“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

September 26, 2025 marked my final chemotherapy session. How gracious and protective God has been, as I have experienced very few side effects. Ringing the bell to celebrate the end of my treatment and receiving a “meritorious” diploma for bravery and perseverance was deeply emotional. I felt overwhelmed for a few moments, but my Yahweh Rafa deserves all the honor and the deepest gratitude of my heart. After my treatment, my oncologist told me, based on my latest PET scan, that I was “cancer free.”

My mind registered just two words—cancer free. The joy and tears that followed are beyond description. From this moment on, I had to embrace life as a cancer-free survivor, even though my journey was still in its early stages. I vowed not to let fear or doubt raise their swords against me, threatening the peace and happiness I had been granted.I promised to leave behind old patterns of selfishness, distractions, and trivial desires that once consumed me before my diagnosis. I refuse to let my suffering be in vain—the new person, He carefully shaped and transformed to fulfill His greater plan.

Among the people, He walked—pausing frequently for prayer and communion with His Father, the source of all His strength. Yet He always returned to His friends, His family, His disciples. He was present among the hurting, the blind, and the lepers. We desire to follow in His footsteps, absorbing His word and then stepping out to share it with others. We receive His love and forgiveness, not as something to keep hidden like a cocoon, but as gifts meant to be shared. We observe His language and begin to use it among both loved ones and even enemies. In John 14:12, Christ tells His disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me will do the works that I do; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” With deep humility, we ask: How is this possible? How can this verse become a reality and inspire us to believe we can accomplish even greater things than our Lord?

When you retreat to your comfortable corner, you miss the opportunity to forgive, speak truth, love, offer comfort, change a tire, or hold a trembling hand. Choosing the easy way out and avoiding the streets, marketplaces, and highways means you won’t see those who have fallen or are hurting. You won’t witness their joys either. Start in the school lunchroom or the quiet lounge at work. Begin in the parks where you take your children to play or at the library. It’s in these everyday places that individualism and selfishness blind us to the needs of our neighbors. Here, you can become a good Samaritan—living among others as He did, full of grace and truth.

I often hear the phrase “God is not finished writing our stories,” and it’s true -assuming we invite Him to be the author of our lives. Yet, how many of us remain like letters placed and sealed in an envelope—never opened, never read by “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40)? What can we do? We begin small. We do “the next thing,” as Elizabeth Elliot has taught for decades. We follow His example, a pattern that is always good. We have been redeemed. Transformed. Healed—just as I was through my battle with cancer. So, we start to walk differently. The great things He promised to enable us to do don’t come from clinging selfishly to our faith but from stepping out with a transformed mind, a redeemed soul, and a healed body to engage with others. When our mountaintop experiences become miracles lived out in the valleys, and we embody what we believe, those “greater things” He promised will be revealed among them.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me”.  (John 15:4)