Is
There Anything Good in Cancer or Other Illness?
Barbara
Henderson
Ouch!
Groan. Moan. Roll around in
pain. Bravely say through teary eyes,
‘No, it doesn’t hurt. I’m fine.’ I am at the point where I am worried about
weight loss instead of cheering when the scales say another pound has vanished.
So, while going through this cancer it
seems pretty natural to look for something, anything, ‘good’ in the
illness. Whether you are the one sick or
someone you love is sick, we all want to find something good in the illness
whether it is cancer or something else, we all ask ourselves, ‘Why? What is the purpose? Is there anything good in this?’
People often waste time worrying about
what they or someone else did to cause the illness. Sometimes people do things that may bring on
an illness, but for the most part that is not the way to look at an
illness. Job was tormented when he had
not done anything to bring on his trials.
In John chapter 9 we have the word of Jesus Himself regarding a man born
blind.
‘And
as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying,
Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man
sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in
him.’
My personal opinion is that most of
the time illness just happens. It rains
on the just and the unjust. The way to
handle illness is to work to get through the illness while living within the
boundaries set by your self-definition and self-discipline. There are several things that can happen
during an illness that are definitely good.
First, people learn to pray. Your own life or the life of a loved one
brings you directly to the throne of God.
In facing God with a very important request several things become
obvious to the one praying. We are
convicted of sins, and due to wanting our prayers answered, we repent of
sins. This is good. Even better is the overwhelming knowledge
that no one has anything with which to bargain with God. We may be able to go to various people and
bargain or trade for certain things, but with God there is nothing with which
to bargain. All we can do is throw
ourselves on God’s mercy. Just pray,
‘God, have mercy.’ So, we learn we have
no bargaining power with God. That is a
good place to be.
Second, the person facing the illness
has time to get their heart right with God.
Christians are already saved, but many people facing an illness
personally or in a family member are not saved or not living life in a way that
is pleasing to God. An illness instead
of sudden death gives them time to get it right with God. The illness is a blessing from a merciful
God.
Third, the sick person and the family
facing the illness have a chance to show their Christian faith to others. No one looks forward to being sick or
watching someone in the family be sick.
But during the sickness the people cannot escape the fact that illness
happens. People often recover from
serious illnesses and live many more years.
But in the end, we all die. That
is what happens. While going through any
illness we are continually reminded that ultimate end of every individual is
physical death. This gives people time
to think it over and get it right with God.
In the middle of cancer treatment, or
treatment for any other illness, it is always good to consider the things that
are not going to change. God is not
going to change. He is still on His
throne. He is still in charge.
Heaven is still the same. Heaven is still the eternal home of
Christians. Whether we go there sooner
or later doesn’t change the fact that heaven is a wonderful place where God’s
children live as joint heirs with Jesus Christ for eternity. Nothing can change that.
Our relationship with fellow
Christians does not change. For
Christians death is separation without communication for an unknown period of
time. I can assure you that it is very
unpleasant when a loved one dies. But, the rock to which we can cling is that
there is a reunion coming when God says it is time. And, there will be no sad farewells ever
again. This is one way we face illness.
We know if it doesn’t go the way we want it to go, if there isn’t
healing, then the sick Christian goes directly to the presence of God when they
die. Family and friends who are
Christians will eventually go into the presence of God also. There is a reunion
coming, and there will be no more broken hearts from that day forward.
Personally, I would rather face the
unknown outcome with as much knowledge as possible. When facing cancer treatment there isn’t any
promised outcome. That is the same thing
with many other illnesses. The doctors
can do their very best, but they can’t promise the outcome that we want. We want complete healing and a return to a
healthy life. There may be a good chance
that our prayers will be answered exactly as requested, but there is always the
knowledge that things may not go as planned.
In that case, it is best to know exactly what will happen. The truth is that even though we recover from
cancer and live fifty more years, we will eventually have an illness from which
we will not recover. We will die. Then we will go to be with God if we are
Christians. We will go to be with the
devil in his home which is hell if we are not followers of Jesus Christ. That is the truth according the God
Himself. It may sound harsh, but telling
the truth is merciful. When someone has
the truth they have the knowledge to make an informed choice.
On a lighter note, daily living goes
on every day. During a battle with
cancer we are reminded of how precious each minute is. Going through an illness gives us a chance to
set a better pattern for daily living; one that is more patient, thankful,
cheerful, and appreciative of the joy of the moment. It isn’t all bad. Right now, I am facing more pain than I was
expecting. I mean, if the cancer is in
the stomach area why are my arms and legs hurting so badly? I guess it is because just like all evil –
the chemo rains on the just and the unjust.
It isn’t confined to the area of cancer.
It travels all over my body including what passes for the healthy
parts.
And, I don’t know what to do. Things that are good for you may suddenly be
bad for you because they may inhibit the chemotherapy from doing its job. It’s ‘job’ by the way, is to almost kill you
without actually killing you.
So, it is take it one day at a time,
and try to see the blessings of each day.
Getting the cancer doesn’t feel like a
blessing, but finding the cancer in what the doctor believes is time to treat
it is a blessing. Hearing from so many people that they care about me and are
praying for me is an overwhelming blessing.
When you pray for me, please take a minute to pray for all the lost
people, the sick people, the sad people, the hungry people, the people in
financial distress, and the persecuted Christians. It only takes a few seconds to pray for these
people, and God knows them all by name.
And then pray for yourself and your own family. Praying for our friends is definitely to our
benefit, but praying for our own heart’s desire is pure joy.
Sometimes when I am overly tired I
just remind myself’:
God is with me
God has a plan
God will help me
Praise God – who has not given us as a
prey to the enemy.
Dear Readers!
Please remember that your stories sent
to me by email have been overwhelmingly encouraging and helpful. I would love for you to post your comments,
helpful hints in facing an illness, or full stories on my blog. I know they have potential to help others
also. You are free to leave your name or
post anonymously.
Thank you very much.
Barbara
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