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In the Waiting 

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By Gary Khan 

When I was in my early twenties, God gave me a word and a picture regarding His destiny for me. It was overwhelming and compelling, and I have spent the rest of my life waiting for Him to fulfill that vision. Yet it eludes me. Time is creeping forward, and I seem to be standing still, wondering when I will see the fulfillment of that promise from God.  

Have you ever felt that way? God drops a word into your heart, a promise for the future, and then He goes silent and seems to have forgotten about what He said. For me it has resulted in doubt storms that rage within me. That doubt sometimes leads to rash decisions when I decide to “help” God fulfill His promise by forging ahead of Him.  

Abraham had a similar experience. God spoke to him about his descendants being as numerous as the sands of the seashore when Abraham had yet to father even one child. After God gave him that word, decades passed with no fulfillment in sight. Abraham had to live in the waiting, and in that time of waiting he did some things we would be wise to avoid. The story can be found in Genesis 15 and 16. 

Abraham Doubted 

Abraham made some major moves, literally, as a result of God speaking to him, moves that seemed to lack any immediate payoff.  

Let’s put ourselves in that situation for a moment. God speaks to us regarding a major life change; then He goes silent. How many of us would obey Him right away? Or would we walk around wrestling with doubts about whether we really heard from God? How many of us are not doing the majority of what He has asked us to do right now because we are doubtful about the outcome?  

I can hear it already. Some of you are thinking, But Abraham is different. He had God show up in person so he should not have doubted. I do not get personal visitations from God.  

Maybe we won’t get a personal visitation like Abraham did, but today we have God’s Holy Spirit. He lives in us and is with us, leading us and guiding us into all truth. Conversely, imagine you did receive a visitation from God for a moment, but then you had to walk day in and day out in the reality that what God told you would happen has not happened – even though it has been years of waiting and various attempts at fulfilling His promise. In those “day-in and day-out” moments, doubts begin to visit, making statements that throw God’s promises into question.  

Did I really hear God, or was it the pizza I ate that evening?  

Really, I know God can do anything, but would He do that for me? I’m not that special. Maybe I’m doing something wrong. Remember, “God helps those who help themselves,” so if I want to see this happen, then I need to make it happen. 
 

We need to learn to anticipate those doubts. If you are like me, you want God to reassure you every moment until the promise is fulfilled, and then you want Him to continue to reassure you that everything is on track. We want constant reassurance — but God wants us to trust in Him. The need for constant reassurance does not build our faith in Him.  
 

Dealing with Doubt in the Waiting 

The enemy’s tried-and-true tactic is to cast doubt on what God said to us. It’s a trick as old as time. In Genesis he asked Eve,  “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1, NIV). 

We need to recognize this tactic and be prepared to deal with it. In the New Testament, James tells Christians that we can be victorious over Satan and his doubting trick:  “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NIV). 

Submit and resist. We submit by believing God’s Word, and we resist by standing on that Word in faith and declaring it over our lives. We resist when we live in the reality of what God has spoken instead of reacting to the doubts Satan is stirring up. We can win over doubt, and the way we win is by reminding ourselves and the enemy of God’s Word to us. 

When Abraham and Sarah were plagued by the doubts that came up because of God’s silence, they would have done well to remind themselves what God had said to them. They would have saved themselves a lot of trouble and heartache. The same goes for us. The enemy is looking to steal, kill, and destroy the work of God in us, but God has promised that His Word will not return empty. How do we remind ourselves of God’s precious promises?  

  • Memorize His Word and repeat it as needed.  
  • Read it often and hold on to His promises. He will fulfill His Word to us.  

The doubts will keep coming, one after another. The enemy’s incessance combined with the seeming slowness of God and His silence lead us to a crossroads where many of us act on our doubts instead of standing on God’s promises. That never ends well.  

