Jenni N.

I’ve had the honor and heartbreak of watching a friend battle cancer for almost four years now.

Hers is not the “dying with grace and dignity” story. In fact, she is combative, uncooperative with caregivers and really, really angry. She has deliberately pushed most of her friends and family away.

This cancer is relentless as it continues to literally take everything from my friend — her health, her job, her money, her mind, her impulse control and her ability to be of service to God and to people.

My friend is one example of “everything we are” being tied to a job title, money in the bank, ego and self-reliance.

I am another example.

For the majority of my life, I believed my worth, value and purpose were tied to being an employee, wife, mother, church worker — and, yes, to other people’s opinions of me. Worse yet was how my opinion of myself was based solely on positive accomplishments in all of the above.

It was exhausting. It still is — when I forget whose child I am and whose opinion of me truly matters.

Several years ago, God moved in my life in such a way that I was on the verge of losing everything (husband, kid, job). The only thing left was God.

He was enough then and He is enough now.

This is also what my friend is experiencing. He is enough!

God does not value her less because of the cancer. She is His child. His opinion of her has not changed because her body and mind can no longer be out in the world doing His work. Even her own opinion of herself does not change His love.

So on good days or bad days, God’s opinion of us is the only one that matters.