For the past four years, my sister has been living with and battling stage IV breast cancer. Cancer is an awful disease, and learning that someone close to you has cancer is a sobering experience. Though there are no good things about cancer, there are good things that manifest out of the shared experience. I want to make no attempt to diminish the fact that the hard work and the greatest challenge of cancer or any serious disease lies with the person who has the disease – they endure so much. From the side effects of treatment, the angst of all the decisions, and the impact of the disease itself – the pressure, pain, and suffering come at their expense. The shared part of the experience is that all of those around – family, friends, caregivers, and medical professionals – everyone is impacted in some way. The caregivers especially take on as much as they can carry responsibilities, sometimes more than they can endure, in order to help the one they love through the process.
During a recent surgery and hospital stay for my sister, I was reminded of that shared experience. I watched her husband care for her, looking out for her every need, listening to the doctors, and being her advocate, forgoing his personal needs to take care of her. Through it all, I also witnessed his unwavering faith in God. As we sat in the waiting room, my brother-in-law talked about that faith and how there were many things he did not know for certain and many things that he had to take on trust – there was one thing he knew for sure – then he paraphrased the Bible verse John 3:16. “For God so loved the World that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish by have eternal life.”
That, perhaps, is the good thing that comes from a health crisis – we are reminded of our own vulnerability and where our comfort and peace comes from. And if you’re like my brother-in-law, you are happy to talk about it and offer that peace to others. Truthfully, we don’t have to be in a crisis to know God’s peace and love for us. Reminding ourselves daily – reading the Bible and holding fast to God’s word will give us that peace during easy and challenging times. Then, when we have a crisis or we share that experience with a loved one or friend, we can be a source of comfort for them, too.
Lori Hall, Executive Director of Missions