We will encounter these realities if we trust our plans over God’s: 

  • We can never see the big picture like God does.  
    God is not bound by time and space and sees how every little thing affects the big picture; we can never do that. When we choose to trust our plans instead of God’s plans, we take huge risks. We may be able to plan three steps ahead of us, but even that is fraught with trouble because we can never predict how a person may react to something we do, and we do not know what will happen in the bigger scheme of things.  
  • Our motivations become a problem.  
    When God plans, He is weaving together a masterpiece that will be for the good of all humankind. When we plan, we are usually concerned with ourselves and getting what we want. Just look at what happened with Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael. 
    Sarah was not concerned with God’s great plan of bringing salvation to the world through Abraham. Her motivation for a child was to unburden herself from the stigma of not being able to bear a child for her husband. When it seemed like God was taking too long, she decided on a plan to get that child through a surrogate. Hagar was her handmaiden, so she was with Sarah all the time. Hagar probably saw Sarah’s sadness and heard her as she sobbed and complained about how she could not have a child for her husband. I don’t know whose idea it was, whether Sarah suggested it or Hagar offered it, but however the idea was conceived, I can safely say that Sarah was not thinking about Hagar’s well-being. She simply saw her as a means to an end.  

    One of the problems that occurs when we doubt is that instead of trusting God’s timing, we run ahead and use people around us “in the name of God,” leaving a trail of destruction and brokenness behind us. 
  • People don’t always respond the way we expect them to or as they promised they would. 
    Hagar may have told Sarah she would do this as her friend and handmaiden. She may have had good intentions. As a kid hearing this story, I simply assumed that Hagar got pregnant after a one-night stand. But the reality is that Abraham probably went in to Hagar more than once, and when Hagar started having sexual relations with Abraham, things changed. It always does when you start having sex – because God made it that way. 

    When Hagar discovered she was pregnant, things changed even more. She began to believe that she would now mean more to Abraham and Sarah. But the sad reality is that in Abraham’s and Sarah’s eyes Hagar was always the slave girl, still just a means to an end.  

    Not only did Hagar not respond as planned, but Sarah did not respond as she thought she would. Sarah could not and did not predict that she would become extremely jealous of Hagar. She watched every night as Abraham went in to Hagar. After a while it started to get to her, no matter how enlightened she thought she was. She kept telling herself it was for a greater cause, but I can guess that something changed in the relationship with her and Hagar as well. Hagar probably started acting less like a slave girl and more like an entitled family member. She probably started using more familiar language with Sarah, and Sarah began to get insecure and jealous.  

    “Who does this girl think she is? Abraham is my husband! She needs to remember her place!” 

    When Hagar found out she was pregnant, Sarah may have thought to herself, “I should be happy, but I am not. I am angry that this woman is stealing what should be mine! I hate her!”  

    These are not the feelings Sarah thought she would have when she laid out the scheme to do God’s job for Him, but that is the problem. We are far too shortsighted to be the Master Planner.   
  • Our bad decisions give God a bad name.
    After Hagar gave birth to her son, Sarah grew jealous and began to treat her badly. I wonder how Hagar saw Sarah’s God then? After all, Sarah must have talked about the Almighty as loving and caring, one who protects and provides for those who follow Him. Yet, here was Sarah treating Hagar with disdain and dislike. People often determine the character of God based on how we His followers treat them. 

    One of my closest friends had a sign in her kitchen that read, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” Those words are true, and Abraham found that out. Sarah demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away because she did not want “that woman” and “that boy” around her precious Isaac. She made life difficult for Abraham. Finally, he reluctantly gave in and sent Hagar and Ishmael away. The crazy thing is that God agreed with Sarah’s conclusion (maybe not her actions) and told Abraham to send them away. Let’s speculate a bit with some understanding of human nature.  

    Abraham, distressed about having to send Ishmael away, had a conversation with him:  

    “Son, I really don’t want to do this, but you know Sarah. She is going to make life difficult for me. The truth is I would put up with her, but God told me to send you away, so I must do it.”  

    What do you think Hagar’s and Ishmael’s impression of God was? I would think that they would believe He did not care about them. They would see Him as mean and vengeful, unkind and manipulative. 

Thirty years have passed since that word God gave me regarding my destiny. I have made many of the mistakes that Abraham made, but here is the good news: God’s promises to us are ironclad. He will do what He says He will do. So in the waiting, trust that He will accomplish what He said He will do. Resist the doubt the enemy stirs up that causes us to want to run ahead or give up completely. Abraham may have doubted and made a few missteps along the way, but thankfully he corrected his course, and God was faithful to fulfill His word.  

