How would you respond if you were diagnosed with Cancer?
Imagine it is that time of year where you need to go in for your annual preventative physical with your primary care physician. When you start to think about your upcoming appointment, you are a little more worried about this year’s appointment than you normally are because, for the last two months, you have been feeling tired and run down and you also notice your body is bruising a lot more than it usually does. In preparation for your annual physical, your doctor, like he has asked you to do for all your prior annual physicals, has you go over to the hospital blood lab to have two vials of your blood drawn so they can run the essential and functional pathology blood tests. When you actually go in for your annual physical appointment, you explain to the doctor that you have been feeling tired and run down and you also mention the increased levels of bruising on your arms and legs. After hearing your concerns, the doctor mentions a few of your blood tests came back abnormal so he is recommending that they run some additional tests to validate your abnormal blood test results. He tells you that for a variety of reasons (i.e., cross reactions, problems in specimen collection, handling, and processing, etc.) blood tests can sometimes provide a false positive so validating abnormal test results is a prudent course of action for a situation such as yours. In addition to validating your out-of-normal blood test results, he also wants to run some new blood tests which will hopefully provide additional insights into your current health situation. As a result, he provides you with a referral for validating the initial blood tests plus a referral for some new blood tests. He also gives you a MRI scan referral. Finally, he schedules you to come back in a week for a follow-up appointment with him to go over your results from the MRI and your blood tests. “Don’t worry as it is all precautionary”, he says. After you are notified by the hospital that your results from your MRI and all of your blood tests are now available, you show up for your follow-up appointment with your doctor and he looks at you with a concerned face and says, “I have some unfortunate news to tell you”. Since you feel your heart rate go up significantly after you hear this unfortunate news comment from your doctor, you ask him for permission to get off his examination table so you can sit in one of the chairs in his examination room before he continues sharing with you your medical news. After you sit down, your doctor continues with his prognosis by saying, “I am sorry to have to let you know that your follow-up tests have confirmed you have Chronic Myeloid Leukemia or CML”. He hands you a pamphlet on CML and it says:
“CML is a cancer of the white blood cells. It is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in the blood. CML is a clonal bone marrow stem cell disorder in which a proliferation of mature granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils) and their precursors is found. It is a type of myeloproliferative neoplasm associated with a characteristic chromosomal translocation called the Philadelphia chromosome.” (Source: Wikipedia.org)
You have just been told you have the BIG “C”. Gulp!!! Your head is spinning, and tears immediately start flowing down your face. Your heart seems like it is beating a million beats per minute. At 34 years old, you knew the news might not be good but being told you have cancer completely catches you off-guard. Since you still consider yourself to be a youngster, you are totally unprepared for this monumental medical news you just received. How do you think you would respond to such a life changing diagnosis? Would you respond in one of the following ways?
You stare at your doctor in disbelief and question how he could possibly come up with such a diagnosis for someone like you in the prime of your life
You cry uncontrollably as you are so worried about your wife, kids and your family and you wonder how they will respond to this news
You become very angry as your cancer diagnosis is just not in your plan for your life
You think to yourself there is no way I have cancer as I don’t feel that bad – the diagnosis must be incorrect, so you immediately start to think about getting a second opinion
You are speechless – you sit in his examination room in absolute silence as he tells you this devastating news. His diagnosis has so caught you off guard that you just don’t know what to say or how to respond…Your body starts to feel numb.
