Survivor!

Be faithful, even to the point of death,

and I will give you life...

Revelation 2:10

survive vt.

1 Outlive

2 to continue to live after, or in spite of

3 to continue living or existing, as after an event

survivor n.

1 a person or thing that survives

2 a person who has survived an ordeal 

or great misfortune

Growing up, I never gave much thought to the word "survivor."  I'm sure I learned its meaning when I studied the sinking of the Titanic in history class.  Obviously people survived the various wars that have been fought in my lifetime, but the men and women who came home were not called survivors.  They were called veterans. I can't really remember anyone in my younger years who was termed a "survivor."

Today, I went to a local high school track and participated in the opening ceremonies of a Relay for Life Walk - a fundraiser sponsored by the American Cancer Society.  While sweating members of the walking teams were putting up their shade tents in the sweltering 90-degree heat, I was in the high school cafeteria, enjoying a leisurely lunch, receiving gifts and a bright purple t-shirt, participating in a raffle, and thoroughly enjoying the air-conditioned comfort.  Why was I so special?  Because I am a SURVIVOR.  I am 6+ years cancer-free, and enjoying every moment.

Tonight I thought, I wonder what the Bible says about surviving.  I was a bit surprised to find that the word "survive" is not in the Scriptures.  Curious, I grabbed my trusty thesaurus to see what the synonyms for "survive" are.  The very first word listed brought a smile to my face:  LIVE.  Of course!  A survivor is someone who is still living - still waking each day to the joys and the sorrows of the next 24 hours.  I survived cancer.  You may be a survivor of divorce, an only child who has married and left the nest, the loss of your job, a serious illness or injury, or the death of a loved one.  But you are alive and able to experience another sunrise.

I received a small pin today to wear on my new purple shirt.  It reads:

Celebrate - those who have survived

Remember - those who have lost their battle with cancer

Fight Back - for those who are in the midst of the disease.

I hope that next year there will be many, many more SURVIVORS enjoying that air-conditioned luncheon.