In a world full of entitlement and rationalizations, our first response when something goes wrong in our lives can often be, ”Why Me?” Our thoughts turn to the unfairness of a situation. When a diagnosis is announced, we are inconvenienced at best and devastated at worst.

I had to ask when faced with my cancer diagnosis,”What makes me more special than the next person?” Although I exercised and ate rather healthy, I could not control all that was going on with the cells in my body. I still wonder why there is so much disease and suffering on this earth. And why one person gets cancer and another does not. We cannot know all the answers.

I often have to remind myself of what I do know. I am no better than anyone else on this earth. When cancer came knocking on my door, I admit I was upset and did wonder why this was happening to me. As a few days passed, this new thought began to creep in. It started as a faint whisper and then came with resolute conviction, “ Why NOT me?”

With that new mindset, I could move forward to do all I could to rid my body of this disease. Some facts we cannot change, yet we are empowered to release the negative thoughts that hold us back. There are many resources to help us deal with a diagnosis. In my case, I knew it was time to dig in and shift my perspective to bring about the most positive results. Anger at God or at the disease does not bring healing. There has to be a healthy respect for the things we do not know.

I am heartbroken when I hear of senseless acts of terrorism where innocent people are killed, a horrible car accident where families are torn apart or devastating hurricanes that destroy cities and many lives. There is so much heartache in this word and there is no way to comprehend the whys. We begin to realize that it could have been our family or city in harm’s way. And, again, we are not meant to understand completely.

Many of you may be asking the same questions I was five years ago. Whether we are struggling with a disease or any hardship, we have to remember we are never promised an easy life while on this earth. God does not “owe” us anything. He has created us. He has given each of us unique opportunities and invites us to establish a relationship with Him. 

We can be encouraged in Deuteronomy 31:8, “ The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” He does promise never to leave us and that is the hope we can hold on to in whatever we may be dealing with today.