We Are Salt and Light to Cancer Patients - Episode 158 - Health, Hope & Inspiration : City of Hope®

We Are Salt and Light to Cancer Patients – Episode 158

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Featuring: Rev. Percy McCray and Wayne Shepherd

Published: April 6, 2019

In this episode of Health, Hope & Inspiration, the hosts talk about cancer care ministry and what it means to be “salt and light” to cancer patients and their loved ones in positive and impactful ways. They also discuss the parallels between Jesus’ ministry and those who believe they are called to cancer care ministry.

Show Notes:

Anyone who has been in cancer care ministry knows it is a distinct calling from God—and this episode approaches it in the context of Matthew 5:13-16, where Jesus teaches the disciples they are “salt and light.” Rev. Percy McCray explains how cancer care ministers have the ability to impact people’s lives for the better, but they must not be reckless about it. “It’s important to extrapolate about salt’s purpose and how that applies to our life in terms of ministry and service to others is that many foods that would otherwise spoil can be preserved with salt. We can therefore bring that same preserving quality to life, relationships and hearts, but we need to get into people’s lives to do it and do so on their terms. We don’t need to recklessly engage with them.”

Rev. McCray also says ministers need to understand what it means to be “light” and find ways to incorporate it into their interactions with patients and their loved ones. “Light will always overcome darkness at the end of the day. That’s what the Scripture is trying to help us to embrace, that light reveals truth; it helps us to see our pathway. And we need to be reminded today that we are agents of hope. We are bringers of truth, and we can help people find their way.”

Quotes:

“We need to use some wisdom, but [cancer patients] need—and they want—engagement on their terms because what we bring, according to the Word of God, is the ability to help preserve them through difficult times and the difficult dynamics and the ebb and flow of the process of being a cancer patient.”
“In many cases and scenarios, cancer patients are mentally, emotionally, physically depleted, tired, emaciated, where they have really been through the ringer. They’re just flat out worn down. We, with the spirit of God in us and agents of the spirit of God, can come along and infuse the life of God back into that individual to help preserve them, to help nurture them along.”
“I don’t think any of us can say that people of faith in God are boring. We’ve got some flavor to us. But in this particular case, you know, seasoning and adding flavor changes the quality and taste of food just by coming in contact with it. And so we can, by our presence and by the infusion of the spirit of God that lives within us, that we have the spice of life, that God has put an energy in us.”
“I can tell you on many occasions just having the ability to pray with cancer patients—how they’ve said, ‘Wow, that changed my day.’”

Resources:

CLICK HERE to download this week’s resource: “Ways to Respond to Cancer Patients”