About the Author

Gary Khan

Gary Khan served as pastor of Desert Streams Church of the Open Bible in Santa Clarita, California, for 32 years.  He currently serves as the Executive Director of Operations for Marketplace Chaplains in Southern California. He also serves on Open Bible’s National Board of Directors and as district director for the Southern California/Arizona/Hawaii district. Gary is author of the devotionals Greater and Reset as well as his soon-to-be-published book, That Didn’t Go the Way I Thought: Navigating the Ups and Downs of Our Journey of Faith.  Gary’s greatest achievement and joy is that of being husband to DeLaine for the past 32 years and father of three amazing kids (two biological and one “adopted”).

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What They Couldn’t See on the Scan: A True Story of an Impossible Healing

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By Valerie Warren, as told to Hannah Bemis

They told me I was going to die.
Not in a vague, someday-everyone-does kind of way. A doctor looked me in the eyes and said, “You did not hear me. You’re going to die.” I was supposed to have eleven months to live. That was in 2022. Today, I am still here and more certain than ever that miracles are real.

It all started in July of that year. I was working on our property when it hit me that I’d been feeling extra tired, more tired than I’d ever been. I told my husband, “Something is off; when we go back to town, I really think I need to go to the doctor.”

At my doctor’s appointment they did some bloodwork, telling me they’d give me a call if they saw anything alarming. It was all very casual until they called me while I was still driving home, telling me I needed to come to the emergency room immediately.

Valerie and husband Tony (center), and kids Heath, Lorissa, Hope, and Victoria (left to right)

Valerie and husband Tony (center), and kids Heath, Lorissa, Hope, and Victoria (left to right)

In simple terms, my liver was “jammed up” and nothing could move. I was hospitalized while they put a stent in my biliary duct to open things up. It was during that procedure that the doctor saw a spot on my pancreas. On July 22, I was told I had pancreatic cancer. The “spot” turned out to be a tumor at the head of my pancreas, big enough that it was pinching off that whole area and blocking anything from flowing through.

“You did not hear me.
You’re going to die.”

As bad as that sounds, I was told it was only stage one and that with chemotherapy and Whipple surgery, I would very likely survive. While in the hospital, I had developed pancreatitis, so before releasing me to go home, they did some additional scans to confirm the infection was gone. It was on one of those scans that they noticed a spot on my liver. By the next week that spot had grown, and there were additional spots. On September 7, my original diagnosis of stage one pancreatic cancer was abruptly changed to a stage four diagnosis.

I was with my husband and my best friend when the doctor gave us the grim news. “You have stage four pancreatic cancer, and there is no cure. All we can do is give you palliative chemotherapy. As of right now we’re giving you one month to three years, but the average survival is eleven months.”

The Bible Study prayer warriors from Church of the Cascades who stood by Valerie through her cancer journey.

My husband and best friend were, of course, crying, but I was sitting there dry-eyed, just processing. The doctor must have interpreted this as shock because she repeated herself in even starker terms: “You did not hear me. You’re going to die.”

Something shifted in me at that moment. All I can say is that I just knew I could trust God. Focusing on the doctor, I said, “I did hear you, but you cannot give me my end date. The only person who can tell me when I’m going die is my Lord.”

I continued my palliative treatments for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023. During that year the support of my faith community was incredible. Groups of ladies from the local Open Bible church, Church of the Cascades, dropped off gift baskets, came to visit to just sit with me or watch a movie, or stopped by to pray.

Their efforts really touched me. The remarkable thing is that my family didn’t even attend Church of the Cascades; we had attended in a previous season but had left for a time. Despite this, the people there were a constant support. It wasn’t long before my husband and I made the decision to return, knowing that this was truly our church home.

It was actually a Church of the Cascades ladies’ retreat that became the pivot point for my cancer story. On a Wednesday night in October 2023, I was praying in preparation for the retreat. I was praying all the things I usually did, “Lord, I trust you, and whatever you want to do with me, just use me.” Only this time, the Lord interrupted me:“Why aren’t you asking for a miracle?”