Perhaps you would respond to a cancer diagnosis in one of the preceding ways or perhaps you would respond in a totally different way. I am a two-time cancer survivor and, for the past 13 years, I have been the ministry coordinator for a cancer support group at a large non-denominational church in Cleveland. I have had the humbling privilege of working with hundreds of people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Although the cancer patients I have worked with have all responded to their cancer trials in different ways, I have observed one response characteristic which they all share in common. So, what is this common response characteristic? Eventually, they ALL responded to their cancer diagnosis in ways which they were not expecting to respond. I am not talking about the initial, emotional response to a cancer diagnosis, but I am talking about the longer-term impact of a cancer diagnosis on each cancer patient’s life and belief system. Yes, some cancer patients will survive their cancer trial while others will not. However, the unexpected response I am referring to here will happen regardless if they survive their cancer trial or not. Because it is such a monumental medical diagnosis, a cancer diagnosis will almost always cause the cancer patient to respond in ways emotionally which they were not expecting to respond. Numerous cancer patients have shared with me that their cancer trials have brought them emotional highs and lows unlike anything they have ever experienced before in their lives. While emotional highs and lows are noteworthy, it is not the main point I am trying to make here. For 100% of the cancer patients I have worked with, I have observed how a cancer trial, no matter how serious or life threatening, will cause cancer patients to reevaluate or reinforce what they love and value the most in this world. Do they value a cure for their own cancer trial the most or do they love and value their job, family, friends, health, life, material possessions, or their relationship with God most? Finally, WHO do they believe is in control of their ultimate destiny? Do they believe that they are in control of their own ultimate destiny or do they believe that someone else is in control? I will talk about this later in this blog post but WHO they believe is in control of their ultimate destiny will have eternal implications. In addition to having eternal implications, WHO they believe is in CONTROL will also play a significant role into how they respond emotionally to a major medical trial like cancer. Matthew 22:37-38 tells us:
"And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”
If you have never been diagnosed with cancer before, the one thing I can promise you is you likely do not know how you would respond to such a life changing diagnosis. For many people, a cancer diagnosis can turn their lives upside down and inside out unlike any trial they have ever faced in their lives. Additionally, it will likely cause them to think about their own mortality more than they ever have before. We all know we are going to die, but so many of us think we will pass away at some point in the far distant future. For those who share in this death is so far off perspective, it is common for them to think “death is a morbid and depressing topic that I do not have the time to worry about right now….. plus, I am too busy living my life right now to worry about something I know so little about….I would not know where to start if I were to consider the implications of my own death so I just hope I don’t die until later in life”. The world tells us we are in control of our own destiny and, with some hard work and extra determination, you can achieve almost anything you want to in this world. The world-famous Harry Potter series writer, JK Rowling, once said: “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure”. Her comments seem to suggest that death is an adventure which her mind has some impact on or influence over. As we will discuss in the balance of this blog post, suggesting that our minds play a role in death being the next great adventure is ludicrous. When we hear of other friends and individuals who pass away too soon, we often justify our own invincible destiny perspective with thoughts such as “that will never happen to me”. As a result, we ignore these periodic warnings and continue to live our lives in a way which we choose to live them. I Googled “live your life quotes” and below are some of the top “live your life quotes for 2019”:
“Life is a priceless gift, live it to the best of your ability! So, make sure you live your life to the fullest with no regret by its end!”
“Live your life for today and get the maximum out of your present.”
“Success is achievement of an action within a specified period of time or within a specified parameter...”
Yes, the world tells us to live for today and not to have any regrets. Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, was known for singing numerous songs including one called “My Way”. Wkipedia.org tells us “My Way”:
"Is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra. The song was a success for a variety of performers including Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Sid Vicious. Sinatra's version of "My Way" spent 75 weeks in the UK Top 40, a record which still stands.”
Below are the first two stanzas of “My Way”:
“And now the end is near and so I face the final curtain My friend I'll say it clear, I'll state my case of which I'm certain I've lived a life that's full, I traveled each and every highway And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Regrets, I've had a few but then again too few to mention I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption I planned each chartered course each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way”
While the world tells us to do it “My Way”, a cancer diagnosis has a unique way of bringing cancer patients to their knees with the humbling realization that they might not live forever and that they may die a lot sooner than they were planning to. A cancer diagnosis will cause many cancer patients to realize that they are NOT in total control of their own lives. Almost all of them will realize that they will not be able to do many of the things they have planned for later in life if they do not survive their cancer trial. How they will respond to this humbling realization that life comes with an undefined expiration date will ultimately come down to one word - “CONTROL”. More specifically, WHO do they believe is in CONTROL of their life? Dictionary.com defines CONTROL, a noun, as follows: “the act or power of controlling; regulation; domination or command”.
