Cancer Is Just A 6 Letter Word
Written by Chuck Haaland
Hearing that someone has cancer, a lot of different thoughts race through your mind.
But when you hear that you are the one with cancer for the first time, what thoughts go
through you mind?
After 14 months of testing, waiting, lots of blood work and 52 different biopsies of
my prostate, I was not surprised by the doctor’s statement, “You have Cancer”. This was a
welcomed word. Now we can do something about this. Reading books, looking on the
internet for information concerning Prostate Cancer, I was ready for the next step. No more
waiting – surgery is on the schedule.
But when I started telling my family, friends and people we do business with that I
had cancer, almost 99% of the people’s first words out of their mouth was “O NO, Not
Cancer”. “How long do you have?” “Did you catch it in time?” “What are your options?”
And I would reply to each of them the same, “NO-NO you have the wrong idea. This is
wonderful! I am thanking God that we found it in time and we have a chance to do
something about it.” My wife, Debbie, told me, “Tone down the ‘wonderful’ part – lots of
different people don’t have the same view of cancer as you do.” My outlook on cancer was
not of fear or the unknown of what was ahead – I know the One who would be leading me
in the days ahead.
What is cancer anyway, just a six letter word. So I started thinking about my life.
What six letter words have given me strength to live by, and a peace that God was in
control?
Here are the six letter words that came to my mind quickly. They are:
1.) FAMILY. I am part of God’s family. I have been a Christian for 52 years –
trusting in Jesus – my Savior. And God’s family is a big one. The family of God has lots of
brothers and sisters in this world. During this time many family members were praying for
me.
2.) FRIEND. How can anyone have a better friend than Jesus? He knows me better
than myself, my wife, my daughter – anyone. The best friend you can have is Jesus.
3.) FATHER. Growing up with my Father, it seems that each day Father was telling
this and that. Father was leading me by example. Always teaching me to know the right
from the wrong. Telling me that I made the right decision or showing me what I did was
wrong. But no matter what I did or didn’t do, Father always loved me. From my young life,
Father was the example of my Heavenly Father. Just like my Father, God/Jesus love me.
Jesus gave His life for me and I am sure that my Father would have done the same. I know
that I would do that for my family. I had a great Father here on this earth as well as my
Heavenly Father. I know that I will see both of them one day in Heaven.
4.) ANCHOR. Traveling downs these roads in my 60 years – He is the one that has
been the anchor in my life, holding me in place, when the wind is blowing hard. In
troubling times, Jesus is the one that has a firm grip on me.
5.) ANSWER. When you have a problem, a question concerning an event or
anything, He can solve it. Go to Jesus in prayer and He will give you the answer you need.
6.) WISDOM. Just like Father teaching me right from wrong, we can ask for
wisdom in our lives as well. This is one of the spiritual gifts God gives us. We can make
“right choices” with wisdom, our prayers and letting God/Jesus be our leader. Just be open
to His voice, and walk with Him not ahead or behind, but side by side. There may be times
that God/Jesus will pick you up and carry you even when you do not know the direction you
are going.
7.) ALWAYS. Jesus is always there. “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.
Hebrews 13:5. This is a promise that He gives us in the Bible.
8.) HEALER. How many times have you been healed? He took our sins and our
problems on the cross, He is truly our Healer.
9.) HEALTH. He is my health too. God knew from the beginning of time that we
will be sick at different times. He made us. He can fix different sickness and He will be our
health.
10.) DOCTOR. He is my heavenly Doctor. He can and will heal us. Jesus will
give us an idea of our problem with a pain here or soreness there. We can feel that
something is different. We go to a doctor to see what the problem is. God can guide the
doctors in helping us.
11.) TIMING. “Why now?” Did you ever think a day later, a second earlier,
what a difference between life and death, Heaven or Hell? God knew that this is the time. I
am sure that the Lord would say something like this: “I have put everything in place. The
doctors, nurses, lab techs, hospital, and your schedule- everything is ready for you.” Like
the poem “Footprints in the Sand” stated: “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
you’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome
times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t know why, when I needed you
the most, you would leave me.” The poem continues to say: “He whispered, “My precious
child, I love you and will never leave you - Never, even during your trials and testing.
When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
I know that in my life, there have been many hours, days, and months that the Lord
has carried me. Rest assured that HE is there NOW and will be there until He is ready for
us to go to Heaven. Timing is everything – think about that. EVERYTHING !!!!