I didn’t have an answer. I had been saying over and over that I trusted Him, and I was quick to ask for a miracle for others, but I hadn’t articulated that request for myself. That night in bed I laid my hands on my belly, simply saying, “Lord, I’m asking right now for that miracle. Will you remove my cancer? Can I just live?”

The next day I was scheduled to have a CT scan before heading to the ladies’ retreat, but the appointment didn’t go as planned. The technicians were unable to access my veins, so they said we’d have to reschedule. As I climbed into the truck with my husband, I said, “Babe, this isn’t about a canceled CT. I really feel like the Lord is going to heal me this weekend at the retreat and that’s why this is canceled. He’s going to show me proof of His healing during my rescheduled scan after I get back.”

Valerie and her roommates from the pivotal ladies retreat in Oregon.

The retreat was amazing. The last night was saturated in prayer; everyone was praying for everyone. I was being held and prayed for by my friend Sheryl, and for the first time since my initial diagnosis, I cried and cried, finally saying out loud, “I don’t want to die!”

On the final morning of the retreat, a few friends and I decided to take one last picture on the beach. As we were standing by the water, a group of three ladies from another church who were attending the retreat came walking up. I had never met these women, but they wanted to tell me that during the prayer time the previous evening, they had seen light surrounding me.

“You were literally glowing,” they said. My friends responded by telling these women my story, after which all of them prayed for me again. I was in awe at how those women had described the sight of me glowing. Looking back, I often wonder, “Is that the moment, God? Is that the moment when you were healing me?”

My rescheduled scan happened the Wednesday after my return. The results were emailed to me through MyChart (an online medical chart) first. As I read the results, it seemed to me like there was no cancer found. I ran downstairs to where my daughter was and said, “Victoria, read this. What do you think it means?”

She read it and said, “It sounds like there’s nothing there!”

Valerie’s amazing medical team: nurse Melissa (middle), best friend Tammy (right), and Dr. Josh in the background.

“Right,” I said, “Don’t get too excited because I’m not a doctor and I could be missing something.” I called my husband and told him, “I think it’s gone!” He was driving and had to pull over because he was bawling. We were both crying, but I kept saying, “Let’s not get too excited. We’ve got to meet with the doctor tomorrow.”

Our appointment with the doctor the next day was strangely routine at first. “Yeah, your numbers look great. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing,” he said.

I replied, “Wait. Hold on a sec. Can you go look at my latest scan because if I’m not mistaken, it looks like they’re not seeing anything anymore.” He pulled out my chart and after looking at it said, “Oh my gosh. You’re right…they’re saying there’s nothing there.”

You might wonder how the doctor didn’t notice this without my pointing it out, but don’t we often miss what we’re not looking for? Frankly, he was convinced I was going to die. When I talk to the doctors now, they tell me that they didn’t expect me to make it past six months. They would glance at my scans and see what they expected to see — “Yep, she’s still got it.” They didn’t see the scan saying the cancer had gone away because stage four pancreatic cancer doesn’t go away. Except this time, it did.

…stage four pancreatic cancer doesn’t go away. Except this time, it did.

After verifying that my scan hadn’t gotten mixed up with someone else’s, my medical team sent me to get a second opinion at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. After the specialists there scanned me with their top-of-the-line equipment, they saw once again that, impossibly, I was clear. The cancer was all gone. That was in January of 2024.

Since that time, I’ve had scans every three months, and I am still cancer free. I wish I could record the conversations I have with the doctors each time. They can’t fathom it. “This is all new to me,” they’ll say, “I’m not sure where to go from here.”

No one expected me to live, and yet here I am. I’ve been able to share my testimony with hundreds of people through social media, through my business, and at a recent women’s event. The most precious thing to come out of all of this is that I got to lead both a friend and my mother-in-law to the Lord.

For those of you who are faced with an impossible situation or diagnosis, I just want to say, trust in the One who made you. Don’t focus on the thing; focus on the Lord. In Jesus we have hope, and God really can do the impossible. He will use your story, no matter what. Trust in the One who made you.


