Staying abreast of things
One survivor’s thoughts on things serious and humorous; breast cancer, pomeranians, marriage, psychotherapy, faith, and MORE.What does it say about God?
This question was posted on a breast cancer website, and it stopped me in my tracks. This dear, YOUNG, woman had testified in church of God’s healing her of leukemia, but worries what people will think of God if her remission ends. Here is my response to one part of her post, “Being a Christian is a lot harder than not being one.”
Dear Jane
The world says it is a crutch, while many believers would say, “Wait a minute! Jesus said His burden is light!”. Whatever Jesus means by “light” it does not mean painless or effortless. One of the reasons being a Christian is harder is that we know that God is love, and so we struggle to reconcile that fact with the temptation to feel unloved when we suffer. The world does not know that God is love, and so uses human suffering as proof that God doesn’t exist. Believers know that God is sovereign, yet disease is everywhere, and so we blame Satan, ourselves, or God. It must be someone’s fault, right? Otherwise how can we make sense of it? And round and round we go…
trying to make sense of it makes my head feel like exploding.
Here’s what I know–I had breast cancer 16 years ago and testified in church of my healing.
Three years ago I got a different breast cancer in the same breast, and testified in church of my healing. Both times the cancer exposed emotional wounds that required healing. During the second bout I wailed at God, “DId I really need to have cancer TWICE to ‘get in touch with’ these feelings???” I didn’t wait for God’s answer then, but now that I see the amazing emotional healing that emerged from the second journey through cancer, I say, “Yes, I had to have cancer twice.”
2 Comments »
What I have to say is nothing earth shattering. It was this line in your blog that prompted me to want to write to you:
I didn’t wait for God’s answer then, but now that I see the amazing emotional healing that emerged from the second journey through cancer, I say, “Yes, I had to have cancer twice.”
I have never had cancer or any truly life threatening injuries or diseases. Fortunate. Yes? I certainly feel blessed. But there have been very traumatic experiences that have felt life threatening. And I did at the time, ask why. But as you stated “now that I see…..” now that I can look back, there is no doubt in my mind what I gained from all of that. At some point, I chose to learn from it rather than carry the pain.
It is heartbreaking to hear how the young woman worried what people would think of God if her remission ends. And it is so very true that people do not know God is love and therefore blame him for all the suffering. I’m not into the “blame game.” I try very hard not to first find the blame when something goes wrong and I certainly never blame God. God is truly from whom all blessings flow. Those who do not know God is love only understand blessings as “good things.” They don’t know that blessings can also come from “bad things.” How we respond makes the difference. God does expect us to be responsible.
You see. Nothing earth shattering. I just saw an opportunity to voice my opinion. Don’t we all love to do that! haha
I look forward to more of your blogs.
It also makes sense to me that we chose to be independent and live in a “fallen” world. I’m no Adam, but I’m sure I would choose the same based on my own life.
In that context, is it fair to say that anyone that is saved from illness has grounds for being joyful in God? Does He owe us some healings? Wouldn’t no one be healed (miraculously) if there was no God?
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