Let me introduce you to my new friend, Denika Philpott, also known as “Overcomer”. After reading her book, you will understand why she is so deserving of this title! Here is a guest post from the beautiful Denika;
Denika Philpott
Denika’s story: Lying on the cold, hard bathroom floor after chemo number four, it was extremely hard to see my purpose. I have lived by the verse from the Bible “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Don’t run away. I’m no minister and I don’t claim to be perfect in any way so when I quote a verse from the Bible, you don’t have to ready yourself for a sermon. There won’t be one. It’ll be me speaking “straight from the heart” as Bryan Adams sang way back in 1983.
That very day that I hauled myself up off the bathroom floor, walked into my bedroom and collapsed in my mother’s arms, sobbing. Most days it was being strong and leaning on the support of my team, my tribe that got me through. But some days were just exhausting and filled with tears.
It was during this time with my husband’s gently nudging that I realized, “you know what, God does have a purpose for me! I’m going to write a book.” And that’s exactly what I did. During the endless days of waiting for the side effects of chemotherapy to wear off or healing from another surgery, I could do very little. I would sit in my library and write for hours. I poured my heart, my soul and all my experiences onto those blank pages. The daunting report from the MRI that revealed the severity of the breast cancer I had, my head shaving party, my story of my mastectomy journey and what this surgery revealed; all this I chronicled in my book I very proudly titled Overcomer.
We all learn lessons from adversity. Mine was to not focus on past mistakes but forgive yourself and move on, continually living out your purpose.
At times, like when I was on the bathroom floor, this purpose is really hard to see. There are so many obstacles that can stand in our way. They can range from people who are not in our corner, to living circumstances or just our own mental well-being. To be able to heal, I had to focus on myself and not on the negative.
During the past year and a half, my heart has been molded and shaped in a way that has given me a new purpose. I have a deep hunger to pour my experience into people so they can see the importance of their purpose in this life.
During the storms, when you question so many things that are happening, trust that you are intricately woven into the tapestry of this life. With patience and perseverance, your purpose will be made known.
You can check out Denika’s blog at: https://journeywithdenika.wordpress.com/
You can buy Denika’s book