About the Author

Valerie Warren is a lifelong resident of Central Oregon and currently resides in beautiful Bend, where she is an active member of Church of the Cascades. She and her husband, Tony, have been married for nearly thirty-one years and together they have three daughters, a son-in-law, and a beloved grandson.

Valerie works part-time alongside her husband and runs her own business, which she sees as a platform to build meaningful relationships with women and share her faith in Jesus. Her greatest joy comes from spending quality time with her family and friends.

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Lo que no pudieron ver en el escáner: Una historia real de una sanación imposible

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Por Valerie Warren, según lo narrado a Hannah Bemis

Me dijeron que iba a morir.
No de una forma ambigua, al estilo de que «algún día todos morirán». Un médico me miró a los ojos y me dijo: «No me has oído. Te vas a morir». Se suponía que me quedaban once meses de vida. Eso fue en 2022. Hoy, sigo aquí y estoy más convencida que nunca de que los milagros son reales.

Todo comenzó en julio de ese año. Estaba trabajando en nuestra finca cuando me di cuenta de que me sentía muy cansada, más cansada que nunca. Le dije a mi marido: «Algo no está bien; creo que tengo que ir al médico cuando volvamos a la ciudad.».

En la consulta del médico me hicieron análisis de sangre y me dijeron que me llamarían si había algún resultado alarmante. Todo fue muy casual hasta que me llamaron mientras conducía de vuelta a casa para decirme que tenía que ir inmediatamente a un servicio de urgencias.

Valerie and husband Tony (center), and kids Heath, Lorissa, Hope, and Victoria (left to right)

Valerie y su esposo Tony (centro), y sus hijos Heath, Lorissa, Hope y Victoria (de izquierda a derecha)

En pocas palabras, mi hígado estaba «obstruido» y nada podía moverse. Me hospitalizaron para colocarme una endoprótesis en el conducto biliar y abrirlo. Durante la intervención, el médico observó una mancha en el páncreas. El 22 de julio me dijeron que tenía cáncer de páncreas. La «mancha» resultó ser un tumor en la cabeza del páncreas, lo bastante grande como para comprimir toda la zona e impedir que fluyera nada.


—No me has oído. Te vas a morir.

Por malo que suene, me dijeron que solo estaba en la fase uno y que, con quimioterapia y la operación de Whipple, era muy probable que sobreviviera. Durante mi estancia en el hospital desarrollé una pancreatitis, por lo que, antes de darme el alta para irme a casa, me hicieron otros escáneres para confirmar que la infección había desaparecido. En uno de esos escáneres detectaron una mancha en el hígado. A la semana siguiente, la mancha había crecido y aparecieron otras nuevas. El 7 de septiembre, mi diagnóstico original de cáncer de páncreas en fase uno cambió bruscamente a cáncer de páncreas en fase cuatro.

Estaba con mi esposo y con mi mejor amiga cuando el médico nos dio la terrible noticia. «Tienes un cáncer de páncreas en fase cuatro y no tiene cura. Lo único que podemos hacer es administrarte quimioterapia paliativa». Ahora mismo te damos de uno mes a tres años de vida, pero la expectativa de supervivencia media es de once meses».

Por supuesto, mi esposo y mi mejor amiga estaban llorando, pero yo estaba allí sentada con los ojos secos, simplemente procesando. La doctora debió interpretarlo como un estado de shock, porque me lo repitió en términos aún más crudos: «No me has oído. Te vas a morir».

Los guerreros de oración del estudio bíblico de la Iglesia de las Cascadas que apoyaron a Valerie durante su lucha contra el cáncer.

Algo cambió en mí en ese momento. Solo puedo decir que supe que podía confiar en Dios. Dirigiéndome al médico, le dije: «Le he oído, pero usted no puede darme mi fecha final. La única persona que puede decirme cuándo voy a morir es mi Señor».

Continué con mis tratamientos paliativos hasta finales de 2023. Durante ese año, la ayuda de mi comunidad de fe fue increíble. Grupos de mujeres de la iglesia local, la Biblia Abierta, la iglesia de las Cascadas, me traían cestas de regalo, venían a visitarme para simplemente sentarse conmigo o ver una película, o venían a orar.