12.) PRAYER. Anytime in our life we can stop and pray. God-Jesus can hear us
anytime, anyplace. You call Their name and They hear us. What a wonderful peace to
know that we are a couple of words away. The best thing about praying is that Jesus knows
the words that we are asking for before we can say them. There are times when I don’t
know how to pray or what words to say or ask but He knows why I am praying. And words
start to come. Again, He knows us well.
13.) LEADER. Who is a better leader than Jesus? Jesus knows the direction that
we need to go. He can see over the mountain and what is ahead. He knows all the different
things that we will face on the road of life.
14.) SAVIOR. This is one of the best six letter word I know. Jesus gave His life
for me and for you too. This is the reason that He came to this world to be our Savior. I
asked Jesus into my heart when I was 8 years old, I trust that you will ask, and accept Him
as your Savior as well. All you have to do is ask!
15.) HEAVEN. Now we are at the last of my six letter words. This is the best
place in the world to end up. If God made this world of ours in 6 days and now that He had
thousands of years since then -- What will Heaven be like? “I can only image.” There
is not one thing here we can compare it too. This will be my final home and I am going to
be there for all eternity.
I trust that you can see that my six letter words are stronger than a simple six letter
word called “cancer”. The above words are the ones that I live my life by, not just for the
time when a problem or cancer comes, but for my whole life. I know my Jesus, and we are
ready for the different things He has for me to do in the years ahead.
Are you able to look at cancer like I did? I trust that these 15 six letter words will
give you joy, peace and the world of comfort if you ever hear the word cancer directed to
you.
My life verse is Phil 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.” What a powerful verse.
Before my surgery I had an opportunity to pray with and for my doctors.
This is my prayer.
“Father, from the very beginning of time You knew that I would be having prostate
surgery. Standing in front of me are the doctors You have chosen just for me. So when
they open me up they cannot say “Ooops, I don’t know what to do” because you have
trained them just for me. All I ask is that they do their very best and I know You will take
care of the rest. And let me have the best 10 minute nap I have ever experienced.” Amen.
PS. I am cancer “free” after my surgery. Thank you, Father. I am honored that “You”
found it in time.
Thanks for the time you spent reading this simple story. I am sure that there are
more six letter words you will add to mine but these are the ones that were on my mind,
15 simple words. If you would like to add a six letter word to mine, please let me know.
I would love to share them with others. Please add a comment with what the word means to
you and I will add your name to that if you want too.
Hearing that someone has cancer, a lot of different thoughts race through your mind.
But when you hear that you are the one with cancer for the first time, what thoughts go
through you mind?
After 14 months of testing, waiting, lots of blood work and 52 different biopsies of
my prostate, I was not surprised by the doctor’s statement, “You have Cancer”. This was a
welcomed word. Now we can do something about this. Reading books, looking on the
internet for information concerning Prostate Cancer, I was ready for the next step. No more
waiting – surgery is on the schedule.
But when I started telling my family, friends and people we do business with that I
had cancer, almost 99% of the people’s first words out of their mouth was “O NO, Not
Cancer”. “How long do you have?” “Did you catch it in time?” “What are your options?”
And I would reply to each of them the same, “NO-NO you have the wrong idea. This is
wonderful! I am thanking God that we found it in time and we have a chance to do
something about it.” My wife, Debbie, told me, “Tone down the ‘wonderful’ part – lots of
different people don’t have the same view of cancer as you do.” My outlook on cancer was
not of fear or the unknown of what was ahead – I know the One who would be leading me
in the days ahead.
What is cancer anyway, just a six letter word. So I started thinking about my life.
What six letter words have given me strength to live by, and a peace that God was in
control?
Here are the six letter words that came to my mind quickly. They are:
1.) FAMILY. I am part of God’s family. I have been a Christian for 52 years –
trusting in Jesus – my Savior. And God’s family is a big one. The family of God has lots of
brothers and sisters in this world. During this time many family members were praying for
me.
2.) FRIEND. How can anyone have a better friend than Jesus? He knows me better
than myself, my wife, my daughter – anyone. The best friend you can have is Jesus.
3.) FATHER. Growing up with my Father, it seems that each day Father was telling
this and that. Father was leading me by example. Always teaching me to know the right
from the wrong. Telling me that I made the right decision or showing me what I did was
wrong. But no matter what I did or didn’t do, Father always loved me. From my young life,
Father was the example of my Heavenly Father. Just like my Father, God/Jesus love me.
Jesus gave His life for me and I am sure that my Father would have done the same. I know
that I would do that for my family. I had a great Father here on this earth as well as my
Heavenly Father. I know that I will see both of them one day in Heaven.
