What if prayers do not cure cancer every single time? No cancer patient or survivor should feel like a moral failure. Here are some suggestions from my experience to avoid hurting others with good intentions.
PUBLISHED April 13, 2018
Felicia Mitchell is a poet and writer who makes her home in southwestern Virginia, where she teaches at Emory & Henry College. She was diagnosed with Stage 2b HER2-positive breast cancer in 2010. Website: www.feliciamitchell.net
There are as many paths to prayer as there are ways to believe in God. Those who do not believe in God also find ways to pray or focus hopeful thoughts. People with cancer can appreciate these prayers, even if they are not so sure of what happens after life ends. A prayer can be a heartfelt way of showing support. Sometimes, some suggest, it can move mountains or cure cancer.
At the same time a prayer can feel warm and fuzzy, it can also hurt. Well-intentioned loved ones can send daggers to the heart with some emotional appeals. What if prayers do not cure cancer every single time? As soft-spoken as I am with people's diverse beliefs, I speak up when people offer prayers that seem contrary to good karma for cancer survivorship.
At the same time a prayer can feel warm and fuzzy, it can also hurt. Well-intentioned loved ones can send daggers to the heart with some emotional appeals. What if prayers do not cure cancer every single time? As soft-spoken as I am with people's diverse beliefs, I speak up when people offer prayers that seem contrary to good karma for cancer survivorship.
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