Thoughts on World Cancer Day
“You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for himself. The LORD will answer when I call to him.”
Psalm 4:3
If you had asked me ten years ago if I were “aware” of cancer, I would have scoffed, “Of course I am. Like, who isn’t?!” I didn’t need a cancer awareness day—or month. I already knew plenty! But as I discovered when I was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer, there’s a difference between knowing about cancer and its prevalence (even knowing dear friends struggling with it)… and receiving the devastating diagnosis yourself.
In fact, before finding the tumor, I hadn’t considered cancer as a possibility for me! I was so distracted by my chronic pain and quadriplegia, that I had neglected the very basic screenings that women my age should undergo.
Because of all my other medical appointments connected with pain and spinal cord injury, I simply couldn’t be bothered with scheduling another appointment. And friend, this underscores an example of my gap of knowledge – what I knew about cancer was not robust enough to make me pick up a phone and schedule routine screenings. And of course, even if I had been on top of those appointments, my understanding would not have been nearly what it is now, after two battles against stage III cancer.
Knowledge that comes from a first-hand experience of the dreaded disease is on an entirely different plane, compared to a simple “awareness” of it.
This isn’t to say that if you’ve never had cancer, you can’t appreciate what someone undergoing cancer treatment is facing. During my chemotherapy, I was helped immensely by friends and family who’d never had that numbing conversation with an oncologist. But through their support, their awareness about cancer-realities dramatically increased.
They gained a much deeper understanding through their ever-present help, whether pulling up a chair next to me for three hours as chemo dripped into my veins, or being at my side through the night with a pitcher of ice water, helping to assuage my insatiable thirst brought on by the drugs.
All this prompts me to draw your attention to this incredible, comforting reality: God does not merely make himself “aware” of our plight, though he certainly does that: the Bible tells us repeatedly that God hears our groaning (Exodus 2:24), knows our suffering (Exodus 3:7), hears when we call (Psalm 4:3), and so on.
But God is more than “just” aware.
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses; he groans with us, feeling the sting in his chest when we suffer. He is breathtakingly close to us in our pain because he was tempted in every way as we are. God’s not just aware; he has totally invested himself in your suffering, all because he experienced first-hand, the terribly harsh things of this world.
Friend, that should tenderly press you up against God, just knowing that he understands what you’re going through!
But that’s not all. Jesus has taken this awareness and this “knowing” to the best possible end for us. Hebrews chapter 2 says that Jesus, in his death, tasted death for everyone.
Our Savior took a giant leap beyond merely experiencing the same suffering we know… through his death, he made certain that “eternal separation from God” does not have to be the end of our story. If we are a follower of Jesus, it’s not our story at all.
Through his death, we will never have to experience —in a first-hand way—the gruesome depths of what he suffered.
So, while it is true that World Cancer Day is all about “awareness,” I will hope my words will move you beyond a “yeah, sure, I know all about that” attitude.
Fix that knowledge gap between knowing something in your head and doing something about it. May you never, ever have to experience the ravages of cancer and its subsequent treatments.
So, to help with that, please be sure you’re up-to-date with your cancer screenings. And if not, don’t delay in making an appointment. Best of all, let this day of “awareness” nudge you into an even deeper appreciation of Jesus Christ – he wasn’t merely aware of your sin; he did something about it!
–Joni Eareckson Tada
Pressing On: How to Lean on Christ through Suffering
After more than 55 years living with quadriplegia and chronic pain, Joni Eareckson Tada knows what it means to “press on” through suffering. Joni encourages you to join her in living out Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
