You give me hope!

What Is Cancer?

Cancer is the general name for a group of more than 100 diseases. Although there are many kinds of cancer, all cancers start because abnormal cells grow out of control. Untreated cancers can cause serious illness and death.

Not that it hasn’t affected my life in the past, but this week cancer has been a major pain in my butt. In the early part of the week I spent time with my family in Illinois at an uncle’s funeral. He was taken from his wife and son at a young age and that stinks. On Wednesday I found out that another uncle, my father’s brother also has cancer, a rare aggressive form that is currently in his neck, groin, and bones.  Needless to say cancer makes me mad, and anger is one of those feelings that God allows us to have but only as a lesson to how we should respond to it in love. Yet another statement that makes me mad, I have to respond to my anger at this terrible killer with love.

How is this accomplished? Well through offering prayer support to my family in their times of need, to my uncle who starts chemotherapy next week that he finds healing, strength, courage, and a deeper faith. People often ask the question, if God is so loving why does he let good people die from such horrible things? Well I don’t have an answer for that other than our trials and the trials of others give us a change to shun God or move closer to Him. To find peace in times of trouble is often difficult but there is peace, but we must work for it. Through prayer, and faith, and showing love we find a deeper connection with God and each other. Sadly nothing makes us pray more, have more faith, or be more loving than when there is a need. This can be seen in examples like my uncles having cancer, and on a bigger scale when a community comes together after a child gets hurt or a major disaster, or even on a date like 9/11 when the world stopped, a country fell to her knees and prayed to a savior for peace, for understanding, and for love.

So even though I am really pissed off at cancer it has shown me the importance family, spending time with them while they are here because each life is so fragile. It has shown me love, how those in the family come together to support each other and put aside differences because some things are more important. Finally I am reminded of my favorite verses in Proverbs, 3:3-6; “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Basically cancer sucks and we don’t understand it but if we lean on Daddy, He will guide us where we need to go, how we should act, what we should do, and to who is in need.