Did God Give Me Cancer?
November 4, 2016
The following is a discussion I had with a dear friend about my having cancer.
My friend:
I would love to talk to you about this though. I'm struggling with your thoughts. I saw the most heart-wrenching photo on FB yesterday. A father posted a raw picture of his 4-year-old daughter in extreme agony due to cancer. I understand that you believe God has put you in this place to shine and serve to bless others. We know He uses all things for good. But please tell me you don't think He gave you cancer. To me, cancer is an enemy to our body, just as sin is a sickness to our souls. My heart breaks for the suffering this beautiful family is enduring, as they watch their daughter die a horrible death.
I heard a man named Doug Stringer speak the other night. He said something powerful. He was diagnosed with an aggressive stage 4 cancer. He said "I know God didn't give this to me. And if he didn't give it to me, it doesn't belong to me, it's not about me. But about glorifying Him in every situation." Anyway, that stuck with me. I appreciate you sharing your perspective with me, Donna. It is truly amazing and I'm thankful God is giving you joy through it all. But I still don't think that makes cancer from God. I don't think that's what you're saying. I'm probably reading something into it that you're not truly meaning? Maybe we can talk this afternoon?
Me:
Good morning, My Friend. Thank you for your concern. And, no, I don't think God gave me cancer. I did pray, after finding out that I had it, that He would use me in a mighty way to bring Him glory through this. I prayed that He would help me have the strength to do this well and with joy. This is a low survival rate cancer, but I'm only praying His will. I'll thank you for continuing to pray for my healing. Prayer is just essential to all life. I really do want to live, but oh to sit at the feet of Jesus!
My friend:
I'm so relieved! Some people do believe that, so I just wanted to ask. Well, you are doing just that... glorifying Him! Resting in Him will produce the peace and joy that will bring healing to your body. I can't imagine your body staying sick when you are literally marinating in the atmosphere of heaven which is peace and joy. Have you heard about Healing Frequency music therapy? It's beautiful peaceful music that helps our bodies heal. I will send you a link. You can fall asleep to the music. Very restful.
I was not as brave with her as I hoped to be. I wish I could have clarified what I really believed. I hope for forgiveness about my lack of transparency. At the least, all of this certainly got me thinking. I don’t believe God gave me cancer the way my friend believes that He gave me cancer. I can only speak for myself, as an adult, with most of my life already lived. The result of cancer in my life has been relative and subjective.
Where have I come from? Where has it brought me?
What was my life like before cancer? What is it like now?
What have I experienced and learned through it? What unnecessary have I purged from my life?
What more do I know about me? What more do I know of Him?
How did I love others before? How do I love others now?
My point is… I believe All things come from the Father. All things. Period. We may not see the obvious reasons for any of it. We don’t need to. Our job is to seek joy through it and to bring glory to Him.
Thessalonians 5 : 16 - 18
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
He loves me and wants the best for me. When we look for the joy and the glory of Him, truly look, I believe we’ll find it. The life lessons or truths in our sufferings or subsequent death maybe for someone who walks beside us or for those who are watching from a distance. The why of it is really none of our business. If we’re to know, we will. Suffering, of course, is difficult and painful. It exists for a reason. It has the potential of producing something good in us or the potential for someone to find the good God meant for them to know about life. Our business is prayer and knowing that All Things are mine, from Him. We won't find what we’re not looking for. Conversely, we Could find all our preconceived notions on a subject (cancer) and see them so clearly, that we fail to see the Truth of who He is!
James 1 urges us to work on changing how we see things and our attitude toward troubles from dread, to positive expectations, faith, trust, and even joy. James doesn’t say, “Count it Joy”. He says, “count it ALL Joy”. We assume joy can’t exist in hardship. The truth I’ve come to know is that suffering and hardship are opportunities to joyfully mature into Christlikeness. And yes, it's been a slow, painful, yet joyful journey. Still journeying!
James 1:3 explains that God intends trials to test our faith and produce spiritual perseverance. If we were to walk through life on easy street and never face hardship, our character would remain untested and underdeveloped. When we find joy in All things, we learn to trust God, which becomes genuine faith, uncompromising faith. I believe this serves us well when we suffer grief or suffer in the body. It’s gold!
PS.
May my dear friend one day read this and know how much I love and respect her.