So true...

I was reflecting back on something my Oncologist told us during one of my visits very recently. He told us that his wife has a very close female friend whose husband had the same exact condition I was diagnosed with, having a cancerous tumor in his colon, metastatic cancer on the lungs and liver, stage 4 cancer.  The patient was only about 40 years old, and my doctor was telling his wife to tell her friend about me, that I had survived the same circumstances for 3+ years, in order to give this patient's wife some hope.  He told his wife to tell her friend, who was just inconsolable over her husband's diagnosis, and likely future prognosis, that he has a good chance of living longer than anticipated, and that during that time, they might discover new drugs that have a very positive influence on controlling cancer.

Anyway, the patient had his surgery to remove the tumor, just as I did, but died 27 days later, no complications from surgery, but he succumbed to the ravages of cancer, a cancer to the same extent as mine.  So, that's why I believe I have been kept alive, surviving not only cancer this long, when the prognosis suggests otherwise, while also surviving pneumonia, when during that pneumonia episode a little over two years ago. The doctors in the hospital were ready to send me off to a nursing home to die.  They did not believe I would survive the pneumonia, but I did, against all odds. 

So, I feel very strongly that I'm being preserved on earth by God for a reason, either to strengthen my own faith, to learn more scripture, to give a testimony to others, and possibly have an effect upon them with respect to their own salvation, and/or to discuss and analyze scripture with others for better understanding, etc...There are so many reasons that God may have kept me alive. That's why I feel that I must endure my suffering in the faith, to accept the suffering, and possibly in the end, to accept my own death as the will of God. 

He has blessed my entire life so much, in so many ways, I'm just astounded.  And even in light of the suffering from cancer, and even my likely death at a relatively early age, I have benefited so much from the cancer having an effect on my faith, and my increased knowledge of God the Father, Jesus, the scriptures, etc...that even the cancer has been a blessing. 

 Not only have I benefited as I said, what I perceive as the will of God has allowed me the time to reconcile my relationship with God through the scriptures and the Holy Spirit, that I'm very thankful.  Many don't get this same opportunity, they die suddenly, heart attacks, car accidents, etc...no time to reconcile their relationship with God, or to serve God through their suffering.  While suffering is definitely very hard to endure, my faith has become very strong...as the bible says, we are strongest when weak, and weakest when strong, so true.