It’s been about two months since my chemo treatment. I have gotten most of my strength back. I’m running three or four times a week and
lifting weights three times a week.
(Most weeks, though there have been a couple of mornings that I decided
to go back to bed instead of going to the gym)
I
saw my oncologist the last part of September.
My tumor marker had dropped to a level lower than before chemo, which is
what we were hoping for. The doctor was
very happy to report that, and I was very happy to hear it! If my number stays below a 3, she says that
there isn’t any reason to worry. I will have
more blood work done in December to check my tumor marker. If everything goes as planned, my next
checkup will be in March. As a Christian and especially as a pastor, I get asked all kinds of interesting questions. One of the recent ones goes something like this: “Why did God allow you to have cancer and why did God allow it to come back?”
This can be a difficult question to answer. Let me say this: being a Christian does not exempt me from
hard times and difficult circumstances.
As I like to say, God did not promise us rainbows and lollipops. In fact, the Bible tells us just the opposite—we
can expect suffering and hard times. We
are told to endure hardness as a good soldier.
So, why do I think that the Lord allowed my cancer? I do believe He allowed it. It wasn’t an accident or an oversite. It was part of the Lord’s plan for my
life. But why? Simply, so I could minister to others more effectively.
I have been given a gift.
Yes, through my cancer, I have been given the gift of empathy. Other pastors can sympathize with members of
their congregation going through cancer, but I can empathize with them. There’s a big difference. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone. Empathy is sharing that experience so that
you know what they are feeling and going through. When I tell a person just diagnosed with
cancer that I know how they are feeling at that moment, I mean it. I was in that position. I heard those words come out of my doctor’s
mouth. The wonderful thing is, they know
that I mean it. It gives a great
opportunity to minister to their needs.
Some people think that cancer is a curse or a
punishment. I’m not one of those
people. I’m looking at it as a
gift. Is it a gift that was on my wish list? Not really.
But I do believe I am a better person for it. The lessons learned thought my cancer journey
have served me well thus far and I expect them to continue doing so in the
future.
