I want to share my life journey, God-given story, of how I found my purpose through pain. I grew up in a good Christian family, had great parents who taught me the love of God. I did my schooling and college in Chennai. During my college days, every parent wanted their kid to study engineering. So, like everybody else I also did engineering, in electrical engineering, not really knowing what it was, and I’m still trying to figure out how to fix an electric bulb at home.
It’s never too late and to take a stand against dowry
In the beginning of the year 2000, even as we welcomed the new millennium, we as a family met with a major road accident. Our taxi driver had dozed off. It would have been a head-on collision, and we would have all been smashed to death on the spot had it not been for my older brother who was sitting next to the driver who immediately steered the wheel to a sharp left. God gave him the presence of mind to do what he did on that day. Our car just rolled down the road, hit a tree which got uprooted, we were all thrown out of the windshield, and we landed on its branches. But we were all alive, but unconscious by God’s grace. The villagers who took us to the hospital, I remember what they said they said- that many accidents had happened in that zone and it’s an accident-prone zone and no one has ever survived that. Glory to God for keeping us alive! This incident got me thinking that God has kept me alive for a reason and my work on Earth is still unfinished. Yes, you and I are alive to finish the mission the work of God that He has started in us.
Then I grew up in my own small corner, not having a clue of what was to come in my life. When I was in my teens fellowship, my teacher encouraged us to pray for our future partner. So, around my 10th-11th grade I started asking God to give me a God-fearing man who would marry me just for me. My friend and I even wondered if I’ll ever get married. Years later, God answered my prayers and I got married to a fabulous man-a man of visions and tasks, and God has blessed us with two wonderful children. I’m so blessed to marry a person who didn’t expect anything from my parents and who just married me for me. I would like to encourage all the single men and women to start praying for your spouse- it’s never too late and to take a stand against dowry.
I asked God what His plan for my life was, but I never expected to find the answer through pain
Life was going so smooth and comfortable; Lord’s purpose was at the back of my mind. My husband and I were involved in few ministries together, but I felt my life was going nowhere and I was living my life randomly. My husband convinced me saying that his purpose was my purpose, and I was ever supportive of his work, but I was trying to fit myself somewhere, some ministry or some work, but I couldn’t. So, I was asking God for my specific calling. So, we took this mission of finding out my purpose. In the beginning of the year 2017, we did a 21-day fasting and prayer as a couple, for the first time, asking God for my purpose. I asked God what His plan for my life was, but I never expected to find the answer through pain. You might never know how the answer might come packaged and I believe that this is how God put me onto this journey.
In the first few months of 2017, I felt a few lumps on my throat. I ignored it and never took it seriously. I thought it was a common cold infection, and later in April 2017 I developed another one. This time my husband and my sister-in-law, Dr. Jayanthi Peter, they wanted me to go to the hospital immediately for a check-up. I went to CMC Vellore for the check-up, they took some blood tests, scan, and biopsy. I was praying that the biopsy report would be negative, but from the looks of the doctors and my sister-in-law, I knew that something was serious. My life came to a standstill when I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Thyroid Cancer. I did not know what to do. I was so shocked. I felt everything was crumbling down and I was just holding back my tears there. We came back home that night and I remember, in the prayer time, I remember holding my husband’s hands and crying, ‘I don’t want to die at this stage- not so soon and not without finding my purpose’. I looked at my two children and wondered how they’ll ever grow up without a mother. Then, the procedures for the surgery continued and the road less travelled to Vellore became very familiar because we were going up and down for the tests. God directed us to one of the best surgeons in town, Dr. Paul MJ. He advised us to go through a surgery and a radioactive treatment. He and his team did a wonderful surgery. Praise be to God for the successful surgery without any complications! It could have damaged my vocal cords or my voice or parathyroid glands. Praise God for the successful surgery!
When you get rooted in Him and in His words, you will not just survive in any situation but thrive in it.- Susan Joshua Share on XOnly during the surgery, the doctors were able to realize the spread of cancer throughout the neck and many clusters of lymph nodes had already been invaded. Post-surgery I would have to go through radioactive therapy, for which I had to be quarantined and isolated in a separate room to restrict the radiation exposure to people, especially children and pregnant women. We were already away from the kids for many weeks during the surgery and the procedures. The thought of staying alone in a hospital room during the treatment was not a pleasant idea, but I made up my mind to stay there. A month after the surgery, I was ready for my therapy. I packed my bags and clothes to stay in the hospital. A full-body scan had to be taken to find out if there’s any trace of the cancer, of the disease spread in my body or any residual cells on my neck. The time taken for the scan was getting longer and longer, and I was getting anxious, but I was still praising God at that moment.
God keeps tracks of all your sorrows, and he has collected every tear in His body.
After the long scan, the doctors from the Nuclear Medicine Department called me and my family, and they informed me in a very surprising tone that they took a long time to scan because they couldn’t find even a single cancerous cell in my body or in my neck- not even a trace. Jesus had already done a miracle in my life. Praise be to God! It’s only because of Him. In the doctors’ own words, they said, ‘It’s a very rare case and it’s only the hand of God. It’s a miracle’. Less than 1% of all the cancer patients go out without therapy, and just with the surgery. I was one of them, and I didn’t have to go through any therapy. I went back home rejoicing and joy filled our hearts. We felt gratitude in our hearts for what we witnessed that day through our God. Jesus bore all my sicknesses on the cross. I’m now completely healed by His stripes, and I am now hundred percent cancer for close to two years now. Praise be to God!