It is a natural response to a cancer diagnosis for cancer patients to start thinking about what happens to them if they survive their cancer trial and what happens to them if they don’t. When cancer patients begin to analyze “what will happen to them if they don’t survive their cancer trial”, how will they respond to contemplating this potentially morbid outcome? The responses will vary but I am constantly coming across stories of cancer patients who become extremely bitter, sad and angry over their own cancer diagnosis and associated cancer trial. During the time I was writing this blog post, I read the following Facebook post from a cancer survivor I will call “Anonymous”:
“Imagine you’re going about your day, minding your own business, when someone sneaks up behind you. You feel something press up against the back of your head, as someone whispers in your ear. “Sssshhhhh… don’t turn around. Just listen. I am holding a gun against the back of your head. I am going to keep it there. I am going to follow you around like this every day, for the rest of your life. I am going to press a bit harder, every so often, just to remind you I am here, but you need to try your best to ignore me, to move on with your life. Act like I’m not here, but don’t you ever forget…one day I might just pull the trigger…or maybe I won’t…. Isn’t this going to be a fun game? This is what it is like to be diagnosed with cancer. Any STAGE of cancer. Any kind of cancer.. Remission does not change the constant fear. It never truly goes away. It’s always in the back of your mind. Please if you have a loved one who has ever been diagnosed with cancer, remember this. They may never talk about it or they may talk about it often. Listen to them. They aren’t asking you to make it better. They want you to sit with them in their fear… their sadness… their anger… just for the moment. That’s it!
When reading the preceding Facebook post by Anonymous, I am humbled by the level of fear of cancer this cancer survivor is constantly experiencing in their daily living. In addition to being humbled by it, I would also say that Anonymous’ level of fear has reached unhealthy levels or proportions. It is interesting to note that the word “death” is a consequence implied throughout Anonymous’ Facebook post but he/she appears to be so frightened by the word “death” that it is never actually written down in his or her comments. When reflecting on the preceding social media post, I think it is fair to say that Anonymous’ fear, anger and sadness is being driven by the realization that he/she is NOT in control of their own life and destiny. It often takes a life event as monumental as a cancer diagnosis for many individuals to finally come to the realization that they are mortal human beings with an expiration date and that they are not in control of their own destiny. Just because they realize they are not in control of their own destiny does not mean they believe that their destiny is controlled by someone else, something else or a creator. Why should I make such a distinction between realization and belief? According to dictionary.com, belief means “confidence, faith, trust” whereas realize means “to grasp or understand clearly”. Action accompanies “belief”; Whereas, understanding accompanies “realization”. 1 Chronicles 29:11 tells us:
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all”
As stated in the preceding verse from 1 Chronicles 29:11, God is exalted as head above all and He is in control of all things including a cancer diagnosis and a cancer trial outcome. In other words, the bible tells us that God is in control of all things and the cancer patient is not. Yes, you can still be a good steward of your cancer situation and treatments; However, God is the one who is ultimately in control of the outcome. God’s sovereignty is counter to what the world teaches, and it is a very hard truth for many cancer patients to come to terms with. What is sovereignty? Dictionary.com defines sovereignty as: “the quality or state of being sovereign, or of having supreme power or authority”.
Unfortunately, many cancer patients will never come to the realization that God is sovereign and in control of all that is in the heavens and the earth, and, instead will wholeheartedly seek their own solutions to their cancer predicament. Their solutions, which knowingly or unknowingly assume that God is NOT in control, include traveling the world to find a cure for their cancer and attempting to cross-off or complete many of the items on their bucket list so they can relish their remaining days and maybe even forget their cancer predicament for a while.
