Heather, the wife of my colleague will be having cancer surgery next month. Garth, who pastors another church locally is away for six weeks receiving treatment for cancer.
The prognosis for both is encouraging.
It is a privilege to witness their walk through this season.
In recent days I have read helpful and inspiring material from others who have had cancer.
‘Don’t Waste Your Cancer’ was a thought popularised by John Piper while undergoing cancer treatment. David Powlison provided additional commentary to that of Piper after his treatment for cancer. Here are the ten points. You can read the full commentary here.
1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.
2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.
3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.
4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.
5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.
6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.
7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.
8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.
9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.
10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.
Last week Justin Taylor posted material about Kate and David Sunday, and the way in which they have been dealing with Kate’s cancer diagnosis.
Firstly, Kate:
“David has been leading me in this journey. When we first entered the hospital on Jan. 29th and began learning that there was a strong suspicion that I have cancer, a great fear sought to grip our hearts. Right away David began speaking to me and reminding me of God’s goodness. He challenged me to stay away from the “why” questions.
Why me?
Why now?
Why when my children are still so young? . . .
He reminded me that those questions may not ever be answered on this side of eternity, and will lead me to confusion, despair, and bitterness against God. I am so grateful that David is a strong and compassionate leader.
Instead, he challenged me to focus in on the “who, what, and how” of the situation.
Who are you, Lord?
What do you want to teach us about Yourself?
And, how do you want to use us for Your glory?
Amen.”
Then David, responding to questions about their focus:
“I am not suggesting that it is sinful to ask God “Why?” questions. I have appreciated Michael Card’s teaching in ‘A Sacred Sorrow’ and I’m grateful for the psalms of lament.
Nor am I advocating a stoic form of passive resignation. Our friends know—and the Lord knows—that we have shed many tears of sorrow in the last three weeks. We are crying out to God for the gift of healing. I am so thankful to have a God who hears our brokenhearted cries and who sympathizes with us with all His heart in the midst of our fear and sorrow.
I do believe that focusing on “Why?” questions can lead to confusion and despair if we demand answers from God that He has not promised to give us. Instead, by God’s grace, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, we want to focus on the “Who?, What?, and How?” questions—for these questions can lead us deeper into the character of God as we pour out the grief and sorrow of our hearts to Him. When I spoke those words to my wife in the hospital room, I was thinking of the book of Job. Job did ask “Why?” questions and he is not condemned for doing so; but I don’t recall God directly answering Job’s “Why?” questions. Instead, the Lord redirected Job’s focus to Who God is. That, ultimately, is where we hope to settle our hearts: Be still and know that I am God.
Embedded in the Why? questions can be the seeds of unbelief or anger against God. God does not usually answer our why questions with the answers our flesh is demanding.
But he does give us abundant reasons to sustain our hope. And those reasons are usually a more direct answer to the Who, What, & How questions. In other words, “I gave you this thorn in the flesh to exalt my strength.” This tells me something about who God is, what God is doing in my life, and how God intends to use me for his glory. It doesn’t necessarily answer the questions we tend to ask, like: Why me (out of all the people on the earth)? Why this particular trial? Why now (as opposed to ten years from now when my kids are grown up)?, etc. . .”
As I read these sorts of thoughts, they indicate to me that Christians need to develop the habit of asking these questions everyday, not ‘Why’, but ‘Who’, ‘What’ and ‘How’. That way, when cancer, loss or some other profound situation confronts us this will not be an alien process that we’re learning, but the pattern of our hearts and minds that we’ll fall back upon in that they will draw us near to God.
This was illustrated beautifully in an email I received yesterday that contained the news of the passing of a woman to cancer. Her husband is a pastor in another state. I do not know either of them personally, but I am thankful for the ministry that came through this communication.
Accompanying the news of her death was this excerpt from a final letter that she had sent to a friend. Her testimony of ‘Who’, ‘What’ and ‘How’ shine like a beacon:
“I like the imagery from Christ’s words to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be in paradise with me.” What a lovely thought, to stand before Him safe from all the threats of living in a fallen world. I have enjoyed the beauty of the world, the love of my friends and family and all the blessings the Lord has heaped on us, but when He finally walks me home I will be at peace and content with my lot.
Years ago we met a brother and sister singing group called Selah. Their parents had been Missionaries in the Congo. Anyway they sang the following song.
Soon we will come to the end of life’s journey,
And perhaps we’ll never meet anymore
Till we gather in Heaven’s bright City
Far away on that beautiful shore
If we never meet again this side of Heaven
As we struggle through this world and its strife
There’s another meeting place somewhere in heaven
By the beautiful river of life
Where the charming roses bloom forever
And separations come no more
If we never meet again this side of Heaven
I will meet you on that beautiful shore.
I never imagined that this would apply to me some ten years down the track, but it seems to say everything important for me to say to you.
Heaps of love and blessings”
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