“Whether you're full of hope or full of fear, God welcomes you, and some of the most powerful spiritual growths happen when we're honest with God and with ourselves,” encourages the Rev. Natalie Justice, pastor of Mt. Carmel UMC and Davis Memorial UMC in Virginia.
The Rev. Natalie Justice rings the bell after her final chemo treatment as she faced cancer the second time. Justice recalls praying and reflecting during the many hours she spent in chemotherapy treatment chairs. Text messages sent by her church members and friends were reminders of God’s presence, and she could feel the prayers of her entire support system.
“I believe peace can help the body heal,” she says. “We know that stress affects our health, but so does hope. Hope can change everything. If I didn't really truly feel God's presence surrounding me, I don't know how I could have done it.”
Photo courtesy of Justice.
“You don't have to always be strong, always be positive, always try to make everybody around you be uplifted. But you can go to a God that never asks you to pretend. God wants you to come as you are...God wants you to be real, so he can walk the [cancer] journey with you,” she says.
Justice battled breast cancer in her early 30s and endometrial cancer in her early 40s. Both occurrences were caught relatively early, but only after she advocated for herself extensively when doctors doubted the presence of cancer due to her youth and lack of genetic history.
“Hope doesn't mean denying pain. It means believing that even when things are falling apart, God is still holding us together.” – The Rev. Natalie Justice
She has endured surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and physical therapy, but she never stopped pastoring, leaning on God or growing her faith.
It’s okay to grieve and ask God questions
“Everybody thinks when you have cancer, you have to put on that brave face. You don't have to be brave,” says Justice. “But what I found really helped me continue to grow closer to God on my journey was the moments of the nitty gritty, when I was mourning and grieving. That because of cancer, I can't have kids biologically. When I was in the moments of prayer and saying, ‘Lord, why, why did this happen?’
“I felt like those were the moments that I could go to God, a big God who could hear all the things that were going on in my life, and I felt comforted by that…Time with God grounds us, and it calms the chaos. When everything else feels totally out of control, prayer or just sitting quietly in God's presence reminds us of who we are. That we're not just patients, that we're beloved children of God.
“There [are] moments of joy, but there are also moments of grief, and you've got to allow space for both. And God opens the space for both. I think we just assume, because we're Christians, that [we have] to give a good testimony by just being happy and positive. But that's not what God wants.”
Sunflowers in the Valley: Find Hope and Healing Through Faith is for cancer survivors, and can also offer insight to those seeking to better understand the emotions and struggles of people battling the disease. Justice has already seen the book assist pastors walking alongside church members facing cancer. It is also perfect for cancer support groups, and as an addition to church libraries.
“I ultimately hope that it's a devotional that will change the stigma around cancer, and that we talk about it, and that it's not just talking about triumphs, but just be open and real that it is a battle. It's frustrating, it's not fun, but even in the midst of it, there's hope,” shares Justice.
The book is available from Amazon or Books-a-Million.
Devotionals for survivors, by a survivor
When facing cancer a second time, Justice wrote a devotional book for fellow cancer warriors while she spent time in hospital rooms and during sleepless nights.
She explains, “I wanted to help others who are going through the same battles. Everybody’s cancer journey is so different, but there are similar fears and concerns that come with any journey as a cancer survivor. I tied my story into how God moved, and turned it into something that could be practical for other cancer survivors at any stage, or for anyone who reads it.
“In our dark valleys there is hope blooming from God. And the light will always shine through.”
Sunflowers in the Valley: Find Hope and Healing Through Faith includes 52 devotionals that relate to five stages of the cancer journey: diagnosis, treatment, surgery, recovery and survivorship. Each devotional includes a Scripture reading, personal reflection and prayer. They also include action plans, such as sitting with emotions, engaging in a joyful activity, practicing patience and keeping a gratitude journal, so that readers can focus on spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing.
When asked what she’d like readers to know, Justice responds, “Even in the hardest days, it's okay to cry. It's okay to laugh. It's okay to scream, and God can handle all of it. And more than anything, I hope that they feel wrapped in God's love, and remember that hope is still alive even in that moment, on that journey.
“And this is not just for those who are in in the middle of treatment. This is for anybody who's heard the words, ‘You have cancer.’”
Support for caregivers
The encouragement and action plans in Justice’s devotionals extend beyond those with cancer, offering support to caregivers, family members and friends as well. Reading the book alongside each other can nurture understanding and healing.
“There's a lot of emotional and physical stress that goes with caregiving. I think [caregivers] are the most selfless people that I know, and some of the most exhausted,” observes Justice. “I always tell anyone who is a caregiver, ‘Your rest is holy and you can't pour from an empty cup. Faith can refill you.’
“I think sometimes it’s just taking even five minutes for prayer or a quiet moment to read the Psalms. These are small pauses that can become lifelines. Just knowing that you don't have to be perfect, you just have to continue to stay connected to God and remember that you are a child of God, loved by God, covered by God's grace, and God is holding you up in the midst of it.”
Laura Buchanan works for UMC.org at United Methodist Communications. Contact her by email.
This story was published on July 7, 2025.
