Cancer Isn't Scary?...WhatEVER!!!

I'd like to introduce to you all, my brother, Al (or as we call him, Butch), and his wife, Jenny. His blog is called "Bridging the Struggle" at http://cancer-isnt-scary.blogspot.com.

Sounds like a strange title and certainly an attention grabber, huh. And you may beg to differ claiming that cancer IS scary. Let's face it, the last thing people want to hear after seeing a doctor is the big 'C' word. But if you make yourself go beyond the 'what ifs' and view the subject in reality, you'd have to admit that our lives can be over in an instant, whether we are totally healthy or terminally ill. God has the final say on that. It's the journey to that end which establishes those character traits in each of us that makes us who we are.


I've had some interesting conversations with my brother and his wife, who has been battling cancer for many years now, about our days here on earth and our purpose for life. Trying to figure out where God has placed us and for what reasons. In the end, it's always the same answer. We are here because He has chosen us for specific tasks and whether we fight our purpose or go with the flow, we still only have so much time to live.


We are told to make each day count. Many years ago I worked in a secured facility as a jailer. Most of the inmates came from backgrounds that left much to be desired. How does one 'make each day count' when your life is stagnant, stuck in a place where the situation literally dictates how you will live from moment to moment. Do we sit and contemplate how utterly unfair it all is? Do we allow ourselves to become embittered over the fact that as a young person, we had such huge magnificent plans for our life, yet that dream has never unfolded because of circumstances beyond our control. Then there are those that place the blame for their struggles on the past. Usually mom or dad, and then badmouth them for dealing them a bad hand from the start?


We each have a choice about how we view our lives and what we do with the lot that we've been handed. My brother and his wife have been in the middle of some pretty disheartening circumstances for quite some time. If anyone has reason to shake their fist at God, they certainly do. Not that they haven't been there before. Probably many times. Of course each of them will have those days where they feel it's too much to endure and question God why. And even days where they are angry and fed up with the daily struggles, the unfairness of it all.

But let's face it. We live in a broken world and as long as we do we will have our battles to face. Ephesians 6:12 says,

'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.'

If life has dealt us a bad hand, we need to allow God in. He can take what we have and liberate us from the bonds that usually can imprison us if we try to do it our own way without Him. No, according to my brother, the cancer isn't scary and it isn't even important. He and Jenny have struggled with this for too long and I'm quite sure that they just do not want to give the cancer any more of themselves than it's already taken. The road traveled with cancer can be a very rough trying road. But if you allow it to, it can consume your entire world and ultimately get in the way of your walk with God. My heart breaks when I see what Butch and Jenny have to endure and most of the time I feel powerless to do anything to relieve their pain. But I'm thankful that they both have a solid relationship with their Savior.

Since all of us know our days on this earth are numbered, how we leave this earth is not as important as how committed we are to our relationship with our God while we are here. My brother and his wife have placed their struggles as well as their lives in the capable hand or God. Cancer isn't scary to them because they've found the solid foundation in Him.

Give them a visit over on their blog? I feel they are good people. You can find them at:
http://cancer-isnt-scary.blogspot.com