Warrior princesses...there are many. Some are fictional and some are very real. All of these valiant women had one thing in common, the desire to fight for a worthy cause and the desire to win.You've probably seen the fictional ones at some point on TV clad in their armor fighting evil foes. Among these were Xena and She Ra. Xena was an infamous warrior on a quest to seek redemption for her past sins against the innocent by using her formidable fighting skills to help those unable to defend themselves. Another fictional warrior princess, was She Ra, leader to a group of freedom fighters known as the Great Rebellion in the hope of freeing her people from an evil ruler.
Then there are the real Warrior Princesses:
Deborah- the only female judge mentioned in the Bible, Deborah led a successful attack against the forces of the king of Canaan. Joan of Arc - While still a teenage girl, Joan of Arc inspired French troops and successfully led men into battle during the Hundred Years' War. Gudit- legendary queen of Ethiopia in the 10th century who ransacked the countryside, destroyed churches, and attempted to exterminate the members of the previous ruling dynasty. Ahhotep I- an Egyptian Queen of the 16th century BCE. She led an army against the Hyskos, an Asiatic people that had invaded the Egyptian Delta.
And then there are the modern day Warrior Princesses like Harriet Tubman- an abolitionist who served on the front-lines of the Underground Railroad, Sheryl Crow - country music singer, Christina Applegate- movie actress, Olivia Newton John, Carly Simon, Jaclyn Smith, Suzanne Somers, Gloria Steinem, Robin Roberts, Rachael Ross- a dear friend of mine, Annie Annis -my mother in law, and me, Bonnie Annis. I'm sure you can think of friends or family you know that could be added to this list. My point is that there are millions of Warrior Princesses out there...those valiantly fighting the war with Cancer. How did these women become Warrior Princesses? The first thing they did was to understand the problem at hand. Then they came up with a battle plan. The next thing they did was move into action.
Yesterday, I formulated my battle plan. My breast surgeon and I spent almost 2 hours together going over our plan of attack against the enemy Cancer. She drew diagrams and explained which weapon would do what as I sat and listened intently. I've never had a doctor spend as much time with me as Dr. Sroka did! She was amazing. She literally took a huge bomb and diffused it right in front of me. I couldn't help but think this is exactly what the Word of God does to fear.
Have you ever thought about how many times you've worried? Nine times out of ten, the thing you worried about never even happened, but Satan used it to stop you in your tracks or had you paralyzed in the grips of terror. But as you thought about it even more, God would bring a verse of Scripture to mind instantly dispelling your fears. That's exactly what happened to me yesterday. As the surgeon took each piece of the Cancer puzzle and broke it down into bite size pieces, it was as if the huge explosion I expected from the Cancer Bomb fizzled out right in front of me. God reminded me that "no weapon formed against me would prosper." (Isaiah 54:17)
My surgeon in all of her wisdom, used many large medical terms but also diagrams to help turn those huge words into layman's terms. I almost felt like I was back in my Para-Med class in high school listening to a lecture. Of course there were things I didn't quite understand like Oconotyping, KI67 antigens, Her-2/Neu, etc. but I know that she is an expert in her field. She has been to war with Cancer before...she's a seasoned vet! She knows how to plan a sneak attack that will obliterate the enemy.
My plan is certainly different from other Warrior Princesses who've gone into battle. But my plan fits my needs best. In the days ahead, I will have bilateral mastectomies. I'll have several lymph nodes removed from my right arm and if any of those are Cancerous, the rest of them will go too. After more testing is completed (the Oconotype and FISH) we'll know whether we need to pick up the weapons of Chemotherapy, Radiation, Tamoxifen and others.
The battle rages on inside but we are just about to begin the war. I know that God wants me to be a warrior and not a worrier...therefore, I will pick up the Sword of the Spirit and the Word of Truth and march valiantly into battle. Hear my battle cry! BRING IT ON!
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