Sus esfuerzos me conmovieron de verdad. Lo notable es que mi familia ni siquiera asistía a la Iglesia de las Cascadas; habíamos ido una temporada antes, pero la habíamos dejado por un tiempo. A pesar de ello, la gente de allí fue un apoyo constante. No pasó mucho tiempo antes de que mi marido y yo tomáramos la decisión de volver, sabiendo que esta era realmente nuestra iglesia.

De hecho, el punto de inflexión en mi historia con el cáncer fue un retiro de mujeres de la Iglesia de las Cascadas. Un miércoles por la noche de octubre de 2023, estaba orando para prepararme para el retiro. Oraba lo de siempre: «Señor, confío en ti, haz conmigo lo que quieras, pero úsame». Solo que, esta vez el Señor me interrumpió:

No tenía una respuesta. Había estado repitiendo una y otra vez que confiaba en Él y me apresuraba a pedir un milagro para los demás, pero no había formulado esa petición para mí. Esa noche, en la cama, puse las manos sobre mi vientre y dije simplemente: «Señor, te pido ese milagro ahora mismo. ¿Querrás extirparme el cáncer? ¿Puedo simplemente vivir?».

Al día siguiente tenía programada una tomografía computarizada antes de ir al retiro de damas, pero la cita no salió como estaba previsto. Los técnicos no pudieron acceder a mis venas, así que me dijeron que tendríamos que cambiar la cita. Mientras subía a la camioneta con mi marido, le dije: «Cariño, no se trata de una tomografía cancelada. Realmente siento que el Señor me va a sanar este fin de semana en el retiro y por eso se ha cancelado la cita». Él me mostrará pruebas de su sanación durante la tomografía reprogramada después de mi regreso».

Valerie y sus compañeras de habitación del importante retiro de mujeres en Oregón.

El retiro fue increíble. La última noche estuvo saturada de oración; todos oraban por todos. Mi amiga Sheryl me abrazaba y oraba por mí, y por primera vez desde mi diagnóstico inicial, lloré y lloré, y finalmente dije en voz alta: «¡No quiero morir!».

La última mañana del retiro, algunas amigas y yo decidimos tomarnos una última foto en la playa. Mientras estábamos junto al agua, se acercó un grupo de tres mujeres de otra iglesia que también asistía al retiro. No las conocía, pero querían decirme que, durante el tiempo de oración de la tarde anterior, habían visto una luz que me rodeaba.

«Estabas literalmente resplandeciente», me dijeron. Mis amigas respondieron contándoles mi historia y, tras ello, todas ellas volvieron a orar por mí. Me quedé asombrada de cómo aquellas mujeres habían descrito mi resplandor. Mirando hacia atrás, a menudo me pregunto: «¿Fue ese el momento, Dios? ¿Es ese el momento en que me sanaste?».

El miércoles siguiente a mi regreso me hicieron la tomografía reprogramada. Primero me enviaron los resultados por correo electrónico a través de MyChart (un historial médico en línea). Cuando los leí, me pareció que no había cáncer. Bajé corriendo donde estaba mi hija y le dije: «Victoria, lee esto, ¿qué crees que significa?».

Ella lo leyó y dijo: «¡Parece que no hay nada!».

El increíble equipo médico de Valerie, la enfermera Melissa, la mejor amiga del medio, Tammy, a la derecha y el Dr. Josh en el fondo.

«De acuerdo», le dije, «no te emociones demasiado porque no soy médico y podría estar pasando algo por alto». Llamé a mi esposo y le dije: «¡Creo que se ha ido!». Iba conduciendo y tuvo que parar porque no podía parar de llorar. Los dos llorábamos, pero yo insistía: «No nos emocionemos demasiado. Mañana tenemos que ir al médico».

Al día siguiente, nuestra cita con el médico resultó ser, extrañamente, muy rutinaria. «Sí, tus cifras están muy bien. Seguiremos con lo que estamos haciendo», dijo.

