And so I'll keep talking

Hello, friends. It has been quite some time since I have written. Well, strike that. It has been a while since I've published anything. But this time of the year cancer seems to come to the forefront, and this year it is screaming at me. Memories of my own diagnosis and treatment, and too many friends struggling and dying from the disease.

I don’t think God brought me through cancer to be quiet about it. Being quiet would be so easy, though. I could just let it fade away into the distance and only think about it during those pesky doctor’s appointments when they poke and prod at my chest and then tell me to come back again in a few months. Oh, how tempting that is! But what good is being a survivor if I don’t provide encouragement to others who are suffering? My outcome, so far, has been the best possible. I hate that it isn’t the case for too many people. As long as people are being diagnosed with cancer and dying from cancer, I need to keep talking.

Sunday’s sermon brought this home for me. We’ve been in John for most of the last year, and the last couple weeks we’ve been learning about the blind man in John 9. I remember back when I was diagnosed, a very foolish man told my brother that I was cursed with cancer because of unrepentant sin in my life. For anyone feeling that way, please remember John 9:3: “Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him’.” After Jesus gave the blind man his sight, the man went and proclaimed what Jesus did for him. I need to continue to do the same. God showed up in my cancer in so many places. I must keep this part of my life open so that others can see the glory of God.

Sometimes it wasn’t easy, though. There were days when I was so lonely, so sick, and so frustrated that I wondered why God would put anyone through cancer. It was hard to see God’s glory when I was so chemo-affected that I couldn’t even write my own name. But in the midst of that suffering, I continued to remember that God is sovereign. He does everything for his glory. We can’t focus on the why, but must look at the purpose (yep, I’m totally taking this from Sunday’s sermon; you can watch it online.)

So, what’s next? I’ll continue to come alongside cancer patients. I’ll share my story so others dealing with all kinds of suffering can see God’s glory. I’ll keep talking. If you’re tired of hearing about my cancer, tough luck. My story isn’t going away.