I have ministered to a lot of people who live with an extreme level of fear because of their cancer diagnosis. I have seen how this fear can take control of a person’s life, consuming their daily thoughts and actions. While Anonymous’ fear has likely reached unhealthy levels, I think we can all agree that many cancer patients share at least some of the same fears which Anonymous expresses. I have had cancer twice and I have experienced many of these same feelings (i.e., fear, resentment etc.) myself. I am not trying to minimize these feelings as they are real human emotions. I cried like a baby when I was diagnosed with cancer the first time and I have cried numerous times since. Yes, cancer is a scary diagnosis to receive from your doctor because it is often viewed as being a terminal disease which has ended the lives of so many of our friends and family members. However, don’t we all know that we are going to eventually die and isn’t it reasonable to assume that many of us will eventually die from cancer? If we all know we are going to eventually die, why is the prospect of death illuminated by a cancer diagnosis such a revelation for the average cancer patient to consider and deal with emotionally and why is it such a scary diagnosis to receive? In other words, why do people respond to a cancer diagnosis in ways like Anonymous responded? This is a loaded question and the psychiatry professionals could probably write many textbooks on this topic. However, the one common denominator I have seen is that cancer patients are terrified of cancer because of their fear of death and their lack of preparation for what happens to a person’s soul after death. These days, it seems like people have a plan for all major events in their lives. A plan for college, a plan for retirement, a plan for summer vacation, a plan for a big anniversary or birthday yet so many people don’t have a plan for death. Why is it that so many individuals are so woefully unprepared for the one event, death, which is going to take place in each and every one of our lives? When trying to answer a question as big as “why are some people so woefully unprepared for death”, we need to turn to the bible who can provide answers to questions like this one. Romans 5:12 tells us:
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”
Yes, as the preceding verse (Romans 5:12) indicates, the great enemy in this world is death, which is God’s punishment for man’s sin. I repeat, death is God’s punishment for man’s sin. According to creation.com:
“In Genesis 2:9, we are told that in the midst of the Garden of Eden, God placed the Tree of Life as well as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam was permitted to eat of every tree in the garden except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned that if Adam ate of its fruit, he would surely begin to die. In Genesis 3, the Bible describes the fall of mankind and how sin, death, and suffering entered the world when Adam disobeyed God’s commandment and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.”
Yes, the bible tells us that death was instituted by God as a result of man’s (Adam’s) sin. Adam’s sin in Genesis 2:9 is also the reason there is suffering in the world today. No one, including me, likes to be punished or wants to suffer. If you have ever watched Live PD on the A&E network, you will see every week how people run from the police to avoid being arrested and punished for their crimes and actions. How do precious babies become toddlers whose favorite word is “no”? Anyway, as the preceding two examples illustrate, I think we can all agree that most people do not like to be punished and this fear of punishment starts at a very early age. Furthermore, most people will go out of their way to avoid being punished. Because death is a punishment for man’s sin, most people will run from God’s punishment just like they will often run from many types of earthly punishment. How do people try to run from God’s punishment of death? Even though God imbedded each of us with the knowledge that we will eventually die, one way which people try to run away from death is to avoid talking about it and preparing for it. In ministering to people with cancer, it is very common for me to find cancer patients who:
who knowingly or unknowingly feel they are in control of their own destiny
who feel the cancer trial is interrupting their plans for their lives
who respond to their cancer trial with feelings of fear, resentment and anger
have been running from death their whole lives by not investigating
where death came from or what caused it
what will happen to a person’s soul after they die
what can be done to prepare the cancer patient’s soul for life after death
So, what is a person’s soul and why is it so important? One of the definitions of “soul” found in dictionary.com is as follows:
“the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part”
The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that we were all created with three basic parts: a spirit, a soul, and a body: 1 Thessalonians 5:23 tells us:
“And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Even though a person’s soul is rarely discussed in today’s culture outside of church or religious settings, the preceding verse in 1 Thessalonians makes it clear that God created each of us with a soul. However, when you talk to cancer patients, it is very common for them to mention their surgeries, oncology treatments and the current condition of their bodies and it is less common to hear cancer patients who are as concerned about the condition and destiny of their souls. While it is certainly a normal and natural response for cancer patients to be extremely concerned about the condition and overall health of their own bodies, God makes it clear that our souls are the most precious gift He has given us. Matthew 16:26 tells us:
“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
In his June 7, 2009 article “The soul is a gift from God to glorify God and it is more important than the body”, Robert R. McLaughlin of Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries tells us:
“God manufactured a body for you through the agency of your parents, but God alone manufactured your soul in eternity past and imputed it to your body at the moment of birth. Therefore, the soul is of much more importance.”
