Every Step of the Way

From the Archives: Winter 2011

Written by Leila Harris

In December, 2001, I was diagnosed with terminal (inoperable) lymphoma. Numerous x-rays and a PetScan revealed that my entire upper body was inundated with cancer. After much prayer, God intervened, and after the final biopsy, the doctor came out of the operating room in a flabbergasted state saying, “I can’t believe it. It’s not cancer. I guess the tests can be wrong. I just don’t understand.” We praise the Lord daily for this miracle.

God Interrupted My Life for a Reason

It turned out to be Sarcoidosis (a swelling of the lymph nodes that causes extreme fatigue) and other side effects. Knowing God interrupted my life for a reason, I stopped working 70-80 hours a week in the mortgage business and started staying home more to study his Word. The more I studied the Bible, the more I wanted to learn.

When the lymphoma was discovered, I was working 70-80 hours a week in the mortgage business. For some time, I’d met with banks and other lending institutions to assist my husband’s construction customers, but the day came when I was asked by a

bank CEO to manage their mortgage department. It was extremely successful, and I made more money than I’d ever dreamed. It was very challenging, but the Lord walked me through each day. The stress was phenomenal, and when I felt overwhelmed, I’d go lock the door, get under my desk, and pour my heart out to the Lord. He always intervened and sent his peace over the situation.

Every morning my prayers were for strength for the day, but I would remind him that I wanted to do more to glorify him. I also knew during that time he was helping people with finances to build or buy a home and was allowing me to participate. But God knows the future, and we don’t. The diagnosis limited the number of hours I could work or even be very active. The bank merged with a larger bank that had its own mortgage department, so I left the mortgage business.

I began praying for an opportunity to finish my college degree and study religion from home (as we live in an area not easily accessible to major colleges and universities). God answered prayers again and led me to Regent University’s online classes. I applied, got accepted, and began my journey. After graduating in 2007, I began writing full-time, as opposed to a part-time hobby. I continued my education through Regent’s online program for a master’s degree in education (with Biblical Studies certification), which was completed in December 2010. I also plan to work on my doctorate and teach online classes in religious studies in order to help others in their journey.

Boundaries Make Me Fruitful for My Master

During one of our online blackboard discussions, I gave my testimony that my sickness was a blessing to me. Another classmate -- a woman --blasted me. She said that I was wrong, that sickness came from Satan and was punishment for sin. This bothered me, because I didn’t have the appropriate response.

While driving home sometime later, I noticed horses and cattle in their pastures. It was like the Lord spoke to my heart. He wanted me to see how much more theses animals meant to their Master because of their boundaries. I then had the right response to my classmate’s chastisement, which was that God was dealing with my life and forming me into what he wanted --- setting my boundaries in order to be more fruitful for my Master.

New Giftings for His Glory

As a little girl I always wrote in diaries. I was saved when I was 10 years old, and as I grew up in the Lord, my diaries became journals of prayers and writings to the Lord. When I felt led to write full-time for God, I sat down and read through all my journals. I realized how much comfort I’d taken down through the years from God’s love of his creation. The animals in the Bible stood out to me, so I just started writing.

I began by researching animals and listing every Bible verse along with the Greek and Hebrew definition and Strong’s Concordance reference. We now have All of the Animals in the Bible in publication. All of the Trees in the Bible became the subject of my second book, and All of the Plants & Herbs in the Bible is the in the editing stage. I love doing research and writing for the Lord and others has become a great joy in my life.

Being saved from a death sentence of cancer, recent open-heart surgery, having the opportunity to fulfill my heart’s desire of getting a degree in religious studies, and researching and writing books that glorify my Lord has been easy with God’s help. It’s been a long process, but the Lord has been with me every step of the way.