Adversity

Cancer has not only challenged me physically over that last 2 months, but it has also brought a season of uncertainty. Will the chemo work? How long? Will I have to do more treatment? These are some of the questions that have been going through my head as of late. Not only have I acquired a fairly large amount of medical bills from the treatment, but my career which is totally based on my production has created some inconvenient concern. The business I work in is ever changing, and it has taken me a lot of time and effort to build my business, and to think of losing it, and not being able to come back to it, is not a pleasant thought. It wouldn’t be so bad if I was still single, and had nothing to lose, as well as the fact that I have been doing what I do for 8 years now and I don’t really know anything else, but trusting Gods plans and purposes, even if He were to change my career has been something that has not easily been surrendered.

I talked to a guy named Brent Hatch on the phone this week. He is a published runner, a father, husband, and cancer survivor who has a remarkable story. Read it when you get a chance as it is very inspiring. http://runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--10251-0,00.html Brent had testicular cancer 12 years ago when it was still a deadly cancer to get, and the chemo regime that is now the norm, was still experimental. After a fairly serious surgery, Brent was cured of his cancer and continued to run marathons including the Boston marathon on a yearly basis. 6 years ago after having a stroke, he was delivered another blow to the chest when preparing for a marathon. Days before his marathon Brent was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia that the doctors told him would give him less than 5 years to live. It has been 5 years now and he still runs 100 miles week preparing for his next marathon. As I talked to him I was humbled and filled with joy to hear the voice of such a content man. He talked about the chemo drugs that he has to take EVERY DAY for the rest of his life, and the concern of losing his health insurance because of the cost of his drugs. Talking to Brent gave me some real perspective and encouraged me. Brent reminded me of how cancer can really help you defeat fear, and how most people do not get that kind of an opportunity.

One of the worse parts of having cancer has been the lack of control (not that I really ever had it), and the thought of losing everything. This has also been one of the best parts. It’s easy to talk about faith and trust when everything is going good, and yet it is in the trials that we really get an opportunity to display Christ within to the world around us. When I read Brent’s story and so many others like his, I am reminded of the verse in James that instructs us “Consider it PURE JOY, when you face trials of many kinds.”

Having joy in the midst of trials, is a novel idea to most, but what if you could be the kind of person who had no fear of adversity? What if adversity began to excite you because you knew the work that God did from within through these times was more profitable than any education this world could give you, and would help people more than you could ever imagine?