It's OK, It's Only Cancer

This article was written during my chemotherapy downtime when I was physically hampered by its side effects. Whether you are facing adversity or your life is a peaceful one, I hope this article will bring you God’s strength and comfort just as it has uplifted me.

Big C, a euphemism for cancer. Why Big? Big, because cancer is a terminal illness without cure. It is a dire medical condition often associated with imminent death. It is a hopelessly big issue, or really?

Why me?

At the end of March 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer which quickly spread to my collar, and lately there is a recurrence in lymph nodes near my windpipe. Amid Covid-19, I had three surgeries and underwent numerous treatments including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy. Currently, I am back on chemotherapy for the third time.

Cancer treatments are notoriously costly, and to make matters worse, my medical condition is excluded from my medical insurance. My medical bills soon added up exponentially, depleting my Medisave Account, and leaving most to be paid out of pocket.

My medical condition made my blissful family’s world caved in. It brought forth tremendous stress physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.

To twist knife into wound, I lost my mother just 5 days after my breast surgery. Barely ten months later, I lost my younger sister as well.

I can relate my predicament with that of Job’s. Job was perplexed and sought God for an answer to his physical agony, death of loved ones, financial loss, and transgression accusations. In the book of Job chapter 38, God reminds Job of His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. God told Job to be strong and to simply trust Him.

Righteous people do suffer. Besides sin, we suffer due to various other reasons. When encountering challenges in life, focus on God’s love and not on the adversity we face. In our earthly lives, there will not be satisfying answers to all our questions, and there will not be solutions to all our problems. But we do know God will never forsake us. He assures us in Isaiah 41:10,

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God was with Job throughout his ordeal, and He will certainly be with us too.

Can suffering be beneficial?

There’s a Chinese saying that goes, "Jade not repeatedly grinded and buffed will never become a gem." Everyone detests suffering. Nevertheless, there can be benefits that come with suffering. It reminds us of our limitations and thus our need for God.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, the apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to remove the thorn (suffering) that was in his flesh. God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul’s response was exemplary when he said,

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Positively, suffering is there to humble us and grow our faith in God. We have to be weak to see our strength. We have to have hardships to appreciate God’s blessings. Suffering brings us closer to God and furthers the gospel of Christ. God’s grace is sufficient for us.

Is cancer the worst thing to God?

For many years, the complexity of oncology took up substantial resources researching for a cure. Yet, to date, cancer can only be treated and not cured. For now, cancer has the upper hand on us. But is cancer the worst thing to God? To God, the most important requisite of us is our salvation. As a cancer patient, it will be very tragic if I can be healed of cancer but die later without salvation. The big C may be big to us, but no, cancer is not the worst thing to God. The worst thing is for us to leave this earth without eternal salvation in Heaven.  

Suffering is of the world, and it will pass. Be steadfast, uphold our faith in God to ensure our eternal life in Heaven. As the apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21, "to live is Christ and to die is gain." We are like the disciples crossing the stormy Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:34-41). Whether our Lord Jesus calms the rough sea ahead of us or otherwise, with our faith anchored in Him, we will get over to the other side of the shore safely because Jesus Himself is sailing in the same boat as us. We have nothing to fear. So, is cancer big? NO, not at all! It’s ok, it is only cancer.