4.) ANCHOR. Traveling downs these roads in my 60 years – He is the one that has
been the anchor in my life, holding me in place, when the wind is blowing hard. In
troubling times, Jesus is the one that has a firm grip on me.
5.) ANSWER. When you have a problem, a question concerning an event or
anything, He can solve it. Go to Jesus in prayer and He will give you the answer you need.
6.) WISDOM. Just like Father teaching me right from wrong, we can ask for
wisdom in our lives as well. This is one of the spiritual gifts God gives us. We can make
“right choices” with wisdom, our prayers and letting God/Jesus be our leader. Just be open
to His voice, and walk with Him not ahead or behind, but side by side. There may be times
that God/Jesus will pick you up and carry you even when you do not know the direction you
are going.
7.) ALWAYS. Jesus is always there. “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.
Hebrews 13:5. This is a promise that He gives us in the Bible.
8.) HEALER. How many times have you been healed? He took our sins and our
problems on the cross, He is truly our Healer.
9.) HEALTH. He is my health too. God knew from the beginning of time that we
will be sick at different times. He made us. He can fix different sickness and He will be our
health.
10.) DOCTOR. He is my heavenly Doctor. He can and will heal us. Jesus will
give us an idea of our problem with a pain here or soreness there. We can feel that
something is different. We go to a doctor to see what the problem is. God can guide the
doctors in helping us.
11.) TIMING. “Why now?” Did you ever think a day later, a second earlier,
what a difference between life and death, Heaven or Hell? God knew that this is the time. I
am sure that the Lord would say something like this: “I have put everything in place. The
doctors, nurses, lab techs, hospital, and your schedule- everything is ready for you.” Like
the poem “Footprints in the Sand” stated: “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
you’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome
times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t know why, when I needed you
the most, you would leave me.” The poem continues to say: “He whispered, “My precious
child, I love you and will never leave you - Never, even during your trials and testing.
When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
I know that in my life, there have been many hours, days, and months that the Lord
has carried me. Rest assured that HE is there NOW and will be there until He is ready for
us to go to Heaven. Timing is everything – think about that. EVERYTHING !!!!
12.) PRAYER. Anytime in our life we can stop and pray. God-Jesus can hear us
anytime, anyplace. You call Their name and They hear us. What a wonderful peace to
know that we are a couple of words away. The best thing about praying is that Jesus knows
the words that we are asking for before we can say them. There are times when I don’t
know how to pray or what words to say or ask but He knows why I am praying. And words
start to come. Again, He knows us well.
13.) LEADER. Who is a better leader than Jesus? Jesus knows the direction that
we need to go. He can see over the mountain and what is ahead. He knows all the different
things that we will face on the road of life.
14.) SAVIOR. This is one of the best six letter word I know. Jesus gave His life
for me and for you too. This is the reason that He came to this world to be our Savior. I
asked Jesus into my heart when I was 8 years old, I trust that you will ask, and accept Him
as your Savior as well. All you have to do is ask!
15.) HEAVEN. Now we are at the last of my six letter words. This is the best
place in the world to end up. If God made this world of ours in 6 days and now that He had
thousands of years since then -- What will Heaven be like? “I can only image.” There
is not one thing here we can compare it too. This will be my final home and I am going to
be there for all eternity.
I trust that you can see that my six letter words are stronger than a simple six letter
word called “cancer”. The above words are the ones that I live my life by, not just for the
time when a problem or cancer comes, but for my whole life. I know my Jesus, and we are
ready for the different things He has for me to do in the years ahead.
Are you able to look at cancer like I did? I trust that these 15 six letter words will
give you joy, peace and the world of comfort if you ever hear the word cancer directed to
you.
My life verse is Phil 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.” What a powerful verse.
Before my surgery I had an opportunity to pray with and for my doctors.
This is my prayer.
“Father, from the very beginning of time You knew that I would be having prostate
surgery. Standing in front of me are the doctors You have chosen just for me. So when
they open me up they cannot say “Ooops, I don’t know what to do” because you have
trained them just for me. All I ask is that they do their very best and I know You will take
care of the rest. And let me have the best 10 minute nap I have ever experienced.” Amen.
PS. I am cancer “free” after my surgery. Thank you, Father. I am honored that “You”
found it in time.
Thanks for the time you spent reading this simple story. I am sure that there are
more six letter words you will add to mine but these are the ones that were on my mind,
15 simple words. If you would like to add a six letter word to mine, please let me know.
I would love to share them with others. Please add a comment with what the word means to
you and I will add your name to that if you want too.