Facing Cancer with God
Johannes Adendorff, the author of A Different Plan, remembers facing the pains of lung cancer with the help of God.
I had cancer.
“Could we schedule an operation for tomorrow?” the doctor asked, the urgency in his voice clear. “We need to get the tumor out as soon as possible.”
I blinked a couple times, letting the reality sink in. The pain in my back was still there, a constant reminder of the foreign object growing inside of me. But I didn’t panic or even feel tears filling my eyes. There had to have been a reason for God to allow this illness.
Therefore, I did not fear. God was with me, behind me, and beside me. I would not give in to the enemy.
“I need a week to consider,” I said.
“We need to immediately operate,” the doctor protested. “I cannot stress this enough.”
I nodded. I understood the risk I was taking, but who was I to make decisions without first knowing what God wanted me to do?
So, I waited. I told my wife the news and asked my pastor what I should do. And during my hesitation, the specialists treating me decided against surgery. I thanked God for helping me make the decision to wait, and heard His response loud and clear: This sickness was not to death, but for the glory of God.
Soon after that special encounter with the Lord, I began to cough up blood.
Pain and nausea became my new normal as I went through chemotherapy at the age of 39. On one occasion, I was clinically dead before some skilled doctors brought me back to life. Constantly looming over me was death from the cancer, or the malnutrition and weakness caused by the cancer. I dreamed of it like a big black monster and hovered over me, and in my dream, I shot and killed this monster with a pistol.
My pastor smiled when I told him about my dream. “God just gave you victory over this situation,” he said confidently.
It would be months before I had a true victory and underwent the operation that would remove the tumor. Again, I thanked Jesus. Without Him, I never would have survived that big black monster known as fear, death, and illness.
To this day, I am thankful for God’s grace. He kept me from death and gave me a second chance in this life, allowing me to appreciate every moment in this world in a way I had never done before. The illness touched nearly every aspect of my life, that’s true. But I do believe it changed me for the better, making me taste the fruits of this life with all the more respect.
A former military man and professional skydiver, Johannes Adendorff shares his experiences of overcoming illness and adversity in his memoir, A Different Plan. After years of life in the skies, Adendorff commits his time to spreading God’s message and encouraging others to live for Jesus Christ. You can contact Johannes here.