Tom Petersburg, an ordained pastor and long-time friend of mine here in the Cleveland, Ohio area, used to work for a ministry called Athletes in Action (“AIA”), a Cru ministry. Cru was previously known as Campus Crusade for Christ. In his 32 years of service to AIA, Tom was the Chaplain for three Cleveland Professional Sports teams: Indians, Cavs and Browns. Yes, Cleveland sports fans realize the Browns need a lot of prayers. Seriously, Tom now works for Catapult Ministries, where he works to advance biblical discipleship, and he wrote the following in his November 2019 Catapult Ministries update letter:
“Hudson Taylor, a pioneering missionary to China in the 1800s, told a disturbing story that took place while traveling by boat to reach inland cities where he could preach the Gospel. When a passenger fell overboard, the boatsman showed little interest in searching for him. Hudson pled with nearby fishermen to bring their nets to sweep the area, but instead they just bargained over how much they would be paid to help. Hudson gave them all he had in his pocket ($14), but their response was too late to save the man. When people back in England heard the story, they became indignant over the callous regard for life. Hudson cut to the chase with, “Is not the soul of more value than the body?” Through this story, he appealed to every audience to awaken their concern for the eternal state of a million Chinese who died each month without hearing the name of Jesus”
Yes, our souls are the most precious gift which God has blessed us with. When cancer patients begin to realize that their souls are of greater importance than their physical bodies, it can change how they approach and respond to a cancer diagnosis. It can cause them to realize that the destiny of their souls after death is far more important than the physical outcome of their cancer trial. Before I can provide some examples of how this realization can cause a cancer patient to respond differently, I must first address the reasons why their responses can be different. John 3:16 to 18 tells us:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
If a cancer patient has a personal relationship with Christ, the preceding verses in John 3 tell us that God can provide the believer in Christ with eternal rest for their souls should they not survive their cancer trial. So, if death is a punishment for sin (Romans 5:12), what are the reasons why God can provide eternal rest for the souls of cancer patients who have a personal relationship with Christ? Romans 5:18-21 tells us:
“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Yes, even though sin leads to condemnation and death, Jesus’ finished work on the cross allows for the believer to be justified before God. Therefore, if a cancer patient who believes in Christ ends up passing away as a result of cancer, the believer’s faith in Christ justifies him or her before a righteous God and this faith graciously results in eternal life. The promise of eternal life is the reason why a believer in Christ can respond differently to a cancer diagnosis and associated cancer trial than someone, who does not have this same hope, responds. Through the grace of God, the gift by grace has abounded to many through Christ; yet so many choose to remain under the dominion of sin and death, rather than to apply for the blessings of the reign of grace.
On January 5, 2019, I wrote a Cancer Support Chronicles blog post called “What does it really mean to be Tyler Strong? This blog post was about the Purdue University superfan, Tyler Trent, who lost his battle with Osteosarcoma on January 1, 2019. Because of all the national media attention he received, his legacy continues to live on and much of the attention he continues to receive centers around his Christian faith. Tyler was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, when he was around 15 years old. After his initial treatments during his first year of battling osteosarcoma, Tyler went into remission for about 18 months before his cancer returned a second time. When his cancer returned, he was given a terminal prognosis with a very short life expectancy. However, he ended up living several years longer than what the physicians originally predicted he would when his cancer returned the second time. Tyler did not pass away until he was 20 years old. In those additional years of his life which God blessed him with, Tyler’s ministry grew and expanded throughout the world. If you would like to learn more about Tyler Trent, I suggest you read my January 5, 2019 blog post. There have been a few Tyler Trent videos, including several by Northview Church in Indianapolis, which share recorded comments from Tyler and his parents. In listening to these recently promoted Northview Church videos, I learned even more about Tyler Trent’s faith and ministry. Here are some of the recorded comments from Tyler in those videos:
“The first time I had cancer, there was a lack of trust. I was not trusting in the Lord. In any way shape or form, I did not think that He could heal me – I really didn’t. I thought He was out to get me for mistakes I had made. This time around, I am fully confident in whatever – I fully trust Him and I think whatever He has planned is for the better. I don’t know what that is yet. It is weird when you get texts from various people wanting to do interviews with you because, to some degree, I am not sure why people want to hear what I have to say. I am maybe just a kid who is a little more vocal than some other people would be in a hard circumstance. At this point, time is really precious to me. I think when you are healthy and life is going right it is not as precious as it should be. Even though time is precious to me I know where I am going (note: he said this with a huge smile on his face). When time becomes precious for other people, I want them to have the same security, confidence, hope (note: he said this with his eyes almost tearing up). The option for me is to either sit around and do nothing or go out and do something. I want to be a good representation for Christ…….Absolutely, I always want to be impacting and providing hope. Being a good steward of those opportunities. At least according to my doctors, outside of the two tumors in my body, I am very healthy. Christ has allowed me to live this long – pretty unprecedented for anyone with osteosarcoma. You know the Lord commands us to rejoice always, pray continuously, give thanks in ALL circumstances. He doesn’t just say the good circumstances - he says ALL circumstances. My strength comes from the faith that I have, and that strength is accessible to anyone who believes. If you don’t believe in Christ, then obviously that strength is not possible. It is real easy to turn around and shake your fist to God because you’re paralyzed from the waist down on the left side. Or after you go through the pain, and the emergency surgeries I have to deal with, and spending time in the hospital. I believe the Lord has given me my cancer for a reason, and that He wants to be glorified through this all along. I do not believe there is any way that my cancer is an accident. …..I just want to leave a legacy of what the Lord can do when you allow Him to work in your life, and when He is glorified through everything. There is always time in the day to bring glory to God. If you do not have time for the Lord, you had better start making time for Him. We do not know how many days we have. No one does. There is only one Person who does know.”
When thinking about Tyler’s preceding comments, one of his main points was how he desired to use his cancer trial experiences to bring Glory to the Lord. Why would someone be interested in bringing glory to the Lord? The first question and answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism provides a great answer to this significant question: Question – What is the chief end of man? Answer - Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. Yes, contrary to what many in this world believe, we were all created to glorify God. We were not created to bring glory to ourselves.
As stated by Tyler in the recorded videos, he did not desire to “give God all the glory” until after his initial remission period ended, and his cancer returned for the second time. The videos recorded Tyler saying that he did not trust God during his initial cancer trial and his second cancer diagnosis was a wake-up call, which changed his heart and caused him to start fully trusting in the Lord’s plan for his life. After he started trusting in the Lord’s plan for his life, he developed a passion for utilizing his cancer trial as platform to give God all the Glory. In the last few years of his life, God blessed him with an international media platform and ministry unlike any cancer trial ministry that I have ever witnessed before.
In the Northview Church video, Tyler’s parents, Troy and Kelly Trent, also shared as follows (slightly paraphrased for ease of reading):
“After his second diagnosis, Tyler said “I will give God all the glory no matter the outcome of my cancer trial”. In his quiet time, Tyler was studying 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”). God spoke to him through this verse and it became his verse for his cancer trial. He made a conscious decision to live his life by that verse. After that, God really worked in his life and He used his cancer as a platform to share Christ with other people. We have received many letters from people who said:
"I was a believer when I was young and then I became an atheist and God used Tyler to restore my faith in Jesus. As a result, these individuals stated that "I have renewed my commitment to the Lord because of Tyler’s testimony.”
Even though I never actually met him, I am amazed at how this young man, Tyler Trent, “got it”. At such a young age, his clear understanding of the gospel and his desires to put God’s glory above his own selfish desires both humble and challenge me in ways I cannot even begin to describe. I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of people afflicted with cancer and many of them are Christians who have both a deep understanding of the bible and a genuine faith in Christ. However, it is not very often that I interact with cancer patients professing a desire for God’s name to be glorified above everything else going on in their lives and for this passion to supersede their own cancer trial ambitions. Furthermore, what a difference there is when you compare the response and faith of Tyler Trent against the response of Anonymous. Tyler desired to use his cancer as a platform or ministry to share the gospel and to bring glory to the Lord whereas Anonymous is walking around every day with feelings of fear, anger and resentment. Tyler knew he would probably not survive his cancer trial, yet he firmly believed in Jesus’ eternal plan for his soul after he passed away. Anonymous, on the other hand, is so scared about death that he or she could not even mention the word, which is obviously missing, from the previously referenced Facebook post. After he decided to fully trust in the Lord’s plan for his life, Tyler was more concerned about bringing glory to the Lord and about the salvation of others than he was about his own cancer predicament and prognosis. This is what I was talking about earlier when I mentioned that a cancer trial will cause the cancer patient, particularly terminal cancer patients, to reevaluate or reinforce what they value in this world. When his cancer trial began, Tyler did not know it would end with him developing a burning desire to bring Glory to the Lord. Yes, God used Tyler’s cancer trial experiences to humble and change his heart, which caused his faith to grow and multiply in ways I cannot adequately describe in this blog post.