Yo le contesté: «Espere un momento, ¿podría echarle un vistazo a mi último escáner? Porque, si no me equivoco, parece que ya no ven nada». Sacó mi historial y, después de mirarlo, dijo: «Dios mío. Tienes razón… dicen que ahí no hay nada».

Tal vez se pregunten cómo el médico no se dio cuenta de esto sin que se lo señalara, pero ¿acaso no pasamos por alto con frecuencia lo que no buscamos? La verdad es que estaba convencido de que me iba a morir. Ahora, cuando hablo con los médicos, me dicen que no esperaban que sobreviviera más de seis meses. Echaban un vistazo a mis escáneres y veían lo que esperaban ver: «Sí, todavía lo tiene». No veían el escáner que decía que el cáncer había desaparecido porque el cáncer de páncreas en fase cuatro no desaparece. Excepto esta vez sí lo hizo.

porque el cáncer de páncreas en fase cuatro no desaparece. Excepto esta vez sí lo hizo.

Tras comprobar que mi escáner no se había confundido con el de otra persona, mi equipo médico me envió a buscar una segunda opinión al MD Anderson Cancer Center de Texas. Tras escanearme con sus equipos de alta tecnología, los especialistas confirmaron que estaba limpia. El cáncer había desaparecido por completo. Eso fue en enero de 2024.

Desde entonces, me he sometido a exploraciones cada tres meses y sigo sin tener cáncer. Ojalá pudiera grabar las conversaciones que mantengo con los médicos. No pueden entenderlo. «Todo esto es nuevo para mí», me dicen, «no sé muy bien qué hacer a partir de ahora».

Nadie esperaba que sobreviviera y, sin embargo, aquí estoy. He sido capaz de compartir mi testimonio con cientos de personas a través de las redes sociales, de mi negocio y en un reciente evento de mujeres. Lo más valioso de todo esto es que pude guiar al Señor a una amiga y a mi suegra.

A quienes se enfrentan a una situación o diagnóstico imposible, solo quiero decirles que confíen en Aquel que los creó. No se centren en la situación, sino en el Señor. En Jesús tenemos esperanza, y Dios puede hacer lo imposible. Él utilizará su historia, pase lo que pase. Confíe en Aquel que le creó.


Sobre la autora

Valerie Warren ha vivido toda su vida en el centro de Oregón y actualmente reside en la hermosa ciudad de Bend, donde es miembro activo de la Iglesia de las Cascadas. Ella y su esposo, Tony, llevan casi treinta y un años casados y juntos tienen tres hijas, un yerno y un nieto al que adoran.

Valerie trabaja a media jornada con su marido y dirige su propio negocio, que considera una plataforma para establecer relaciones significativas con mujeres y dar testimonio de su fe en Jesús. Su mayor alegría es pasar tiempo de calidad con su familia y amigos.

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Burden Bearing in the Church: How We Can Do It Better 

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When my children were young, God asked me if I trusted Him with their testimonies. Having worked as a church counselor, I wish my immediate answer was “Of course, Lord!” But instead, my most honest answer was “No! I see what you do with people’s testimonies!” I knew that to have a testimony of God’s work in their lives, people had to first go through pain and turmoil. Allowing my children the pain necessary for a testimony was one of my biggest fears. It wasn’t until nearly fifteen years later that I was able to humbly change my answer.  

I can recount hundreds of stories of God’s faithfulness to bring beauty from ashes as He promises in Isaiah: “To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (61:3). That’s easily the most rewarding part of working for Jesus (whether in my role as counselor, disciple-maker, or friend). When someone has experienced healing from their trauma, restoration in a relationship, or forgiveness for themselves and others, I have taken a front row seat to the beauty of a testimony rising out of the ashes of life’s pain. These are the stories I keep tucked away in my heart for building hope when it seems all hope is lost. When life’s hardships make it easier to identify with Job’s despair than with Paul’s rejoicing, I need those stories of redemption to give me hope – to give others hope.  

We try throwing scripture at pain from a distance, bandaging gaping wounds with platitudes.

