
• Over 4,000 women die from cervical cancer

If you missed a day to my story, I encourage you to go back and read starting with Sunday;

Sunday’s post, Story Sunday

Monday’s post, Mindset Monday

Tuesday’s post, Transform Me In The Process

Wednesday’s post, Walk With God Wednesday

Thursday’s post, Trust Thursday

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I would have loved to be with Moses and the Israelites to see the red sea part. Can you imagine walking through with sea walls all around you? Thankfully we have this story written in the word of God to know that we serve a mighty God who is faithful in His promises. Today God is writing our stories, just like He did with the Israelites.

What is God doing with my story? More often HPV will go away on it’s own. After three years of screenings and biopsies, I was advised by trusted Doctors to have a Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure, otherwise known as a LEEP. This was hard for me to plan because I was in the middle of training for a Marathon that I felt sure God had called me to do. Back in January 2022, less than two months before my race I had the procedure. Thankfully I recovered well and was able to run my race.

I thought I would finally be done with this HPV journey. I was at peace knowing that I had taken every preventive measure possible. Five months later I went in for a follow-up screening. It took almost three weeks for my results to come back. I began to worry so I wasn’t surprised when my results came back High-grade (HSIL) Dysplasia/Carcinoma in Situ. This isn’t cancer but pre-cancer. I would then see a Gynecological Oncologist for a consult and more testing. I was advised by this specialist to have a Hysterectomy.

So here I am today, just a day away from surgery. I went for my last long run this week. As I listened to my marathon playlist the song, Truth I’m Standing On by Leanna Crawford played. Some of the lyrics sing, “The God who parts the sea promises he’s gonna make a way for me”. I am trusting God on this Thursday and thankful for the trusted Doctors God has equipped to take care of me.

For more on treatment for HPV, you can visit; acog.org. You can find my Marathon playlist on Spotify; 26.2

Each day has be something different about my HPV journey. If you missed one, I encourage you to go back and read;

Sunday’s post, Story Sunday

Monday’s post, Mindset Monday

Tuesday’s post, Transform Me In The Process

Wednesday’s post, Walk With God Wednesday

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” Job‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can learn a lot from Job. After all the bad things that happened to him; the death of his children, loss of his wealth, and his health. Yet, he faithfully walked with God. Horatio Spafford who wrote the song, It Is Well also experienced great tragedy with the death of his four daughters. I encourage you to listen to this version by Kristene DiMarco. Walking through life with God, we can worship and keep our eyes on Him.

I can’t imagine such tragedy. As a parent we never want our children to suffer. This week I have been sharing about my personal HPV journey. It is something I do not want my children to experience. When the Gardasil vaccine for HPV was first approved by the CDC, I wasn’t a candidate to receive the vaccine. I made the personal choice with my children for Kendal and Trevor to be vaccinated. After I was diagnosed with HPV, I made the choice to get vaccinated in the hope it would help. I share this not to push vaccines on anyone because that is a personal choice. I share this because it is a part of my Journey.

To know more about the Gardasil vaccine for HPV, you can visit the CDC.org.

Each day I have posted something different about my journey. If you missed one, I encourage you to go back and read it;

Sunday’s post, Story Sunday

Monday’s post, Mindset Monday

Tuesday’s post, Transform Me In The Process

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What does it mean to live by faith? To seek the Lord in everything we do. In this verse from Psalms, David isn’t saying we will be delivered from our trials, but if we seek God He will deliver us from our fears. I can relate to David. When my HPV journey first started, my Dad was in the middle of his cancer journey. Through these two journeys, God had been there for me every time I sought Him. He has even held me when I didn’t.

Often our trials are meant to transform us in the process. I have learned to be an advocate for my health. It is not much different from being an advocate for our faith. Everytime Satan tries to get a foothold, we can stand on God’s word. With every test result, I would have more questions. I encourage us all to ask those questions and to keep asking. It is so important to be educated on our health. After all, we are living temples for the Holy Spirit, so we must take care of our bodies. I encourage you to listen to this clip, He Knows What’s next? As Steven Furtick talks about living by faith.

I also encourage you to listen to the song, Fear Is Not My Future by Brandon Lake. This entire song speaks to my story. My favorite part is saying Goodbye to fear, guilt, shame, pain, and grave.

HPV is more common than you think. There are groups of more than 150 related viruses to HPV. Learn more facts from Cancer.org

This week I am sharing a very personal journey. Each day will be something different about my journey. If you missed one, I encourage you to go back and read;

Sunday’s post, Story Sunday

Monday’s post, Mindset Monday

““Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.””Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I can relate to Naomi’s mindset. Sometimes we blame God and question His faithfulness. For me, three long years of cervical screenings, biopsies, and procedures had me questioning God. At times I felt forgotten about. Thankfully I have had many Ruths along my journey to be faithful prayer warriors, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on.

In Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV doesn’t say that God makes all things good. It says that God is working the good, bad, and ugly for our good and His glory; “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” ‬‬

What mindset did I take on? Making the best of my story. We may not have control of the beginning, middle, or end, but God is in control. We can take our thoughts and point them towards Christ. The best action for me has been being proactive with preventative medicine. Following my Doctors recommendations. Cervical cancer, along with many others can be a silent killer. I encourage all ladies to get their screenings. Husbands, Dads, and sons, encourage the women in your lives to get their screening. I have included a schedule chart published by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists.

Is your mindset pointed towards Christ? What if our mindset was to give God the glory. I encourage you to worship with Give You The Glory by Hope Darst, featuring David Leonard.

This week I am sharing a very personal journey. Each day will be something different about my journey. If you missed Sunday’s post, you can follow the link, Story Sunday.

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭43‬-‭44‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Can you imagine living in biblical days, when no one wanted to come near a bleeding woman because she was considered unclean? Can you imagine this going on for twelve years? What bold faith to walk out in a crowd of people and reach for Jesus; “Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”” Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭48‬ ‭NIV‬‬. Thankfully we can reach for Jesus. God sees us all the same, worthy to be healed.

Have you ever felt like an outcast, unwanted, or unclean? I can relate to the story of the bleeding woman. We all know that Satan is good at making us feel like an outcast, unworthy of God’s love and healing. I have been on a three-year health Journey that at times has tested my faith and my worth. This week I will be sharing my story each day in hopes that through my transparency I can bring awareness and help others.

Here my story goes. Three years ago I was diagnosed with the Human Papillomavirus, otherwise known as HPV. At times I have felt outcast and unworthy of God’s love. I would eventually learn that HPV lives in everyone’s body at some point in their lives. Many times HPV goes away on its own. For someone like me, I have the cancer-causing kind. My immune system isn’t fighting it, thus surgical methods are warranted.

We all have trials we face. Through God we can have courage to face those trials; “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”” Deuteronomy‬ ‭31‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬.

I encourage you to listen to, Me On Your Mind by Matthew West. Some of the lyrics that speak to me are; “Who am I that the God of all grace Wipes the tears from my face and says, “Come as you are”? I don’t know about your story, but I do know that you and I are invited to come to God as we are. No one walks alone. I pray each of us can go to God through word and prayer to be healed mentally, physically, and emotionally from whatever trial we are facing.

For more information, visit the CDC.gov on Cervical Cancer

“Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What is your It? Join Me as I share on See You Saturday! I love that called has called me to be a wife and a mom.

I encourage you to listen to, Nobody by Casting Crowns.