The flaws and the scars that you may carry in life will be made beautiful in God's own time.- Susan Joshua Share on XIn His mercy and grace, I not just survived the cancer, but I thrived in it. If you’re going through a physical ailment or emotional sickness or some kind of obstacles in life, I would like to encourage you. When you get rooted in Him and in His words, you will not just survive in any situation but thrive in it. In Japan, broken objects are repaired with gold. The flaw is seen as a unique piece of the object’s history, which adds to its beauty. The flaws and the scars that you may carry in life will be made beautiful in God’s own time. Every time I look at my physical scar on the neck, thanks to the surgery, I know for a fact that I am made unique and priceless in God’s sight. The day I was diagnosed with cancer, I was filled with fear and doubts. The very word shook me up and gave me jitters, but that night, when we came back home and prayed- there were no words to express in prayer only tears would come down. As the psalmist says, ‘Tears are prayers too. They travel to God when we can’t speak’. God keeps tracks of all your sorrows, and he has collected every tear in His body. At the end of the prayer, God reminded me of the specific purpose that I’ve always been praying for and that’s it – there were no more tears, there was no more fear, and we could see God’s bigger picture in this situation and why He would allow this in my life. Remember the song which says – though the sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. I traded all my sorrows for the joy of the Lord. The next day, God prophetically revealed the name ‘Christcan’ as a name of the organization I should start. The word ‘can’ from the word ‘cancer’ and the Bible verse, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’. In Christ, we are more than conquerors.
Remember this- do not regret the paths, the hills, and the valleys that you’ve crossed in life. Jesus has promised to be with you.
While sitting in the hospital, my heart went out to the cancer patients who were in their last stages. Do you know what was their biggest concern and worry? It was not about their deteriorating health but about the future of their children; what will happen to the children after their death? The mission of Christcan is to answer this pain of a dying parent by giving a holistic approach to the children whose parents, one or both, died out of cancer. Through this organization, we support the education of the kids, and we also journey along with young women cancer patients through emotional and prayer support. I would like to share with you few examples from Christcan. Life is so full of uncertainties. There’s this brilliant little boy whose father was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was a committed missionary, and within two months of diagnosis he passed away, leaving behind his young son and his young wife. They did not know what to do but now God is helping this little boy to continue his education through Christcan. Our goal is to see this little boy to grow up and be a talented boy and to follow his father’s footsteps for the glory of God.
There is another story of a girl whose father also was diagnosed with cancer, and he was the only earning member of the family. After his death, her mother did not know what to do because he was the only earning member of the family. Out of sheer desperation, she became an egg donor for infertile couples. There were a lot of complications and risks to her health and there was even a higher chance of developing cancer herself. But she earned money through this, because it’s substantially more than what she could have earned otherwise. She did this to run her family, she even got loans to educate her kids, and this is when Christcan was introduced to her. We now help single parents to help educate their children and we also are also able to share the love of Christ with these people who have been hurt by tragedies. Today in Christcan, we have about a dozen children who will be helped- kids who have lost either of their parents to cancer. We celebrated our first Christcan Christmas celebration in December 2018 to celebrate God’s faithfulness and goodness. It was so satisfying and such a joy to be around to see these lives transformed.
I would not be doing what I’m doing if I had not gone through this, but God chose to work in me this way. It might be different in your place. Through Christcan, we stand for integrity with the funds that we use, and we want to give excellent care to all the kids who are part of our family.
Our purpose is not about our designation or even our paycheck, but it's about Him. It's to reflect and to serve Him.- Susan Joshua Share on XAs Romans 8:28 says, ‘We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose’. Each of us here have a different calling and a purpose and we go through different difficulties in life. Suffering can be stressful and painful, but if you’re sitting here and you’re worried about your promotion or when a rumour is damaging your reputation or when you feeling there are obstacles before you or when you feel that God is not with you during your trials and temptations, just remember this- do not regret the paths, the hills, and the valleys that you’ve crossed in life. Jesus has promised to be with you. As the Word of God says, ‘Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength’. Yes, you will find new strength to help you pass through the storm, to climb, to leap over a wall and to climb all your obstacles. Remember this, you’re not alone in this journey. The process might be painful but at the end of it there is purification, there’s purpose and peace. So the next time you’re going through any obstacles in life don’t ask, ‘Why me God? Why do I have to go through this? Try asking, ‘What through me, Lord? What can I do through this situation?
If we are alive, we still have the unfinished work of God in our lives. It’s not over till God says it’s over. Till then, we all have a mandate and a mission to accomplish while we are here on Earth. If God has blessed you in your career, your workplace is your mission place. What you do with your career matters. Our purpose is not about our designation or even our paycheck, but it’s about Him. It’s to reflect and to serve Him. Through this journey God taught me from Isaiah 58, that we are called to rebuild, repair, and restore the lives of people. With God-given mandate, you are called to lay the foundation. We are called to rebuild the walls that are broken down. We are called to repair the bridge that has been brought on your friend by the enemy and we are called to restore the lives of the people who’ve been hurt by tragedies. So, I’d like to encourage you to live out your God-given mandate with the purpose of rebuilding, repairing, and restoring the lives of people with integrity and excellence.