Your worldview is always operating in the background of daily life. It gives rise to the beliefs and values that guide your attitudes and behavior, which determine the quality of your relationships. This combination of worldview, beliefs and values also determines how you face the major challenges and crises of life.
Such as three forms of cancer.
In May, 2014, I learned that I have stage IV thyroid cancer.
A month later, a gifted surgeon removed my thyroid and over forty lymph nodes. Radiation treatment involved swallowing a pill containing radioactive iodine and staying isolated in our basement until I stopped glowing.
All went well … until October of 2016, when I learned I had both prostate cancer and kidney cancer.
So I was back in the operating room in December and April, where another gifted surgeon removed all of the tumors with the help of a five-armed, remotely controlled robot. Since I once designed medical equipment, I wanted to stay awake to watch the procedure (using a local, of course!), but my surgeon just laughed and put me out.
Subsequent genetic testing has found no known link between these three cancers. My check-up last week gave me an “all clear” report, and I feel as healthy and energized as ever. I may never experience any of these cancers again … or they may all come back next year.
I would never have chosen this unusual “triple crown” on my own, but now that I’m three years into this journey, I wouldn’t change it if I could.
Why? Because my Christian worldview enabled me to see my three consecutive battles with cancer as opportunities to appreciate, depend on and deepen the key relationships in my life.
Note: this post was written to describe how my personal world view and value system enabled me to face one of the most difficult crises of my life. If you are uncomfortable with the mention of God or the Bible, you may want skip past this blog post.
Cancer has made me more God-aware
The first thing that cancer did was to draw me deeper into Scripture and motivate me to re-answer life-altering questions like these:
Do I believe that God lovingly and wisely controls the smallest details of my life, including the condition of the very cells of my body? Yes, I do. (Psalm 139:13-15; Matt. 10:29-31)
Do I trust that he will eventually work all things for his glory and my good, even if there are some difficult challenges along the way? Yes. (Rom. 8:28; John 11:4; 2Cor. 4:17).
Do I believe that God’s love for me stands firm and unshakeable, even though the world—and someday my body—will inevitably pass away? Yes. (Heb. 12:27-28)
Do I believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus has paid for and washed away all of my sins, and that whenever I leave this world and stand before God, he will look at me as his beloved child, blameless, holy and above reproach. Yes, praise be to God! (Col. 1:19-22; Col. 3:12).
Do I believe that I can candidly express my apprehensions to God without fear of disappointing him? Yes. (Ps. 28:1-2; 1Pet. 5:7)
Do I believe that he can heal me, either miraculously or through gifted physicians, and that he welcomes my prayers to that end, but that he may instead decide, in his perfect love and wisdom, to use illness to refine me and display his glory through me? Yes, more than ever before. (John 15:1-2; John 15:8; John 21:19; 2 Cor. 12:7-10)
Do I believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain, and that he has prepared a place for me in heaven. Yes, I do! (Phil. 1:19-23; John 14:1-3)
As I’ve meditated on these and hundreds of similar Scriptures, God has drawn me deeper into his arms, strengthened my confidence in his love and wisdom, and grounded my hope more firmly in him. These are blessings that far exceed the inconvenience of cancer.
Cancer has helped me to be more self-aware
It has exposed the fact that I’ve taken pride in my good health, as if it were something I had secured for myself, and that I’ve presumptuously assumed I would always enjoy it. This has compelled me to shift my reliance to God alone for my life, breath, and well-being (2 Cor. 1:9).
It has sobered me and reminded me that my days are numbered … and not one of them should be wasted on worldly desires, petty ambitions, or anxious thoughts (Psalm 139:16; Matt. 6:27-33).
It has inspired me to wage greater war against the most corrupting cancer in my life—sin—and to seek God’s grace to fight more earnestly against pride, self-sufficiency, envy, self-pity, bitterness, unforgiveness, and every other attitude and habit that undermines my ability to know, love, and serve him (Heb. 12:1; 2Cor. 7:1; Eph. 4:22-24; James 4:8).
It has moved me to be more diligent in nurturing the body God has given me and to strengthen the immunity systems he’s give me by maintaining an even healthier diet, exercising more consistently, and making more time for rest (1 Cor. 6:19).
It has challenged me to let go of my past failures and disappointments and to press on with a renewed commitment to love God and make his love known (Phil. 3:13-14).
It has motivated me to re-examine my priorities and shift my time and energy more fully to those things that will bless others and advance God’s kingdom (1Cor. 3:12-15; Matt. 25:14-30).
Cancer has made me more other-aware
It has moved me to treasure my dear wife, Corlette, more deeply, who made the appointment for my annual checkup in the first place and has gladly shifted even more of her life to serving and caring for me (1Thess. 1:2-3).
It has made me more aware of how precious my children are to me, especially as I’ve experienced their ongoing compassion, encouragement and support. It has also reminded me how little time I have to pass on to them a legacy of love for God, a sure confidence in the gospel and a reverence for his Word (Deut. 6:6-7).
I have also found great joy in being the object of my oldest grandson’s compassion. At age three, just after my first surgery, he repeatedly kissed my hand to “fix me” and crawled into my bed to read books to me. That love and tenderness has only increased since then. What a joy to see a child growing in empathy at such a young age!
Cancer has made me more aware of and thankful for my friends, who have surrounded me with their prayers, encouraged me with their notes of encouragement, and stepped in to cover teaching commitments and household chores I could not handle (2Cor. 1:11).
It has made me more aware of the suffering of others and more sensitive to opportunities to comfort those who are sick, lonely, or discouraged (2Cor. 1:3-4).
It has given me many opportunities to use the SERVE principle to personally engage people who serve in the medical community, especially my two wonderfully gifted surgeons, to thank them for their gracious and sacrificial care, and to encourage them as they continue to use their God-given skills to bring healing and comfort to so many people.
It has given me a greater sense of urgency to share the gospel with those who do not yet know Christ, so that when the cancer of death overwhelms them, they can experience the ultimate victory—forgiveness of sin and everlasting life with God (1Cor. 15:51-57).
As I said earlier …
I would not have chosen this road on my own, but now that my feet are on it, I am overwhelmed by the way God is using it to deepen and enrich all of my relationships.
To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, “The prospect of dying focuses the mind wonderfully.” And when Jesus himself is at the center of that focus, we can truly say, “It is well with my soul!”
– Ken Sande
Reflection Questions
- Are you healthy today? If so, how can your good health distract you from fully valuing the people in your life?
- What is your worldview (see, e.g., Six Primary Worldviews)? What beliefs and values does your worldview provide that prepare and enable you to face major life challenges?
- If you learned that you had cancer today, what beliefs, values and behavior might you change in your life?
- Do you know someone who is struggling with significant health or life issues? What values could you live out in order to encourage or serve that individual?
- Would you like to learn more about the Christian worldview that guided Ken’s response to three battles with cancer? If so, click here.
Permission to distribute: Please feel free to download, print, or electronically share this message in its entirety for non-commercial purposes with as many people as you like.
© 2017 Ken Sande
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