We are studying the Book of 1 Samuel right now at my church. The most famous story in this book of the bible is the story of David and Goliath in Chapter 17. Here is what Alistair Begg, from truthforlife.org, has to say about this story:
“1 Samuel 17:1-11 ― The dramatic encounter between David and Goliath is a familiar, though often misunderstood, story. Taunted and challenged by the heavily armored giant, Israel was dismayed and afraid until an unlikely champion stepped up—a “man in between,” armed with just a slingshot! This story’s central message, though, is not a call to emulate David’s heroic behavior. Rather, it’s a story about how God uses weakness to triumph over strength, just as Christ Himself, our ultimate champion, defeated death at the cross.
When I think of this story, I immediately think of Tyler Trent. Why? First of all, Tyler realized in the weakness of his second, post-remission cancer trial that his faith in the ultimate champion, Jesus, who defeated death at the cross, would provide him with true hope should he not survive his cancer trial. Additionally, God blessed Tyler in his weakness (cancer) by providing him with a huge media platform to share the gospel throughout the United States of America and beyond. In thinking about how the Lord blessed his ministry, I remember Tyler’s comments in the Northview Church videos where he said, “I just want to leave a legacy of what the Lord can do when you allow Him to work in your life and when He is glorified through everything.” Because so much of what he said and believed was documented in videos, articles and the hearts of those who interacted with him, the Lord has also blessed his ministry by enabling him to continue to minister to people even after he passed away on January 1, 2019. Yes, the Lord also utilized Tyler in his weakness by providing him with an enormous media platform to proclaim that Christ, our ultimate champion, has defeated death at the cross. I am so thankful for biblical stories like David and Goliath, which remind us that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.
The Tyler Trent story is an incredible story to share. As evidenced by the fact that so many people like me are still talking about him eleven months after he passed away, Tyler demonstrated to the world what the Lord could do in his life when he finally started trusting in God’s perfect and sovereign plan. If you do not believe me, just Google his name and see all the articles written about him, the awards he received, the celebrities (i.e., Drew Brees, Jeff Van Gundy, Scott Van Pelt, etc. etc.) he knew and had a relationship with, the book ("The UPSET" – the Tyler Trent story; https://www.tylertrentbook.com) he helped write, and the student gate at the Purdue football stadium which is now named after him. Since there are many more accomplishments to reference, I could continue to list his accomplishments in this blog post, but Tyler would probably not like that because he was more concerned with bringing glory to the Lord.
Although Tyler’s story is a great story to share, so many cancer patients do not share his same beliefs. Instead of acknowledging that God is sovereign and in control, many other cancer patients will choose to focus on how their cancer trial is interrupting their plans for their life. Knowingly or unknowingly, they run from God and wholeheartedly look for their own solutions to their cancer predicament. They are essentially saying to God, “I do not know about or trust your promises which are outlined in the bible or I don’t believe that you are sovereign and in control of my life. As a result of my unbelief, I have made the decision to endure my cancer trial my own way.” Instead of trusting in God’s perfect plan for their life and experiencing the joy that comes with knowing Jesus, their cancer trial will either wear them down or cause them a great amount of consternation. Like Anonymous experienced, most of these individuals will start to experience a variety of unhealthy feelings including anger, resentment and fear. I have personally witnessed how “an extreme fear of a cancer diagnosis” can take control of a cancer patient’s life by consuming their daily thoughts and by impacting their daily actions. Unfortunately, I have been in the hospital rooms of many cancer patients who are so scared of their cancer circumstances and treatments that their arms and legs were visibly shaking. Cancer is a very scary disease that can cause many cancer patients, particularly terminal cancer patients, to end up believing they are hopeless. The bible affirms this hopeless perspective by telling us that the one who rejects Christ will be judged and their souls will be separated from God in eternity. John 14:28 tells us:
“The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day”
As discussed earlier in this blog post, death is God’s punishment for sin. Because death is a punishment, all humans are designed by God to fear death. Since a cancer diagnosis will remind the cancer patient of their own mortality and eventual expiration date, a cancer trial will cause the cancer patient to reevaluate or reinforce what they value or love the most in this world. More specifically, I have observed how cancer patients will respond to a cancer diagnosis and associated cancer trial in one of the following three ways:
Run from God – For individuals who are not Christians before or during their cancer trial, their fear of death as well as their cancer trial experiences will eventually cause them to either be angry, fearful or resentful, leading these individuals to wholeheartedly focus on their own solutions for their cancer predicament. Knowingly or unknowingly, they run from God and focus wholeheartedly on their own desires, treatments, relationships, gods and bucket list items instead of turning to God in their time of need (i.e., a cancer diagnosis) and trusting in His perfect plan for their lives. Ultimately, these individuals will be judged by God and, because they have no one (Jesus) to justify them before a righteous God, their souls will be separated from God in eternity. If you do not have a personal relationship with Christ, please ask God for help with your unbelief. Psalm 150:6 tells us:
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord”
Profess Faith in Jesus – For some individuals who are not Christians before their cancer trial(s) begins, their cancer diagnosis and associated cancer trial experiences will humble them by making them aware of their own mortality and sinfulness. After studying His word and/or hearing His gospel message, these individuals repent of their sins and profess faith in Jesus as their Lord, Savior and King. As a result of their new faith in Christ, they start trusting in His promises that He will provide eternal rest for their souls if they do not survive their cancer trial. It is their faith in Jesus which will justify them before a righteous God, and it is their new faith in Christ which now provides them with true hope. Yes, I have personally heard numerous stories from cancer patients of how God used a cancer trial to humble and change their heart in order to bring them into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. One of the blessings of cancer is it almost always gives unbelieving cancer patients time to ponder questions like “what will happen to my soul after I die and how can I spend eternity with God?” Romans 10: 9-10 tells us:
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Faith in Christ Grows – For individuals who are Christians before the cancer trail begins, God uses their cancer trial experiences to make them even more aware of their own mortality and this awareness helps strengthen their relationship with Christ. Why does this happen? Their cancer trial reminds them that God is sovereign and in control of all things, including the outcome of their cancer trial. They are also reminded that Christ Himself, our ultimate champion, has defeated death at the cross. These reminders cause these individuals to seek God more by praying more and by studying His word more. In other words, their cancer trial experiences remind them of their need for a savior which causes their faith in Christ to grow even more. Yes, God uses trials to grow our faith in Him because it is in the trials of life that we realize that we need Him the most. Some, like Tyler Trent, will utilize their cancer trial experiences as a platform or ministry to share the gospel and to tell people why Jesus provides them with an eternal hope. Only God knows if an individual has a saving relationship with Christ or not. Yes, you can certainly have faith in Christ without having your faith in Him grow during a cancer trial, but, absent a mental illness or some other debilitating condition, this is a hard relationship perspective for me, a mortal human being, to put my arms around. As the old saying goes, “you cannot tread water with Christ – you are either swimming towards him or away from him.” Another trusted saying says: “Any old dead fish can swim downstream, but it takes an alive (in Christ) fish to swim upstream.” Galatians 2:20 tells us:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
When thinking about cancer patients, particularly terminal cancer patients, who profess faith in Christ, a few of the last verses from the hymnal “How Great Thou Art” come to mind as follows:
“When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!" Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
It is only Christ who can provide the cancer patient with true hope. If you are ever diagnosed with cancer, how would you respond to such a life changing diagnosis? To slightly paraphrase what Tyler said, if time gets precious for you in the form of a terminal cancer diagnosis, how will you respond? Do you believe that God is sovereign and in control of all things and are you trusting in Jesus Christ to provide eternal rest for your soul? If not, then WHO do you believe is in control of your eternal destiny and what is your plan for your soul should you not survive your cancer trial?
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11)
Jim Risk, a two-time cancer survivor, is the volunteer Ministry Coordinator for the Cancer Support Group (CSG) at a non-denominational church in NE Ohio. Jim and his wife, Kristina, have participated and served in CSG, a Christian ministry, since 2007.