It was when I had to find some hope to offer my daughter as she faced a devastating mental health diagnosis that my theology and mental health practice had a head-on collision in my very own home. God lovingly asked me again, as He has throughout the years, if I trusted Him with my children’s testimonies. I would be lying if I said my answer didn’t require both deep digging and anguished prayer. My hope was only in Him; I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God didn’t bring her this disease or its pain. That was part of the fall of man and its effects on creation – an enemy scheme.​ ​God didn’t promise my daughter wouldn’t face pain, but He did promise that when life brought it, He would use it for her good. He will shine His light in her darkness, use her healing to repair the breaches in others’ lives – all for His glory. I can finally wholeheartedly say that I do trust God with her testimony.  

It is in these dark and scary places that the church often misses the mark​. ​We aren’t well-equipped to bear one another’s burdens. We subconsciously worry that the dark places in others might consume us too. We try throwing scripture at pain from a distance, bandaging gaping wounds with platitudes. Burdens can’t be carried from an emotional distance.  

Remember the places where the church has best served you in your brokenness. I think you will find that it was in relationship, when someone sat with you in your pain, either in silence or humbly asking questions rather than preaching or talking about their own unresolved pain. The only time Job’s comforters were doing a good job is when they sat silently in the ash heap with him. Sometimes being a silent witness in other’s suffering is the most sacred thing you can do. This simply cannot be done in the few minutes of an altar call or from an emotional distance. It’s not until we’ve proven we are driven by love and grace, without an agenda for behavioral change, that we will be trusted with the most imprisoning parts of a person’s story.

It’s not until we’ve proven we are driven by love and grace, without an agenda for behavioral change, that we will be trusted with the most imprisoning parts of a person’s story.

I’ll let you in on a secret: you don’t have to be the pastor or church counselor to help people walk in emotional and spiritual health​. ​Most of the counseling I’ve done has been discipleship – teaching people the ”how-to’s” of the Bible: how to forgive, how to not be anxious for anything, how to break the power of lust, how to guard your heart in very practical, boots-on-the-ground ways. And yet, if you don’t understand how to apply biblical principles to your own emotional health, you won’t be comfortable in the dark and scary places of others’ struggles. Matthew Henry’s commentary on Galatians 6 says it well: “The better we know our own hearts and ways, the less shall we despise others, and the more be disposed to help them under infirmities and afflictions.” If you aren’t sure how to help others in their pain, being a silent, praying witness is a great place to start. In that silent place, collect the promises of God from scripture. Get to know His character and His love for His people. When you yourself can trust God’s unfailing goodness, you will be able to pass it on to others. Isaiah and Ephesians are great places to start this treasure hunt.  

We need to become a people that know how to get our hands dirty and apply the mud of scripture to the eyes of each other’s hearts in a way that invites restoration. We need to know where to find the keys that set the prisoners free. As individuals and as church bodies, we can help others apply the “how to’s” of scripture. I LOVE when churches teach Financial Peace along with praying for financial breakthrough. I LOVE when churches have recovery programs that walk spiritual captives through steps of freedom. I LOVE when churches teach boundaries and healthy relationship skills. I LOVE when churches have connections with community health programs that treat the whole triune person: mind, spirit, and body. I don’t believe medication minimizes one’s faith; oftentimes, it gives a person the boost they need to come to the starting line of the race we’re all trying to run for the kingdom. It can be a necessary tool in applying scripture to their lives.  

We all know that hurt people hurt people, but what’s even more powerful is the mustard seed growth of watching healed people heal people. A person who has learned to apply the gospel of Jesus to their own dark and scary places is the person who is best able to shine His light for another. When it comes to the integration of mental health and spiritual health in the Church, that is the aspect which excites me more than anything. 


About the Author

Anne Beem

Anne Beem is a Eugene Bible College alumnus living outside of San Antonio, Texas, with her husband Chuck and their three daughters. She has spent much of her counseling career starting counseling ministries in churches and consulting with pastors in providing soul care to their church members. She is currently an adjunct psychology professor at George Fox University and provides counseling services to ministers and their family members. Anne’s favorite hobbies include friend collecting, traveling, and reading all of the books.  

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